According to a study conducted in California, the child support arrears have steadily increased in this region. During the federal fiscal year 2001, these arrears were estimated to be around $17 billion, which is 20 percent of the entire nation's child support arrears. According to this report, a relatively small number of debtors owe huge amount of arrears. Almost seventy percent of these arrears are owed to the government in the form of TANF-debt. Only thirty percent of these arrears are owed to the families. The study has found that one-fifth of the people having child support arrears debt are residing outside the state. Hence, it becomes more difficult to collect debts from these persons.

Most common explanations that have been given by many of the debtors who have been unable to pay their arrears are low earnings and huge debts. As per this study, many of the debtors are parents who have supported their children for the past two and half years. In case of child support arrears, interest accumulates on daily basis. Every singly installment that is due needs to be calculated separately. There are several agencies in California that assist parents with the complex calculations involved in determining the interest amount accumulated on their past dues. These agencies also help in the collection of these debts.