Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

256.87 CONTRIBUTION BY PARENTS.
    Subdivision 1. Actions against parents for assistance furnished. A parent of a child is
liable for the amount of public assistance, as defined in section 256.741, furnished to and for the
benefit of the child, including any assistance furnished for the benefit of the caretaker of the child,
which the parent has had the ability to pay. Ability to pay must be determined according to chapter
518A. The parent's liability is limited to the two years immediately preceding the commencement
of the action, except that where child support has been previously ordered, the state or county
agency providing the assistance, as assignee of the obligee, shall be entitled to judgments for
child support payments accruing within ten years preceding the date of the commencement of
the action up to the full amount of assistance furnished. The action may be ordered by the state
agency or county agency and shall be brought in the name of the county or in the name of the
state agency against the parent for the recovery of the amount of assistance granted, together
with the costs and disbursements of the action.
    Subd. 1a. Continuing support contributions. In addition to granting the county or state
agency a money judgment, the court may, upon a motion or order to show cause, order continuing
support contributions by a parent found able to reimburse the county or state agency. The order
shall be effective for the period of time during which the recipient receives public assistance from
any county or state agency and thereafter. The order shall require support according to chapter
518A and include the names and Social Security numbers of the father, mother, and the child or
children. An order for continuing contributions is reinstated without further hearing upon notice
to the parent by any county or state agency that public assistance, as defined in section 256.741, is
again being provided for the child of the parent. The notice shall be in writing and shall indicate
that the parent may request a hearing for modification of the amount of support or maintenance.
    Subd. 2.[Repealed, 1983 c 308 s 32]
    Subd. 3.MS 1980 [Repealed, 1981 c 360 art 2 s 52]
    Subd. 3. Continuing contributions to former recipient. The order for continuing support
contributions shall remain in effect following the period after public assistance, as defined in
section 256.741, granted is terminated unless the former recipient files an affidavit with the court
requesting termination of the order.
    Subd. 4.[Repealed, 1989 c 282 art 2 s 219]
    Subd. 5. Child not receiving assistance. A person or entity having physical custody of a
dependent child not receiving public assistance as defined in section 256.741 has a cause of
action for child support against the child's noncustodial parents. Upon a motion served on the
noncustodial parent, the court shall order child support payments, including medical support and
child care support, from the noncustodial parent under chapter 518A. A noncustodial parent's
liability may include up to the two years immediately preceding the commencement of the action.
This subdivision applies only if the person or entity has physical custody with the consent of
a custodial parent or approval of the court.
    Subd. 6. Entry of judgment. Any order for support issued under this section shall provide
for a conspicuous notice that, if the obligor fails to make a support payment, the payment owed
becomes a judgment by operation of law on and after the date the payment is due, and the obligee
or public agency responsible for support enforcement may obtain entry and docketing of the
judgment for the unpaid amounts under the provisions of section 548.091.
    Subd. 7. Notice of docketing of maintenance judgment. Every order for maintenance
issued under this section shall provide for a conspicuous notice that, if the obligor fails to make
the maintenance payments, the obligee or public agency responsible for maintenance enforcement
may obtain docketing of a judgment for the unpaid amount under the provisions of section
548.091. The notice shall enumerate the conditions that must be met before the judgment can be
docketed.
    Subd. 8. Disclosure prohibited. Notwithstanding statutory or other authorization for the
public authority to release private data on the location of a party to the action, information on the
location of one party may not be released to the other party by the public authority if:
(1) the public authority has knowledge that a protective order with respect to the other
party has been entered; or
(2) the public authority has reason to believe that the release of the information may result in
physical or emotional harm to the other party.
    Subd. 9. Arrears for parent who reunites with family. (a) A parent liable for assistance
under this section may seek a suspension of collection efforts under Title IV-D of the Social
Security Act or a payment agreement based on ability to pay if the parent has reunited with that
parent's family and lives in the same household as the child on whose behalf the assistance
was furnished.
(b) The Title IV-D agency shall consider the individual financial circumstances of each
obligor in evaluating the obligor's ability to pay a proposed payment agreement and shall propose
a reasonable payment agreement tailored to those individual financial circumstances.
(c) The Title IV-D agency may suspend collection of arrears owed to the state under this
section for as long as the obligor continues to live in the same household as the child on whose
behalf the assistance was furnished if the total gross household income of the obligor is less
than 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
(d) An obligor must annually reapply for suspension of collection of arrearages under
paragraph (c).
(e) The obligor must notify the Title IV-D agency if the obligor no longer resides in the
same household as the child.
History: (8688-21, 8688-22, 8688-23) 1937 c 438 s 19-21; 1953 c 639 s 3; 1977 c 282 s
1; 1980 c 408 s 1; 1981 c 360 art 2 s 21; 1983 c 308 s 2; 1984 c 547 s 2; 1985 c 131 s 3,4;
1Sp1985 c 9 art 2 s 32; 1988 c 593 s 1-4; 1989 c 282 art 2 s 114; 1993 c 340 s 3-6; 1994 c
630 art 11 s 4; 1995 c 257 art 4 s 2; 1997 c 203 art 6 s 6-10; 1997 c 245 art 1 s 3; 1999 c 245
art 7 s 2; 2005 c 164 s 29; 1Sp2005 c 7 s 28

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes