Enrollment Information
Either parent or a legal guardian can enroll in services – all you have to do is ask.
If you already have a court order for child support, we offer help without taking sides. You can track your payments, change the order amount if it qualifies, and if payments fall behind, we can help deal with the debt. If you do not have a court order, your support agency will locate the other parent and establish legal parentage if needed. You can get a court order at no cost and in certain cases without even going to court. Once you have an order, it can be enforced in every state and many foreign countries.
Our simple online form makes it quick and easy to enroll.
Resources to help dads can be found on our Empowering Fathers page.
Process Overview
We know this process can be overwhelming and confusing. Let us break it down into 10 steps for you on our How It Works page.
Find definitions of common child support terms and acronyms on the Office of the Administration for Children & Families website.
Resources to help dads can be found on our Empowering Fathers page.
Starting Services?
Support Agencies Can
- Establish legal responsibility for the child
- Find missing parents
- Get support orders
- Get medical support orders (health insurance for the child)
- Change formal orders when they qualify
- Collect, send, and track support payments
Support Agencies Can’t
- Handle custody or visitation issues
- Do divorces
- Get or enforce restraining orders
- Establish spousal support
Wage Assignments
- Orders for support most often include a “wage and earnings assignment” requiring the payer’s employer to deduct support payments from his or her salary or wages
Your Legal Relationship With Your Support Agency
- Local agencies do not legally represent either the parent or the child. Parents can seek legal advice from a private attorney or legal aid group at their own expense at any time
- Some information in your case may be shared with other authorized public agencies, the other parent’s employer, and to the other parent or their attorney to the extent required by law
Resources to help dads can be found on our Empowering Fathers page.
Already Have Services?
Changing Your Support Order
- Either parent can request a change in their support amount, called a “modification.” If you are the parent paying support and are having trouble making payments, contact us right away to avoid enforcement actions
- The amount of the support order may be increased or decreased, based on the information provided by both people involved
- If the person receiving support allows the child to visit or live with the parent paying support on a long-term or permanent basis, that parent can ask for the amount to be changed
- Learn more about how to get a modification on the Modify Payments page
Resources to help dads can be found on our Empowering Fathers page.
Child Support News
Californians whose income is below a certain level will not have their driver’s license suspended as an enforcement action. To learn more about this topic, read the full article.