2005 Arizona Revised Statutes - Revised Statutes §25-510  Receiving and disbursing support and maintenance monies; arrearages; interest

A. The support payment clearinghouse established pursuant to section 46-441 shall receive and disburse all monies, including fees and costs, applicable to support and maintenance unless the court has ordered that support or maintenance be paid directly to the party entitled to receive the support or maintenance. Within two business days the clerk of the superior court shall transmit to the support payment clearinghouse any maintenance and support payments received by the clerk. Monies received by the support payment clearinghouse in cases not enforced by the state pursuant to title IV-D of the social security act shall be distributed in the following priority:

1. Current child support or current court ordered payments for the support of a family when combined with the child support obligation.

2. Current spousal maintenance.

3. The current monthly fee prescribed in subsection D of this section to cover the cost of handling support or spousal maintenance payments.

4. Past due support reduced to judgment and then to associated interest.

5. Past due spousal maintenance reduced to judgment and then to associated interest.

6. Past due support not reduced to judgment and then to associated interest.

7. Past due spousal maintenance not reduced to judgment and then to associated interest.

8. Past due amounts of the fee prescribed in subsection D of this section to cover the cost of handling support or spousal maintenance payments.

B. In any proceeding under this chapter regarding a duty of support, the records of payments maintained by the clerk or the support payment clearinghouse are prima facie evidence of all payments made and disbursed to the person or agency to whom the support payment is to be made and are rebuttable only by a specific evidentiary showing to the contrary.

C. At no cost to the clerk of the superior court, the department shall provide electronic access to all records of payments maintained by the support payment clearinghouse, and the clerk shall use this information to provide payment histories to all litigants, attorneys and interested persons and the court. For all non-title IV-D support cases, the clerk shall load new orders, modify order amounts, respond to payment inquiries, research payment related issues, release payments pursuant to orders of the court and update demographic and new employer information. The clerk shall forward orders of assignment to employers for non-title IV-D support orders. Within five business days the clerk shall provide to the department any new address, order of assignment or employment information the clerk receives regarding any support order. The information shall be provided as prescribed by the department of economic security in consultation with the administrative office of the courts.

D. The support payment clearinghouse shall receive a monthly fee of two dollars twenty-five cents to cover the cost of handling support and maintenance payments. The court shall order payment of the handling fee as part of the order for support or maintenance. The handling fee shall not be deducted from the support or maintenance portion of the payment.

E. In calculating support arrearages not reduced to a final written money judgment, interest accrues at the annual rate of ten per cent pursuant to section 44-1201, beginning at the end of the month following the month in which the support payment is due. Past support reduced to a final written money judgment accrues interest at the annual rate of ten per cent pursuant to section 44-1201, beginning on entry of the judgment by the court.

F. Any direct payments not paid through the clearinghouse or any equitable credits of principal or interest permitted by law and allowed by the court after a hearing shall be applied to support arrearages as directed in the court order. The court shall make specific findings in support of any payments or credits allowed. If the court order does not expressly state the dates the payments or credits are to be applied, the payments or credits shall be applied on the date of the entry of the order that allows the payments or credits. In a title IV-D case, if a court order does not indicate on its face that the state was either represented at or had notice of the hearing or proceeding where the payments or credits were determined, the court order shall not reduce any sum owed to the department or its agent without written approval of the department or its agent.

G. Any written agreement for credit against support arrearages, other than by court order, shall be made only by written affidavit of direct payment signed by the person ordered to make the support payment and the person entitled to receive the support. The affidavit of direct payment shall be filed directly with the clerk of the court, who shall enter the information into the statewide case registry. Any credits against support arrearages shall be applied as of the dates agreed to by the parties or the date of agreement reflected in the affidavit if no other date is agreed to in the affidavit. In a title IV-D case, the agreement and affidavit shall not reduce any sum owed to the department or its agent without written approval of the department or its agent.

H. An arrearage calculator may be developed by a government agency using an automated transfer of data from the clearinghouse and the child support registry. The arrearage figure produced by this calculator is presumed to be the correct amount of the arrearage.