New York child support arrears forgiveness

ESTIMATE — based on the rules New York published, checked October 2026. Only the agency can approve a reduction, and approvals are discretionary.

What can be reduced

NYC OCSS (HRA): (1) Arrears Cap — DSS arrears accrued while income was below the federal poverty level can be reduced to as low as $500; (2) Arrears Credit Program — $5,000/yr credit, up to $15,000 over 3 years per case, for paying full support for a year; (3) Parent Success Program — up to $7,500 DSS debt eliminated for completing a qualifying employment program + 3 mo paycheck payments, or a substance-use treatment program; (4) Pay It Off — time-limited payment-matching (pay DSS debt "twice as fast"); paying off money-judgment principal owed to DSS gets the interest removed

Who may be eligible to apply

• NCPs owing arrears to the Dept. of Social Services (DSS)
• Upstate/other districts vary — OCSS and NYS both say confirm with the district that issued the order
• Arrears Credit Program (NYC): requires ≤$3,000 in bank, ≤$5,000 in property
• Arrears Cap (NYC): DSS arrears accrued while income was below the federal poverty level

Where to apply

NYC: dcse.cseweb@dfa.state.ny.us (subject = program name), ACCESS HRA app, or 151 W. Broadway walk-in. Elsewhere in NY: local district. Apply by email/mail/mobile app — not by court petition

Confirm the program is still open before relying on it — this program runs in windows, varies by district, or is periodic.

Participation is decided county by county in this state — call your county office; no county list is printed because none is published.

The split still decides it

State-owed (assigned) arrears are the state's to compromise. Family-owed arrears can only be reduced by the other parent's voluntary, documented agreement — no agency can force it. Tennessee is the verified inversion: family-owed arrears are the compromisable slice there with court approval, and state-owed cannot be forgiven. If you do not know your split, the first move is a written request to the agency for the split as separate lines.

Interest and limits

Interest: 9% per year (the CPLR judgment rate) on arrears reduced to a money judgment; arrears not yet reduced to judgment do not automatically bear 9% (CPLR §§5001, 5004; NYC HRA debt-reduction + Pay It Off pages)

Passport / license: Driver's license suspension exposure at arrears ≥4 months of the current obligation (and not paying through income withholding); professional/recreational license action at the same 4-month mark by court order (Dom. Rel. Law §244-d) — verified example, sizing §5.1. NYC OCSS steers family-owed debt to free/low-cost mediation between the parents (sizing §2.2)

What no one can do: a judge cannot erase arrears that already accrued for hardship, job loss, or incarceration when no modification was filed at the time (Bradley Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §666(a)(9)(C)). Arrears are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Federal lines: arrears over $2,500 can be certified for passport denial or revocation; only the state agency can request a release, and release practice is set by the state.

Run the arrears decoder for New York

Source: NYC HRA OCSS, "Debt Reduction" (nyc.gov/site/hra/help/debt-reduction.page) — city's own page, verified in full ◆. NYC reports $225M+ (agency page; $274M in an OCSS flyer) of DSS debt reduced since 2009 — figures differ between sources, see report · Rules checked October 2026.