How do I get child support?

There are two court-involved ways parents receive child support from the other parent.

The first is through “family law” courts, these are the courts dealing with divorce and custody issues for unmarried parents.

The second is through a local child support services agency, which has it’s own court for determining the issue of child support. 

California has a statewide formula (called "guideline") for calculating out how much child support should be paid.

The guideline calculation depends on:

• How much money each parent earns or can earn;

• How much '‘other'“ income each parent receives;

• How many children these parents have together;

• How much time each parent spends with their children (time-share);

• The tax filing status of each parent;

• Support either parent may pay for children from other relationships;

• Health insurance expenses;

• Mandatory union dues;

• Mandatory retirement contributions;

• The cost of sharing daycare and uninsured health-care costs; and

• Other relevant factors.

The child support order may also require the parents to share costs for:

• Child care to allow a parent to work or to get training or schooling for work skills;

• Children’s reasonable health-care expenses;

• Traveling for visitation from 1 parent to another;

• Children’s educational needs; and

• Other special needs.

The guideline amount is presumed to be correct.  The judge can only order an amount other than the guideline amount in very limited situations. (Read the California Family Code sections 4052 and 4057  for more detail on calculating child support and what the judge can do.)

To estimate how much child support the judge may order in your case, go to California Guideline Child Support Calculator.

Get more free, public information from California Family’s Change Website https://www.familieschange.ca.gov/en/parents/child-support