§ 19-11-25.Availability of information about overdue support to consumer reporting agency; notice to debtor parent; fee
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 1. Child Support Recovery Act · Last amended 1985 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-25
Plain-English Summary
Overdue child support can show up on a credit report, and this section explains how. In accordance with Section 466(a) of the federal Social Security Act, the Department of Human Services shall make information about the amount of overdue support owed by an absent parent residing in Georgia available to any consumer reporting agency, as Section 603(f) of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act defines that term, when the agency asks. The Westlaw editors point readers to the federal code provisions where those two sections now appear.
Two limits temper the mandate. Where the overdue amount is less than $1,000.00, release is up to the department’s discretion; it may share the information, but it doesn’t have to. And no information about an absent parent may go out until the department has sent that parent notice of the proposed action and given the parent a reasonable opportunity to contest the accuracy of the information. The section doesn’t set a number of days for that opportunity; it requires only that it be reasonable.
The department may charge the requesting agency a fee for furnishing the information, but no more than its actual cost. The section reaches parents residing in the state and speaks to information about the amount of overdue support; § 19-11-30 keeps the department’s other records confidential. It was enacted in 1985 and has not been amended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can unpaid child support show up on my credit report in Georgia?
Yes. When a consumer reporting agency asks, the Department of Human Services shall make available information about the amount of overdue support owed by an absent parent living in Georgia. For amounts under $1,000.00, release is discretionary. The section governs what the department shares; it doesn’t address how a credit bureau or lender uses the information.
Will Georgia report child support arrears under $1,000.00 to credit bureaus?
It may, but it doesn’t have to. When overdue support in a case is less than $1,000.00, the department has discretion whether to make the information available. At $1,000.00 or more, the general rule applies, and the department shall make the information available to a consumer reporting agency that requests it, after giving the parent notice and a chance to contest its accuracy.
Do I get notice before my child support debt goes to a credit bureau?
Yes. Information about an absent parent may be made available only after the department has sent that parent notice of the proposed action and given a reasonable opportunity to contest the accuracy of the information. The section doesn’t fix a deadline for the response; it requires only that the opportunity be reasonable.
Can I dispute the child support amount the state reports to credit agencies?
Yes, before it’s released. The department must give the absent parent a reasonable opportunity to contest the accuracy of the information before making it available. The section speaks of contesting accuracy, so the dispute it contemplates is about whether the reported amount of overdue support is correct. It doesn’t describe a specific procedure for raising the dispute.
Does Georgia report child support debt to credit bureaus on its own or only when asked?
The duty in this section runs on request. The department shall make the information available to a consumer reporting agency “upon the request of such agency.” The section doesn’t require the department to send reports unprompted, and it lets the department charge the requesting agency a fee no higher than its actual cost of furnishing the information.
Amendment History
Laws 1985, p. 785, § 8.