Changes to Child Support Payments for Families Receiving RI Works

Beginning July 1, 2026, Rhode Island is increasing the amount of child support that families receiving RI Works can receive each month.

Before July 1, 2026

If you received RI Works cash assistance and the other parent paid child support:

• Your family received the first $50 of the monthly child support collected (the "pass-through" payment). 

Any remaining child support collected that month was distributed according to state and federal child support distribution rules. 

Effective July 1, 2026

If you receive RI Works cash assistance and the other parent pays child support:

• Families with one child can receive up to $100 each month. 
• Families with two or more children can receive up to $200 each month.  

Any child support collected above those amounts will continue to be distributed according to state and federal child support distribution rules.

A pass-through payment is the portion of child support collected each month that is paid directly to your family while you are receiving RI Works benefits.

This money is meant to help support your child(ren)'s everyday needs, including:

• Food  
• Clothing  
• School supplies 
• Transportation  
• Other household expenses 

Although the amount of child support paid directly to families through the pass-through has increased, the process for issuing payments has not changed.

Pass-through payments:

• Are issued only once a month (partial payments are not issued). 
• Are processed either on the 15th of the month or the last day of the month. 

The full monthly pass-through payment is issued on the 15th if enough child support has been collected by that date to cover the full pass-through amount.

If enough child support has not been collected by the 15th, a payment will not be issued on that date. The system will wait until the end of the month and review the total child support collected during the month. If enough child support has been collected, the full, or a partial, pass-through payment will be issued at that time.

With the increased pass-through amounts:

• Families with one child must have at least $100 in child support collected by the 15th to receive the pass-through payment on that date. If less than $100 has been collected by the 15th, the system will wait until the end of the month to determine whether the full pass-through payment, or only what was received, can be issued. 
• Families with two or more children must have at least $200 in child support collected by the 15th to receive the pass-through payment on that date. If less than $200 has been collected by the 15th, the system will wait until the end of the month to determine whether the full pass-through payment, or only what was received, can be issued. 

Example: Under the previous $50 pass-through, many RI Works families received their payment on the 15th because at least $50 in child support had already been collected. With the higher pass-through amounts, some families may not receive a payment until the end of the month because the required $100 or $200 had not been collected by the 15th.

IMPORTANT: Eligible families will receive a larger pass-through payment overall. For some families, the only change is when they receive it. If enough child support is collected by the 15th, the payment will be issued on the 15th. If not, the system will review the total child support collected during the month and issue the full pass-through payment, or a partial payment, at the end of the month based on the amount that has been collected.

NO. The child support pass-through payment is not counted when determining your RI Works cash assistance benefit, so receiving the increased pass-through does not reduce your RI Works cash grant. Existing program rules exclude the pass-through from RI Works income calculations.

The goal of increasing the pass-through payment is to allow more child support to go directly to children and families instead of being retained by the State. Because child support is intended to help meet a child's everyday needs, increasing the pass-through can improve the financial stability of families receiving RI Works.

If a parent pays $250 in child support during the month for child(ren) receiving RIWorks:

Prior to July 1, 2026

• Family receives $50 of that $250 payment 
• The remaining amount of child support received that month was retained according to state and federal child support distribution rules.

From July 1, 2026 forward

• Family with one child receives $100 of that $250 payment.
• Family with two or more children receives $ 200 of that $250 payment.
• The remaining amount of child support received that month will be retained according to the current state and federal child support distribution rules.

If you receive RI Works and have questions about how these changes apply to your case, contact the Rhode Island Office of Child Support Services or the Department of Human Services for more case-specific information.