Collecting child support is a complicated endeavor that creates challenges for many states. If a state does not provide an adequate system for collecting child support, the federal government will force them to pay substantial penalties.

Several forms must be filled out and submitted to the court in order to file a child support claim. Much of the information needed to complete the forms is already entered into the states mainframe database (a system such as KIDS or STARS). Many of the forms require the same information, like name of the defendant, name of the child, the party's address, etc. This means the filer is required to write the same information, over and over, on each of the individual forms. When mistakes are made on one of the forms, such as the misspelling of a name, the whole form must be redone. Sometimes, if the mistake is repeatedly made on each of the forms, all of them must be redone. The result of these mistakes is a waste of paper and much needed time.

With electronic filing, the process is paperless. All the required forms are filled out automatically with E-Filing.com's X-Forms software. E-Filing.com tags the data with XML formatting so it can easily be exchanged between the various departments involved in the child support collection process. By employing the power of the Internet, E-Filing.com has shortened the distance between needy children and the support they need.

Filing made quick and simple
E-Filing.com retrieves the data needed from the state's mainframe database (STAR, KIDS, KIDZ, ACSES, CASES, ICAR, NATURAL, INROADS, etc) to populate the forms that are submitted to the court, process servers, and other states (UIFSA). E-Filing.com lists the child support cases that need to be filed on a given day.

The filer can review the forms onscreen and make any necessary changes. The Global Correction feature allows the corrections to be made throughout all of the forms, e.g. where the filer corrects the misspelled name of the defendant, the same correction is made on all the forms where the defendant's name appears.

Once the forms have been reviewed, the filer clicks on the submit button and they are sent electronically to the courthouse. Once received and accepted by the court, the clerk stamps them with a digital stamp and forwards the documents to the child support department. The child support department can attach service instructions to the packet and forward the packet electronically to the process serves, who prints them out and servers them on defendant. When service is complete, the process server submits proof of service back to the court electronically over the Internet. When the court accepts the proof of service, child support department is notified and the case is scheduled for a trial.

How it works
E-Filing.com has adopted Legal XML (eXtensible Markup Language) standards to create a generalized electronic filing system. Your filings are sent to the courthouse using an electronic "Data Envelope" and "Document Envelope" designed specifically for the court. With the click of the mouse, cases are sent directly to the clerk of the court over a secure encrypted channel.

E-Filing.com has applied this concept to the process of court filings with the use of its Electronic Document Acceptance and Routing System (EDAR).

EDAR allows interactive communication between the filer and the court through an electronic window. Legal documents can be submitted, fees collected, and approved by the clerk of the court through the electronic window. Once the clerk of the court has approved the filing, it is given an electronic stamp of approval and an email is sent to the filer confirming approval of the document.

The electronic window performs essentially the same function as conventional filing systems, only information normally stored on paper documents is now stored in the system and the traditional method for stamping documents received is replaced by an electronic stamp.