Pennsylvania Child Custody Tax Hurts Parents, Kids Financially

By Sheryl Rentz on September 3, 2008

A recent article in the Patriot News discusses the Pennsylvania state tax fee of $25 that is being charged to custodial parents on an annual basis. That’s right, the Pennsylvania statute actually taxes the parents that HAVE custody of the child in the case of divorce annually.

The Pennsylvania Legislature decided to charge custodial parents $25 annually for each child, provided they collect at least $2,000 a year from the noncustodial parent and have never received cash assistance from welfare. The fee started when a federal law that required states’ help in recouping some of the costs for providing child support enforcement services went on the books. States like Pennsylvania were given the option of collecting the money from one of the parents or paying it themselves. Pennsylvania decided to collect it from parents that had custody of children from broken homes.

The Association for the Children for the Enforcement of Support (ACES) and the Philadelphia district attorney’s office oppose the tax law and have aided Representative Kate Harper, R-Montgomery in her efforts to have the tax repealed. The bill she has introduced has yet to move out of committee, however.

A quote by Christina Marhsall, a member of ACES’ national board of trustees sums it up best:

“Kids don’t choose divorce, but they pay for it both financially and emotionally. Do you know what $25 means to a child? It is not right for our children to have to pay for this government service. The people who made the decision to collect this tax clearly don’t understand the impact it has on families.”

The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz, PC have years of experience handling cases of child support and child custody in Pennsylvania. Sheryl R. Rentz is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bar Associations as well as the Montgomery County Bar Association. Our offices can help you recover your legally entitled child support, aid couples who are worried about making a child support contract, or help parents who have not paid child support in some time. Contact us today.

We offer free and confidential consultations on any potential case regarding child support or divorce in Pennsylvania and will let you know what your rights are.