Butler County’s newest child support collection tool seeing success

The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency began accepting credit card payments by phone for the first time in early 2017.

The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency began accepting credit card payments by phone for the first time in early 2017.

A pay-by-phone option for child support payments in Butler County is seeing success, according to the county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency.

The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency began accepting credit card payments by phone for the first time in early 2017.

MORE: Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency

During the first quarter of 2017, the agency said it collected 115 phone payments totaling $74,677.

By comparison, parents made 1,126 phone payments totaling $425,180 during the first quarter of 2018 — an increase of more than 500 percent, according to the agency.

“This huge influx in over the phone payments is a testament to the desire by our customers to be able to pay their child support in the most simple, convenient and cost-effective way possible,” said Narka Gray, assistant director of the Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency.

MORE: Court orders man to pay $2M in child support in 'bizarre' case involving identity theft

Before the agency offered the pay-by-phone option, parents who wanted to pay by credit card had to physically visit the Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency’s payment window or pay online through a third-party vendor who charged a service fee.

In addition to the above-mentioned options, parents can also pay support by: bank deduction, income withholding to their employer, mailing a check to Ohio Child Support Payment Central located in Columbus, Ohio, credit card or cash payments at the agency’s payment window, credit card payments online through e-childspay.com and via MoneyGram which is accepted at several major retailers.

The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency said it collects an average of $13 million through all payment methods quarterly.

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