How to collect unpaid child support in Iowa
Arrears, interest and enforcement, with a letter to the agency.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026.
Short answer
Arrears means child support that is past due. By statute, unpaid support starts earning interest 30 days after it is due, at 10% a year.
- Interest on unpaid support
- 10% a year
- License suspension
- Unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. You then have 20 days after the notice to pay, give employer information, show an exemption, or ask for a conference; a written payment agreement can stop the sanction.
- Passport denial
- Over $2,500 past due (federal law)
What the agency can do in Iowa
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Income withholding (wages, unemployment, Social Security, workers' compensation, some retirement and veterans' benefits, lump sums)
- Medical support enforcement
- Federal and state tax and non-tax offsets
- Passport sanctions
- Administrative levy on accounts (up to 50% of many account balances)
- Contempt
- Garnishment
- Liens
- License sanctions (professional, recreational, driver's licenses and vehicle registration)
- Credit reporting
Law: Iowa Code ch. 252J (license sanctions); ch. 252D (income withholding)
Ask the agency in writing to collect what is owed: Ask the agency to collect unpaid support
When a license can be suspended in Iowa
Unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. You then have 20 days after the notice to pay, give employer information, show an exemption, or ask for a conference; a written payment agreement can stop the sanction.
Law: Iowa Code 252J.2
Source: CSS handbook
Federal collection tools
- Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)
Interest on arrears in Iowa
By statute, unpaid support starts earning interest 30 days after it is due, at 10% a year. No interest accrues just because an employer's pay cycle delays an income-withholding payment.
Law: Iowa Code 535.3(2)
When the court steps in, in Iowa
CSS may file a contempt action asking the court to decide whether the parent can pay and is willfully violating the order.
In nearby states
Steps to collect support in Iowa
Track what was paid
Note the date and amount of each payment, and each missed one.
Open a case or ask the agency
Contact Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Child Support Services (CSS) (1-888-229-9223) · Apply online
Tell the agency about income
Tell the agency where the other parent works or lives.
Check the balance
Ask the agency for the total owed, with any interest.
Get help
Free help: Iowa Legal Aid.
Free help in Iowa
Questions about unpaid support in Iowa
What can the agency do about unpaid support in Iowa?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding (wages, unemployment, Social Security, workers' compensation, some retirement and veterans' benefits, lump sums); Medical support enforcement; Federal and state tax and non-tax offsets; Passport sanctions; Administrative levy on accounts (up to 50% of many account balances); Contempt; Garnishment; Liens; License sanctions (professional, recreational, driver's licenses and vehicle registration); Credit reporting.
Can unpaid support cost a driver's license in Iowa?
Unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. You then have 20 days after the notice to pay, give employer information, show an exemption, or ask for a conference; a written payment agreement can stop the sanction.
Can a parent go to jail for unpaid support in Iowa?
CSS may file a contempt action asking the court to decide whether the parent can pay and is willfully violating the order.
What is the interest rate on arrears in Iowa?
By statute, unpaid support starts earning interest 30 days after it is due, at 10% a year. No interest accrues just because an employer's pay cycle delays an income-withholding payment.