Child Support in Berks County: How Domestic Relations Works

Child support cases in Berks County run through the Domestic Relations Section, on the 6th floor of the Berks County Services Center at 633 Court Street in Reading, and the county's fee schedule lists no charge to file a complaint for child support. You can open a case in person, by mail, by email, or through the state's child support website; walk-in interviews run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and take about an hour. The phone number is 610-478-2900.

The Domestic Relations Section, or DRS, is part of Family Court, a division of the Berks County Court of Common Pleas. It establishes, changes, collects, and enforces support orders. It does not handle custody.

Who can file and what to expect

Under state law, parents are liable for the support of children who are "unemancipated and 18 years of age or younger," and "may be liable" for children 18 or older; the county's compliance tips list a child turning 18 and finishing high school among the changes to report. A parent can file, and so can a caretaker who has custody of a child. In a support case the plaintiff receives support and the defendant pays, and filing first does not make you the plaintiff: the Conference Officer decides who is which "based upon the incomes of the parties, the support guidelines and existing law, and the custodial arrangements," and the person named as defendant can end up the plaintiff. Court staff can explain the process but "CANNOT give legal advice or legal interpretations."

What it costs

The DRS fee schedule effective January 30, 2026 lists five fees, none of them a charge to file a child support complaint: genetic testing, $26.60 per person; a $41.25 Judicial Computer Fee, a mandatory state fee assessed to the defendant; alimony case maintenance, $120 a year; a $20 lien search; and $91.25 for a Superior Court appeal. Card payments carry processor fees, listed below. Checks and money orders are free.

Four ways to open a case

Three of the four methods start with the paper Intake Questionnaire, which asks about you, the children, and the other parent; the online route asks the same kinds of questions on screen.

1. In person. Bring the completed questionnaire to the 6th floor between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; clients are seen first come, first served and must "be ready to be seen by 3:30PM." The office recommends arriving before noon. An interviewer reviews the form with you and generates the complaint for your signature during the visit.
2. By mail, to Berks County Domestic Relations Section, 633 Court Street, 6th Floor, Reading, PA 19601-4316. A worker contacts you after the case is created to review it and arrange for you to sign.
3. By email. Scan the questionnaire to support.berks@pacses.com. The same callback follows.
4. Online, through E-Services on the Pennsylvania Child Support Website, after registering. The state warns that "Submitting an online request does not constitute a filing with your county court. Documents are not officially filed until they are reviewed and accepted by the DRS." You must print, sign, and keep a paper copy for two years. The site has a new login system, and existing users "must update their login credentials before they can log in."

The date matters. The complaint "is not considered to be filed until it is signed by you and returned to the DRS, and time-stamped in our Docketing Division," and the order's effective date is the docket-stamp date, not the day you mailed the form.

Bring as much of the intake checklist as you have: Social Security cards or numbers for yourself, the children, and the other parent; birth certificates; your photo ID; employer names and addresses for yourself and the other parent; the other parent's current address; proof of paternity; medical insurance cards; a marriage license or divorce decree; any protection from abuse order (see our PFA guide); proof of custody for caretakers; and the other parent's income sources. The intake pamphlet says the office "will not acquire this information for you." With no address for the other parent, "a conference cannot be scheduled and locate efforts begin": the Locate Unit searches state and federal databases and may schedule a one-hour Locate Interview with you.

Step by step: conference, hearing, exceptions

1. Intake interview. An interviewer enters your questionnaire into the state system and generates a Complaint for Support, which you sign. If the other parent's address is known, you leave with your conference notice; the other parent is notified by regular and certified mail.
2. Support conference. Both parents meet with a Conference Officer, a DRS staffer trained in calculating support, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The officer reviews income, child care, and health insurance, settles any paternity question, and calculates support under the state guidelines. If you both agree, a judge signs the order.
3. No agreement: interim order. The officer enters an interim order, a temporary order at the recommended amount that is enforceable while the case continues, and you get a hearing date before you leave. If you missed the conference and object to the interim order, local rule 1910.12(b) gives you 20 days from mailing to file a written demand for a hearing. The same local rule lets the court dismiss the case, and charge costs, if the person who filed does not appear at the conference or hearing without good cause.
4. Hearing. A Hearing Officer, a lawyer appointed by the Family Court judges, hears the case on the 7th floor, "usually ... about four to eight weeks after the conference," in a half-day block. Bring your latest tax return with W-2s, six months of pay stubs, and proof of child care and medical costs. If you do not show up, the officer decides on the other side's evidence.
5. Recommendation and exceptions. The Hearing Officer mails a written recommendation. Either party may file exceptions, a written objection, within 20 days of mailing. With none, the recommendation becomes a final order. With exceptions, it stays in force as a temporary order while the case goes to Argument Court before a Family Court judge. The party filing exceptions must order and pay for the hearing transcript.

If you cannot make a date, file the Application for Continuance with the Docketing Division at least 25 days ahead (local rule 1910.34). To appear by phone, the telephone application must reach DRS at least 10 days before, with a specific reason and the other party's position, by email to Documents.Berks@PACSES.com, fax to 610-898-5579, or mail or in person to the Docketing Division.

