§ 19-11-3.Definitions

Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 1. Child Support Recovery Act · Last amended 2017 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-11-3 defines fifteen terms used in Georgia’s Child Support Recovery Act, including when a support order becomes a IV-D order, who counts as a dependent child, and when a father of a child born out of wedlock is a parent.

Full Text of § 19-11-3

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As used in this article, the term:

(1) “Account” means a demand deposit account, checking or negotiable order of withdrawal account, savings account, time deposit account, or a money market mutual fund account.

(2) “Child support enforcement agency” means the entity within the department and its contractors that are authorized to enforce a duty of support.

(3) “Court order for child support” means any order for child support issued by a court or administrative or quasi-judicial entity of this state or another state, including an order in a criminal proceeding which results in the payment of child support as a condition of probation or otherwise. Such order shall be deemed to be a IV-D order for purposes of this article when either party to the order submits a copy of the order for support and a signed application to the department for IV-D services, when the right to child support has been assigned to the department pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 19-11-6, or upon registration of a foreign order pursuant to Article 3 of this chapter.

(4) “Department” means the Department of Human Services.

(5) “Dependent child” means any individual under the age of 18 who is not otherwise emancipated, self-supporting, married, or a member of the armed forces of the United States.

(6) “Duty of support” means any duty of support imposed or imposable by law or by court order, decree, or judgment.

(7) “Financial institution” means every federal or state chartered commercial or savings bank, including savings and loan associations and cooperative banks, federal or state chartered credit unions, benefit associations, insurance companies, safe-deposit companies, trust companies, and any money market mutual fund.

(8) “IV-D” means Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act.

(9) “Medical insurance obligee” means any person to whom a duty of medical support is owed.

(10) “Medical insurance obligor” means any person owing a duty of medical support.

(11) “Money market mutual fund” means every regulated investment company within the meaning of Section 851(a) of the Internal Revenue Code which seeks to maintain a constant net asset value of $1.00 in accordance with 17 C.F.R. Section 270.2A-7.

(12) “Obligee” means the individual to whom the payment of a support obligation is owed.

(13) “Obligor” means the individual owing a duty of support.

(14) “Parent” means the natural or adoptive parents of a child and includes the father of a child born out of wedlock if his paternity has been established in a judicial proceeding or if he has acknowledged paternity under oath either in open court, in an administrative hearing, or by verified writing.

(15) “TANF” means temporary assistance for needy families.

End

Plain-English Summary

This definitions section controls how the rest of the Child Support Recovery Act reads. It defines fifteen terms. Some are labels: “Department” is the Department of Human Services, “IV-D” is Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act, and “TANF” is temporary assistance for needy families. The “child support enforcement agency” is the entity within the department, and its contractors, authorized to enforce a duty of support.

Several definitions carry real weight. A “court order for child support” covers orders from a court or an administrative or quasi-judicial body of Georgia or another state, including an order in a criminal case that results in support payments, as a condition of probation or otherwise. Such an order becomes a IV-D order — one the department enforces — in three situations: when either party submits a copy of the order and a signed application for IV-D services, when the right to support has been assigned to the department under § 19-11-6(a), or when a foreign order is registered under Article 3 of the chapter. A “dependent child” is anyone under 18 who isn’t emancipated, self-supporting, married or in the U.S. armed forces.

“Parent” means a natural or adoptive parent. It includes the father of a child born out of wedlock only if his paternity was established in a judicial proceeding or he acknowledged paternity under oath — in open court, in an administrative hearing or by verified writing. “Obligor” is the person who owes support; “obligee” is the person it’s owed to. Separate terms cover medical support obligors and obligees.

The remaining definitions — “account,” “financial institution” and “money market mutual fund” — describe the deposit and fund accounts, and the banks, credit unions, insurance companies and similar institutions, that later collection sections of the Act refer to. The section was last amended in 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a IV-D order in Georgia?

It’s a support order the Department of Human Services is enforcing under the federal IV-D program. An order becomes a IV-D order when either party submits a copy of it with a signed application for IV-D services, when the right to support has been assigned to the department under § 19-11-6(a) (as happens when a family accepts public assistance), or when a foreign order is registered under Article 3 of Chapter 11.

Who is a dependent child under Georgia’s child support enforcement law?

Anyone under 18 who isn’t emancipated, self-supporting, married or a member of the U.S. armed forces. That definition applies throughout the Child Support Recovery Act. Other parts of Georgia law can extend a support duty past 18 in some situations, but this article’s term “dependent child” uses the under-18 line.

Is an unmarried father a parent for child support purposes in Georgia?

Yes, once paternity is established. Under this section, “parent” includes the father of a child born out of wedlock if his paternity has been established in a judicial proceeding or if he acknowledged paternity under oath, either in open court, in an administrative hearing or by verified writing. Without one of those steps, he doesn’t meet this article’s definition of parent.

Does a child support order from another state count in Georgia?

Yes. The definition of “court order for child support” covers orders issued by a court or an administrative or quasi-judicial entity of Georgia or another state. It also includes orders in criminal cases that result in support payments, as a condition of probation or otherwise. A foreign order registered under Article 3 of Chapter 11 is treated as a IV-D order.

What is the difference between an obligor and an obligee?

The obligor owes support; the obligee receives it. This section defines the obligor as the individual owing a duty of support and the obligee as the individual to whom the support payment is owed. Parallel terms — medical insurance obligor and obligee — describe who owes and who is owed a duty of medical support.

Amendment History

Laws 1973, p. 192, § 3; Laws 1976, p. 1537, §§ 1, 2; Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 23; Laws 2003, Act 175, § 1, eff. July 1, 2003; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 2-2, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2010, Act 410, § 1, eff. July 1, 2010; Laws 2014, Act 579, § 10, eff. July 1, 2014; Laws 2017, Act 242, § 1-16, eff. July 1, 2017.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: iv-d order georgiachild support definitions georgiadependent child definition georgiaobligor obligee georgiageorgia child support enforcement agency