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Rhode Island Makes Child Support Payments More Convenient

The state now accepts walk-in payments at Western Union locations.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state now accepts child-support payments at more than 50 Western Union locations throughout the state.

The state is working with govONE and its subsidiary, GovConnect, on a system that electronically transfers the payment to the state once the payment is accepted at a Western Union location that offers the "convenience pay" service. Following the Rhode Island pilot, the company plans to offer the service in other states.

"Western Union makes it easy for parents in Rhode Island to electronically send cash child-support payments directly to the Rhode Island Family Court," said Jack Murphy, Rhode Island's associate director of revenue services.

Parents need to bring their billing statement, coupon book or account number to the service counter of a participating Western Union location. Western Union will accept cash to cover the child support payment, along with a service fee, and then sends the payment electronically to Rhode Island. The parent is provided with a receipt for the payment.

More than $62 million in child-support payments were collected in 2000 in Rhode Island, and more than $64 million in child support still remains to be collected, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Administration for Children & Families (ACF).

Company officials said the walk-in payment option makes it easier for both citizens and businesses to make payments to federal, state and local governments.

govONE