How the amount is set

State law requires a statewide guideline with "primary emphasis on the net incomes and earning capacities of the parties." The guideline, Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-1, takes the parents' combined monthly net income and the number of children, reads a basic amount from a schedule, and splits it in proportion to each parent's income. That amount is presumed correct; a judge or hearing officer can deviate only by finding, in writing or on the record, that it is unjust or inappropriate. The rule calls support "a priority obligation."

The rule's own worked example uses a child living with a grandmother: parents with combined monthly net income of $5,000 and one child have a basic obligation of $1,080 a month, and the parent earning $3,000 owes 60 percent, or $648, while the parent earning $2,000 owes 40 percent, or $432, each paying the grandmother separately. When the child lives with one parent, the schedule works the same way but only the other parent pays. Child care and health insurance premiums are added on top. The state's free Child Support Estimator carries its own caveat: "It is only an estimator."

Medical support

Every order includes medical support: health insurance plus a split of unreimbursed expenses. The non-custodial parent has first responsibility for covering the children if coverage is available at a reasonable cost, defined as a premium of no more than 5 percent of that parent's monthly net income that, added to the support payment, does not exceed 50 percent of it. Medical Assistance does not count as private coverage.

The plaintiff pays the first $250 per person per calendar year of unreimbursed costs and must show that amount was met; in the first calendar year of an order the deductible is prorated (the pamphlet's example is $126.03 for an order effective July 1). To collect a share above that, send the bills to the other party by certified mail no later than March 31 of the year after the final bill, allow 30 days, then submit the receipt, bills, and Medical Expense Form to the Compliance Unit no later than May 31 of that same year. Since July 1, 2025, psychological and psychiatric costs count; cosmetic and chiropractic costs do not unless the order says so.

Paying and getting paid

Payments go to the Pennsylvania State Collection and Disbursement Unit, or PA SCDU (1-877-727-7238), not to the other parent; the Compliance Unit page says normal payments "should be sent directly to" SCDU, and the county's payment options sheet lists every route. Income withholding is the main method: the employer deducts support from each paycheck, remits within 10 days for the first payment and 7 days after that, and may keep a one-time $50 fee. Other options:

• Check or money order payable to PA SCDU, P.O. Box 69110, Harrisburg, PA 17106-9110, with your name and member ID. Free. No starter checks.
• Phone, 1-800-955-2305, by card: 2.95 percent up to $700, a flat $20 from $700.01.
• MoneyGram (receive code 14677; fees vary) or ExpertPay (2.5 percent card fee, 5 to 7 banking days).
• The kiosk in the DRS lobby, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or tpchildsupport.com: 2.95 percent.

Purge payments, the lump sums a judge sets to release someone from contempt, are cash only, in the Docketing Office, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you pay support, the county's compliance tips say to keep paying on your own until deductions start, because "wage attachments can take several weeks"; report a job change within 3 to 7 days; report in person within 3 days of release from prison or rehab; if out of work, keep a dated job-search log for the Compliance Unit; and report any change that affects the order, including when a "child is over 18 years old and out of high school." If you receive support, a Direct Deposit Enrollment Form is on the DRS forms page.

Changing an order

Either party can file a Petition for Modification of an Existing Support Order, form OM-501, describing the "material and substantial change(s) in circumstance"; if the order is more than three years old, you may write "Three year review." The instructions say the paper form goes in person or by mail to the Docketing Division and that "Filings submitted by fax or email will not be accepted"; the DRS main page and its 2020 filing-methods chart also list E-Services for a petition to modify. Once filed, the petition cannot be withdrawn without the other party's consent or the court's permission, and the order "may be modified in any appropriate manner based on the evidence presented without regard to which party filed the petition." Asking for a decrease can produce an increase. A conference is then scheduled.

If payments stop

If payments stop and no reason is given, "enforcement proceedings will begin after 30 days," the compliance tips say, so a payor who loses a job should call the compliance officer first. The county's enforcement sheet lists what can follow; it describes credit reporting, tax intercepts and liens as automatic once a balance crosses a line, and the rest as steps the court or the office may take:

• Income attachment, including against unemployment, Social Security disability, workers' compensation, and some pensions.
• Credit bureau reporting once arrears, the unpaid balance, reach two months of the monthly obligation, "whether or not payments are being made."
• Federal tax refund intercept at $150 owed to the Department of Human Services or $500 owed to a plaintiff; $25 in federal and county processing fees comes out of the defendant's balance.
• State tax refund intercept. The county's documents disagree: the enforcement sheet says arrears of $150 or more, while the Docketing page says "more than $11.00." Ask the office which applies.
• A contempt conference before a Compliance Officer. Bring a cash lump sum toward arrears, two forms of ID, proof of full-time employment, and, if unemployed, proof of a job search. Without an agreement, the case goes to a contempt hearing before a Family Court judge, who can impose up to 6 months in jail with purge conditions for release. Bench warrants "are issued for failure to appear, not failure to pay."
• A bank-account freeze after three or more months of not paying the full monthly amount; lottery intercept when arrears exceed $100 and winnings exceed $2,500; an automatic lien on property and on lawsuit or workers' comp settlements.
• Suspension of a driver's, hunting, fishing, or professional license when arrears reach three months of support, and passport denial when arrears across all cases exceed $2,500.

