Quicklinks

Child Support Services

The Potter County District Clerk's office operated the local registry for receipt and distribution for child support until 2001. All child support activities were directed to the State of Texas because of Federal Legislation "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation ACT" (PRWORA) passed in 1990. This act established a State Disbursement Unit (SDU) for child support payments in all states.

The Potter County District Clerk's office has no direct contact with child support, but can refer you to the correct agencies to contact

The State Disbursement Unit (SDU) for Texas must have current information about your address and any current withholding orders. The Potter County District Clerk's office will fax or email this information to the SDU when presented to this office. You may fax the SDU directly at 1-877-924-6872.

Child support records are confidential, therefore, no information about child support payments will by given out by child support clerks over the phone You will need to contact the SDU directly if you have not received your child support. The contact number for the SDU is 1-800-252-8014.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the person ordered to pay child support does not pay?
The District Clerk does not have the power to provide enforcement services. You must contact an attorney or the Office of the Attorney General for assistance to make someone pay child support. The Office of the Attorney General may be reached by calling, 1-800-252-8014 or 806-376-447
Click here to go to the web page for the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

What if the SDU has mailed a payment and I have not received it?
Make sure your address is current with the SDU and District Clerk at all times. The post office will not accept a tracer form from this office to investigate lost mail. The Postal Service has informed this office that they will search the "dead letter" file upon request from the mail recipient. If you do not receive your child support check, please ask the post office to look in the "dead letter" file.

What should I do if I move to make sure my payments don't go to the wrong address or get returned to the State Disbursement Unit as undeliverable by the post office?
You must submit a change of address to the SDU and District Clerk in writing (or in person with a valid picture I.D.). A change of address with the post office will not change your address with the District Clerk's office. Send a change of address card to the District Clerk at P.O. Box 9570, Amarillo, Texas 79105 when you mail notices to the utility companies, banks, ect. You must include your cause number, your name, and the name of the person who pays the child support when you submit a new address.

Change of Address
Change of Address Forms must be completed, signed and returned to the District Clerk's office. Please note: Change of Address Forms will NOT be accepted by email. Click here for change of address for the obligor and click here for change of address for the obligee.

How do I obtain copies of my divorce decree or other papers I may need from my court file?
Send a written request to P.O. Box 9570, Amarillo, Texas 79105. You must provide your case number, your name, your address and specify the documents you would like copied and sent to you. You must include a cashier's check or money order (no personal checks accepted) in the amount of $30.00 for deposit on the cost of copies and postage. If the copies and postage are less than $30.00, you will receive a refund check from Potter County. If the copies and postage are more than $30.00, we will contact you for the remainder of the balance due.
Click here to download a Request for Copies Form.

How do I get child support withheld from someone's wages?
If a wage garnishment (withholding) order has been signed by the judge, the Clerk is required to send a certified copy of the Wage Withholding Order to an employer upon request. Sate law requires the Clerk to chrage a fee of $15 for then Wage Withholding Order mailed to an employer. If you would like to have a Wage withholding Order mailed to an employer, send a written request to the District Clerk, P.O. Box 9570, Amarillo, Texas 79105.
You must provide your case number, the name of the person who is ordered to pay child support, and the employer's name and address. be sure to sign the request and include a cashier's check or money order (no personal checks accepted) in the amount of $15. You may appear in person, with valid picture identification, and complete a request to issue a Wage Withholding Order. The District Clerks office is located at 501 S. Fillmore, Amarillo, Texas.

What do I do if an employer is withholding money from a paycheck for child support but is not mailing it?
The District Clerk's Office does not have authority to make an employer follow the law. The District Clerk provides each employer with a copy of the law that governs wage withholding for child support and a copy of the court order that directs the employer to withhold child support from wages. Contact an attorney or the Office of The Attorney General for assistance.