Debt Owed to the State and Child Support Overpayments

An overpayment is created when the Oregon Child Support Program sends money to an individual by error, or when funds are later reversed through bank notice of a dishonored payment, or by reversal of a payment from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or Oregon Department of Revenue.

Make a Payment on the Debt

To pay back an overpayment, you will need the overpayment account number located on the notice you received (the number is 10 digits long and begins with a 2). If you are making one payment to be distributed to more than one overpayment account, please include each account number.

Send payments by check or money order:

Make your check or money order payable to the Oregon Department of Justice and mail it to:

Oregon Child Support Program
Attn: Overpayments
PO Box 14320
Salem, OR 97309-5048

Pay with cash or check in person at:

Division of Child Support
Oregon Department of Justice
4600 25th Ave. NE, Ste. 180
Salem, OR 97301
View in Google Maps »

Pay by Credit or Debit Card

Make a debit or credit card payment through MyPaymentPortal.com ». When repaying an overpayment through MyPaymentPortal.com, select State Debt Overpayments and enter the account number, which starts with the number 2.

FAQs About Debt Owed to the State and Child Support Overpayments

Open All

What caused my receivable (overpayment)?

An overpayment debt (which creates a receivable) can result from three different situations:

1. Money sent to you was later discovered to have been sent in error. This could happen for several reasons. The notice sent explains how it happened.
2. A payment was sent to you, but the funds were later reversed by the source (IRS or the Oregon Department of Revenue took back the money or reversed the payment).
3. We received a payment from you, or on your behalf, but the bank later reversed the funds from the Oregon Child Support Program's account because the payment was dishonored (usually for insufficient funds).

I received a notice telling me I owe an overpayment debt (creating a receivable). What if I disagree with the notice?

Your written request for an administrative review of the debt must be received within 30 days from the date of the first notice you received. We will complete the review within 30 days of your request and send a written response.

If the error was not my fault, am I still responsible?

Yes. No matter what - or who - caused the error, you received a financial benefit and are responsible for repayment. Either funds were sent to you that should not have been, or you received credit for a payment, but we did not receive the related funds. The receivable amount created by the overpayment must be collected back by the Oregon Child Support Program.

Am I going to be charged a fee?

You may be charged a fee in some circumstances. If your receivable resulted from a dishonored payment, you may be charged a fee of $35. This fee applies to checks and electronic payments. We will charge the fee one time only, even if we try to deposit your payment more than once.

If you do not repay the receivable, and we must send the debt for collection to the Oregon Department of Revenue, a fee up to 30 percent of the referred amount may be added to cover the cost of collections.

Do I have the option to make multiple payments?

You will receive a payment agreement with your notice. The agreement allows you to select different repayment options. Fill out the payment agreement and mail it to:

Oregon Department of Justice
Oregon Child Support Program
Attn: Overpayments
PO Box 14320
Salem, OR 97309

Or email a copy of the agreement to ChildSupportOverpayments@doj.oregon.gov.

If the debt has been sent to the Oregon Department of Revenue, may I still make my payment to the Oregon Child Support Program?

Yes. We will notify the Oregon Department of Revenue of the dollar amount of any payments we receive and the Department of Revenue will adjust its records.  The Department of Revenue may still charge a fee.

May I pay by credit or debit card?

Yes. On MyPaymentPortal.com, you may make a payment toward a receivable debt caused by an overpayment. You must have the account number from the notice you received to use this option. The account number is 10 digits long and begins with a 2.

Will this affect the current child support I receive?

Maybe. You may voluntarily request we use future support to pay the receivable caused by the overpayment. Or, if you do not send us a payment or comply with a payment agreement, we can withhold 20% of each of your future child support payments until the debt is repaid. Even if an agreement has been made, if no payments are received on a receivable account within 90 days of the date on the first notice, it may be referred to the Oregon Department of Revenue for collection. If a payment is not received on a receivable account at least once every 90 days, the debt also may be referred to the Department of Revenue.

For other questions, please contact us at ChildSupportOverpayments@doj.oregon.gov or or 503-986-6322.

If you received a letter from the Department of Revenue, you can contact them at oaa.help@oregon.gov or 503-945-8199.