12E-1.0052. Unidentifiable Payments

(1) Introduction. The Department is responsible for receipt and disbursement of child support payments under Section 409.2558, F.S. The State Disbursement Unit operating under Section 61.1824, F.S., is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of child support payments for:

(a) Cases enforced by the Department under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act; and,

(b) Cases not enforced by the Department under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act (non Title IV-D cases) in which the support order is issued on or after January 1, 1994, and in which the obligor’s support obligation is being paid through income deduction.

(2) Definitions. For purposes of this rule:

(a) “Comprehensive Case Information System or “CCIS” means a secured internet portal developed and set up by the Florida Association of Court Clerks and Comptrollers (FACC) that provides a single point of search for statewide court case information.

(b) “Department” means the Florida Department of Revenue.

(c) “State Disbursement Unit” or “SDU” means the unit operated by the Title IV-D agency, under Section 61.1824, F.S. The SDU provides one central address for receipt and disbursement of child support payments for the cases listed in subsection (1).

(d) “Unidentifiable payment” means “unidentifiable collection” as defined by Section 409.2554(15), F.S., and includes a payment received by the Department, including the State Disbursement Unit, for which the Department cannot identify the intended recipient or remitter.

(3) Payment Processing Procedures.

(a) The State Disbursement Unit’s automated remittance processing system matches and applies child support payments to individual cases.

(b) If the payment cannot be automatically applied and there is legible identifying information on the payment instrument, the State Disbursement Unit shall search the State Disbursement Unit database, the Department’s case management computer system, and CCIS using the information available from the payment instrument to try to identify the intended recipient or remitter.

(c) If the search identifies the intended recipient or remitter, the State Disbursement Unit shall apply the payment to the intended recipient’s case for which payment is made.

(d) If the intended recipient cannot be identified, the State Disbursement Unit shall return the payment to the remitter.

(e) If the searches do not identify the intended recipient, the remitter, or the remitter’s address, the payment is considered unidentifiable. Payments determined as unidentifiable by the State Disbursement Unit are submitted to the Department for review.

(f) If the Department is able to identify the intended recipient or remitter, the Department notifies the State Disbursement Unit to apply the payment to the intended recipient’s case for which payment is made. If the payment is unidentifiable, the Department processes it as program income. The Department shall deposit the state share of an unidentifiable payment in the General Revenue Fund. The federal share of the payment is deposited in the Grants and Donations Trust Fund.

(g) If after a payment is processed as program income, a parent provides information to the Department that identifies the payment, the Department shall apply the payment to the case or refund it to the remitter as appropriate.

Rulemaking Authority 409.2557(3)(j), 409.2558(4), 409.2558(9) FS. Law Implemented 409.2558(4) FS. History–New 1-12-10, Amended 4-5-16.