What happens at a support conference?

If the child or children were not born during a time when the parents were married or if an Acknowledgement of Paternity has not been signed, paternity must be established. If paternity is not an issue, the support conference will proceed as follows:

Support Conference

The first step in a determination of support is for the support conference to be conducted. This conference is conducted by the Conference Officer who is a court official. The Conference Officer will collect various information from both parties, including demographic, employment, and income information and will calculate the net incomes of the parties. From these net incomes, the Conference Officer will calculate the guideline amount of support which is presumed to be correct in the case.

Agreement & Order of Support

At this point the parties can either come to an agreement on the amount of support or not. If the parties agree to an amount of support, the Conference Officer will prepare an Agreement and Order of Support for the parties to sign. After this agreement is signed, it is sent to the Judge for signature and copies mailed to the parties thereafter.

Interim Order of Support

If the parties do not reach an agreement, the Conference Officer will enter an interim order of support directing the defendant to pay the guideline amount of support. After the entry of that order the parties will be scheduled for a hearing de novo. If both parties request cancellation in writing or fail to appear at the hearing the interim order will become a final order. If a de novo hearing is held, the parties will appear before the Hearing Officer.

Show All Answers

1. What is support and who may receive it?
2. How do I file for support?
3. What if there is a Protection From Abuse order against the person from whom I am seeking support?
4. How is the support amount determined?
5. How paternity is established and why is it important?
6. What must I do if I receive an Order to appear for a support conference or hearing?
7. Where do I go for support conferences or hearings?
8. Do I have to appear for my support hearing if I live outside of Washington County, Pennsylvania?
9. What are the rules to participate by phone and how do I request to do this?
10. What will happen if I don’t appear for a conference or hearing before the Court?
11. What happens at a support conference?
12. What happens at a support hearing?
13. How do I file exceptions?
14. What are my obligations if I receive public assistance benefits?
15. What are my obligations while I have an active support case?
16. How do I change my support order?
17. What do I do if I am paying spousal support and a divorce is granted?
18. What do I do if one of the children who I pay support for turns 18 and graduates high school?
19. What is PACSES?
20. How do I pay my support?
21. What do I do if I cannot pay my support?
22. What type of enforcement actions may be taken if I don't pay my support?
23. What if my driver's license is suspended for failure to pay support?
24. What is SCDU and how do I obtain information concerning payments?
25. How do I collect unreimbursed medical expenses under my order of support?
26. What is the PACSES IVR and how do I use it?