Once a California child support order takes effect, the parent with an obligation to pay support must continue to do so until the child turns 18, unless extenuating circumstances are present. In the event that you or your child’s other parent experience something that warrants a change in the amount of child support paid or received, you or the other parent must follow certain legal channels to change the amount listed in the order.
Per California Child Support Services, you or the other parent have the option of asking for a review of your existing child support order at any time. However, for the state to approve your request, certain circumstances must hold true.
When your child support order amount may change
You may be able to have the amount listed in your child support order changed if the paying party loses a job or takes a pay cut. The state may also consider changing the amount of a child support order if there are custody or visitation changes, or if one parent becomes disabled, winds up in prison or undergoes military deployment. If the paying parent has more children to support, this may also affect child support order amounts, among other possible circumstances that may warrant a change.
How to ask for a child support order review
To request a child support order review, there must be an existing, open child support case. Then, the parent who wants the review may request it at his or her local child support agency. There are no fees associated with doing so, and you may have alternative options if your local child support agency denies the request for an amount change.
Until the amount undergoes formal change, the paying parent must continue to pay the decided-upon amount in full.
