Friend of the Court - Tuscola County

Friend of the Court

The Friend of the Court is now open to the public. We continue to encourage the use of virtual means to contact our office or file documents such as email, in writing, phone & fax as listed below. Creating an online account and payment options are listed below under the Payments section. You may reach us as follows:

Michigan Legal Help

Payments


If you would like to make a support payment, please visit the Michigan State Disbursement Unit (MiSDU) at www.misdu.com.

You can access your case information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by signing up with MiChildSupport at www.michigan.gov/micase

If an emergency arises and one parent needs to directly give the other parent cash for child support, please ask the receiving parent to write a receipt that is both signed and dated. Receipts can be forwarded to the FOC so we can process an adjustment to the account balance.


Hearings

Most Friend of the Court hearings are being held in person, except in limited circumstances. If you have questions about an upcoming hearing, contact the referee division at 989-672-3200.


Information

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Contact Us

There are several ways to contact the Friend of the Court

Online

Email: foc@tuscolacounty.org

MiChild Support: micase.state.mi.us/micaseapp/public/home.html

By Phone/Fax

  • Main Line: 989-673-4848
  • Fax Line: 989-673-4898
  • 24 Hr Interactive Voice Response (IVR): 877-543-2660

In Person/Mail

Friend of the Court is located on the 1st floor of the Tuscola County Courthouse:

440 North State Street
Caro, Michigan 48723
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Referee Division

The FOC Referee Division holds hearings on matters such as child support, custody, parenting time, and domicile. It is located on the 1st floor of the Tuscola County Court House (inside the Friend of the Court Office).

  • 989-673-4848
  • 989-672-3200

Enforcement Division

Enforcement Specialists are assigned to cases based on the father's last name. Contact your Enforcement Specialist if you have questions regarding show cause hearings, bench warrants, income withholding notices, employer related questions, locating individuals whose address is unknown, an intersate case, medical enforcement or any other question related to enforcement.

  • Father's last name A-K 989-672-3732
  • Father's last name L-Z 989-672-3226

Parenting Time/Custody

For questions about custody, parenting time, or how to file a parenting time complaint, contact our Parenting Dispute Specialist:

  • 989-672-3212

Alternative Dispute Resolution (FIG & Joint Meetings)

For questions about scheduling alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including facilitative information gathering (FIG) conferences or joint meetings, contact our ADR Coordinator:

  • 989-672-3213

Support Modifications

If you have experienced a change in your financial circumstances and you would like to find out how to change your child support, contact one of our Modification Specialists:

  • 989-672-3206

Accounting and Uninsured Medical Expenses

If you have accounting, foster care, or general questions related to payments made and/or credits received, contact our Accounting Department:

  • 989-672-3202
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How To Pay Your Child Support

Income Withholding:

  • If you are currently employed, FOC can usually issue an income withholding order to your employer so payments come directly out of your paycheck.
  • Your court order requires you to provide new employer information to FOC so an income withholding order can be sent to your employer.
  • If an income withholding order is issued to your employer and you feel that you cannot afford the withholding amount, contact the FOC for assistance.

Enforcement

Court Orders

Friend of the Court is responsible for enforcing court orders. A few things to keep in mind:

  • • Friend of the Court will consider a payer’s ability to pay child support when determining which enforcement actions it will take.
  • • Friend of the Court enforces court orders as they are written. If you believe that your order needs to be modified, please see our web pages entitled "Modify Child Support" and "Custody/Parenting Time" for more information.

Bench Warrants

If you have an outstanding bench warrant, Friend of the Court will attempt to work with you to resolve this matter before you are arrested. Please contact the Friend of the Court at 989-673-4848 to discuss your options.

Medical Support

Insurance Coverage

Michigan law requires that child support orders contain a provision requiring at least one parent to provide health insurance for their child(ren). If a party is ordered to provide health insurance, Friend of the Court will send a National Medical Support Notice (NMSN) to the party's employer. However, if the cost of providing coverage is more than 6% of the parent’s gross income, it might not be be considered a “reasonable” cost. If you believe that your employer's insurance is too expensive and therefore not reasonable, contact the Friend of the Court.

Uninsured Medical Expenses

When one party incurs medical expenses that are not covered by insurance, they might be able to ask for a reimbursement from the other parent depending on what the court order says. Contact Friend of the Court at 989-673-4848 if you need help with reimbursement of medical expenses.

Modifying A Child Support Order

There are three ways to have a child support order reviewed for possible modification:

  1. 1. File a Motion to Change Order; or
  2. 2. Submit a Request for Support Review ; or
  3. 3. FOC may start a child support when any of the following circumstances exist:
  • If a child is being supported in whole (or part) by public assistance. Public assistance includes cash, food and/or medical assistance received from the State of Michigan.
  • A substantial change in circumstances has occurred, and this change may affect the child support amount.
  • At the direction of the Court.
  • Upon written request from either party. The Friend of the Court is not required to investigate more than 1 request received from a party every 3 years.

If you have questions regarding a support review, you may contact the Friend of the Court's Modification Specialists at 989-672-3217 or 989-672-3206

Custody/Parenting Time

Enforcement Of Parenting Time Orders & Makeup Parenting Time

Friend of the Court assists parties in enforcing parenting time orders only through written request. If you have a court order for parenting time and the other party is not complying with the court's order, you may file a Parenting Time Complaint. Please remember that Friend of the Court can only enforce written court orders. Friend of the Court cannot enforce private agreements made by the parties.

For a copy of our make up parenting time policy, click here.

Modification Of Custody/Parenting Time Orders

Often times, modifying custody/parenting time orders can be a complicated issue because certain proofs must be made to the court before the court will modify a custody/parenting time order. You may wish to discuss this issue with an attorney to determine how best to proceed. Also, you may wish to review our "Useful Links" page for additional legal resources.

If parties have reached an agreement regarding a modification to their custody/parenting time order, they may enter into a consent agreement.

If parties have attempted to privately resolve their issues but are unable to do so, Friend of the Court may be able to help. Parties may contact Friend of the Court to set up a "joint meeting" with our parenting time coordinator. At this meeting, parties will be given an opportunity to discuss their respective issues in an attempt to reach an agreement. Friend of the Court will only schedule a joint meeting if BOTH parties are willing to attending.

If you have general questions about your custody/parenting time order, or you would like to schedule a joint meeting, please contact Friend of the Court's Parenting Time Coordinator at 989-673-4848 ext. 3212.

Parenting Time Guidelines

For a copy of the Tuscola County Friend of the Court Parenting Time Guidelines please click here.

Domestic Relations Referee

The Domestic Relations Referee assists the Family Division judge by holding hearings and issuing recommendations regarding child support, custody, parenting time and requests for changes of domicile.

The Tuscola County Domestic Relations Referee Division is located at:

440 N. State Street
Caro, Michigan 48723

(located in the Friend of the Court office on the 1st floor of the Tuscola County Courthouse)

Phone Number: 989-672-3200

Useful Links

Information

Tuscola County