Getting help

MidPenn Legal Services, 35 N. 6th Street, Mezzanine Suite 101, Reading, 1-800-326-9177, represents people who qualify at no fee. The Berks County Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service, 544 Court Street, 610-375-4591, runs a Modest Means Program that lists child support among its case types, with income screening through MidPenn. (The 2019 hearing pamphlet gives 610-373-0256, which the bar now lists as its fax.)

Custody is a separate case: "Domestic Relations only collects support and has no control over custody matters." Custody complaints are filed with the Prothonotary. Interstate cases run through the DRS Intergovernmental Unit and "may take additional processing time" because two courts are involved. For how Family Court fits with the rest of the courthouse, see how Berks County government works. If you receive support on a Way2Go card, the office says to call only 1-800-304-1669 about the card.

FAQ

How much does it cost to file for child support in Berks County?

The county's fee schedule lists no charge to file a complaint for child support. The fees it does list are genetic testing at $26.60 per person and a $41.25 state Judicial Computer Fee assessed to the defendant; card payments carry processor fees of 2.5 to 2.95 percent, or a flat $20 by phone for amounts above $700.

How long does a child support case take in Berks County?

The intake interview takes about an hour and the conference about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If the parents agree there, a judge signs the order; if not, an interim order takes effect and a hearing follows about four to eight weeks later, with 20 more days for exceptions before the recommendation becomes final.

Can I file for child support online in Pennsylvania?

Yes, through E-Services on the Pennsylvania Child Support Website, after registering. The state warns that an online request "does not constitute a filing with your county court" until DRS reviews and accepts it, and the order's effective date is the day your signed complaint is docket-stamped in Reading.

What if I don't know where the other parent is?

File anyway. A conference cannot be scheduled without an address, so the case goes to the Locate Unit, which searches state and federal databases and may schedule a one-hour Locate Interview with you. Bring anything you have, such as an old pay stub, a utility bill, an email address, or a photo.

Does Domestic Relations handle custody?

No. DRS collects support and has "no control over custody matters." Custody complaints are filed with the Prothonotary and go through Family Court's custody process; the court recommends hiring a lawyer and points to the bar association's referral line at 610-375-4591.

Sources

• Berks County Domestic Relations Section — hours, contact, in-person filing times, purge payments, Way2Go warning.
• How to File for Support — the four filing methods and the docket-stamp rule.
• Intake Questionnaire — the form every case starts with.
• Intake Interview Times and Intake Pamphlet — what to bring, wait times, interstate items.
• Intake Unit, Locate Unit, Establishment Unit — interview, locate, and conference process; plaintiff/defendant notice.
• Hearing Pamphlet — hearing officer, timing, exceptions, what to bring.
• Berks County Civil Rules — local rules 1910.12 (hearing demand, exceptions, transcript) and 1910.34 (continuances).
• Application to Participate by Telephone — 10-day deadline, submission routes, session hours.
• DRS Fees Schedule, effective 1/30/26 — every fee the office charges.
• 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 4321–4322 — who owes support; the statewide guideline mandate.
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-1 — how the guideline works, the presumption, the $5,000 example.
• Pennsylvania Child Support Estimator, Child Support Website, and E-Services — online filing, its limits, the login change.
• Medical Support page and Medical Support Pamphlet, rev. 6/2025 — reasonable-cost test, $250 deductible, March 31 and May 31 deadlines.
• PA Support Payment Options — every payment method and fee.
• Compliance Unit, Docketing/Fiscal Unit, and compliance tips — payor duties, payment distribution, tax intercept thresholds and fees.
• DRS Forms — direct deposit, continuance, modification, telephone forms.
• Petition for Modification (OM-501) and instructions and Acceptable Filing Methods — how to change an order.
• Enforcement of Support Orders and Contempt Conference enclosure — enforcement triggers and what to bring.
• Intergovernmental Unit — interstate cases under UIFSA.
• Client Service Unit — the page that lists 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. hours.
• Family Court: Custody, Custody and Divorce Self-Help, and Can/Cannot list — custody process, legal help contacts, limits on staff help.
• Berks County Bar Association: Find a Lawyer — Lawyer Referral and Modest Means Program.

Domestic Relations Section: Berks County Services Center, 6th Floor, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601; 610-478-2900; fax 610-478-6583 on the main page (the medical pamphlet prints 610-478-6585). The main DRS page lists hours of Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and says "No public will be permitted on the floor after 4:30 PM -- NO EXCEPTIONS," while the Client Service Unit page says 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; call before arriving late in the day. In-person filing: 8:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Intake questionnaires: support.berks@pacses.com. Conference and hearing documents and telephone applications: Documents.Berks@PACSES.com.