Your rights
How much child support will I pay or get in California?
Short answer
California sets child support with one statewide formula, CS = K[HN − (H%)(TN)], from both parents' net incomes and the higher earner's share of time with the children. For two children it is multiplied by 1.6. A paying parent under $2,929 a month net can get a low-income adjustment. The local child support agency helps for free.
Calculator · 2 states
California child support calculator: the guideline amount
California's formula and K-factor read from DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 and the Judicial Council's 2025 guideline review; Texas from Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 · checked Nov 1, 2026
Each rule comes from the official source linked in the result. It runs on your device: nothing you type is stored or sent. General information, not legal advice.
Key points
- Formula
- CS = K[HN − (H%)(TN)]: both parents' net incomes and the time each has the children. K is 0.25 for a combined net income of $5,001 to $10,000 a month.
- Low income
- A paying parent under $2,929 net a month in 2026, full-time pay at the $16.90 minimum wage, is presumed to get a low-income adjustment.
- Changing it
- Only back to the day you ask. The agency reviews for free; a change generally needs a 20% or $50 difference, whichever is less.
- When it ends
- At 18, or for a full-time high school student at graduation or 19, whichever comes first. Unpaid support collects 10% interest a year.
In California, both parents must support their children, and a court sets the amount with the statewide guideline when they can't agree. The guideline looks at how much each parent makes, how they file taxes and how much time each spends with the children. The local child support agency (LCSA), part of the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), can get, enforce and change an order for free. California Courts · DCSS
This page goes deeper on California only: the formula and the K-factor table with a calculator, the low-income adjustment, time and add-ons, how to get an order through the agency or the court, what to do if you were served, paying and receiving, changing an order, and when support ends, with date and deadline tools. For every state's guideline, see child support by state.
How California calculates child support: the guideline formula
The statewide uniform guideline is CS = K[HN − (H%)(TN)]. The Judicial Council and DCSS state it this way, with each term defined in Family Code section 4055: DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025
- CS is the child support amount for one child;
- HN is the higher earner's net monthly disposable income;
- H% is the approximate percentage of time the higher earner has the children;
- TN is both parents' total net monthly disposable income; and
- K is the share of both parents' income allocated to child support: the K-factor for TN, times (1 + H%) if H% is 50% or less, or times (2 − H%) if it is more than 50%.
The K-factor since September 1, 2024. Senate Bill 343 changed the fractions that make up the K-factor, adding an income band before K reaches its highest level of 25%. By both parents' total net income a month (TN): DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025
| Both parents' net income a month (TN) | K-factor |
|---|---|
| $0 to $2,900 | 0.165 + TN/82,857 |
| $2,901 to $5,000 | 0.131 + TN/42,149 |
| $5,001 to $10,000 | 0.25 |
| $10,001 to $15,000 | 0.10 + 1,499/TN |
| Over $15,000 | 0.12 + 1,200/TN |
More than one child. Multiply CS by 1.6 for 2 children, 2 for 3, 2.3 for 4, 2.5 for 5, 2.625 for 6, 2.75 for 7, 2.813 for 8, 2.844 for 9 and 2.86 for 10. If the result is positive, the higher earner pays it to the lower earner; if negative, the lower earner pays it. Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025 · DCSS report under Family Code section 4077
The Judicial Council's own example. The higher earner has $6,000 and the other parent $4,000 net a month, so TN is $10,000 and the K-factor is 0.25. The higher earner has the child 20% of the time: K = 0.25 × (1 + 0.20) = 0.30, and CS = 0.30 × [6,000 − (0.20 × 10,000)] = $1,200 a month for one child. For two children it would be $1,920. The calculator above opens on this example: 73 overnights a year is 20%. Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025
Orders set before September 1, 2024 used the old table: $0 to $800, 0.20 + TN/16,000; $801 to $6,666, 0.25; $6,667 to $10,000, 0.10 + 1,000/TN; over $10,000, 0.12 + 800/TN. DCSS says an updated guideline calculation should be available at any judgment or modification hearing on or after that date. The new table does not change an existing order by itself: one of you has to ask. DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · DCSS FAQ
The low-income adjustment: $2,929 a month in 2026
If the paying parent's net disposable income is less than a month of full-time pay at the state minimum wage, there is a presumption that a low-income adjustment applies. Full time means 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. California's minimum wage is $16.90 an hour from January 1, 2026, so the line is $16.90 × 40 × 52 ÷ 12, about $2,929 a month. It changes every time the minimum wage changes. DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025 · California DIR
How much it can lower support. The reduction is at most CS × ($2,929 − the paying parent's net income) ÷ $2,929. The Judicial Council's example: a paying parent with $2,500 net, the other parent with no income and no time-share. The K-factor is 0.195 (0.165 + TN/82,857), CS is $488, and the adjustment can be up to $71, for an order of $417. With no income at all, the reduction can reach 100%, which can mean a zero order. Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025
The presumption can be overcome by evidence that the adjustment would be unjust in the particular case; the court weighs its effect on both parents' incomes and decides how much of it to apply. Before September 2024 the line was set by the price index instead, $1,837 a month in 2021. DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025
Time with the children, and the add-ons
Any amount of time counts. H% is built into the formula, so more time with the higher earner lowers what that parent pays. As a rough guide, every other weekend is about 52 to 73 overnights a year, and week on, week off about 182. The DCSS calculator has an Advanced Timeshare page with 31 timeshare options for counting regular schedules, holidays and vacations. Judicial Council, Guideline Review 2025 · DCSS guideline calculator user guide
Add-ons come on top of basic support: child care for work or for education or training for work, a child's uninsured health costs, school or other special needs, and travel for visits. Since September 1, 2024 they are divided in proportion to the parents' net incomes, unless a parent asks or the court decides on another split; before that, the default was 50/50. DCSS CSSI Letter 24-07 · DCSS guideline calculator user guide
How to get a child support order: the agency or the court
- Through the local child support agency. Either parent, or a legal guardian, can enroll whether or not a court order exists, with no income or other eligibility requirements, online in about 10 minutes or in person. The agency starts the court case, serves the other parent, can arrange free genetic testing to establish parentage, and tracks and enforces payments, for free. It opens a case on its own when a parent gets cash aid for the children, such as CalWORKs, or a child is in foster care.DCSS: Enroll · California Courts: Start a case with the LCSA
- What the agency doesn't do. Its case covers parentage and support, not custody or visitation. The agency's lawyer is not your lawyer, the agency must approve any agreement you make with the other parent, and it can take longer than going to family court yourself.California Courts: Start a case with the LCSA
- Through the court yourself. If there is already a divorce, parentage or custody case, file a Request for Order (form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (form FL-150) and proof of your income for the past two months; the fee is $60 unless you get a fee waiver. Without a case, file the petition that fits your family; the first filing fee is $435 to $450, unless you get a fee waiver.California Courts: Ask for or change child support
If you and the other parent agree, you can turn in a signed written agreement for the judge to review and sign; if the agency is part of your case, it signs too. Not sure the agency is involved? A county named as a party, such as County of San Diego v. John Doe, means it is; or call Customer Connect at 866-901-3212. California Courts: What you can file
Quick guide
Which way to a child support order fits you?
1. Is there already a family law case about the child in California, such as a divorce or parentage case?
Do you and the other parent agree on the amount?
Do you need only child support, or custody and other orders too?
It points to the part of this page that fits, in the page's own words. Nothing you choose is saved or sent. Not legal advice.
Served with child support papers? What they mean and your deadline
- Summons and Complaint Regarding Parental Obligations (form FL-600). The agency is asking the court to order support, and maybe to decide parentage. File an Answer (form FL-610) within 30 days of getting the papers; if you don't, the agency can ask for a default and the proposed judgment becomes the court order. If the papers ask to establish you as the legal parent, the court can do so without a DNA test, and that is very hard to undo later.California Courts: Respond to a Summons and Complaint
- Notice of Motion or Order to Show Cause (form FL-680 or FL-683). You have a court date, listed on page 1. Respond in writing before it. Even if you don't, you can go to the hearing with proof of your income and child-related expenses; otherwise the court may set support on an estimate of your income.California Courts: Notice of Motion or Order to Show Cause
- A petition: forms FL-100, FL-200, FL-260 or FL-600. These start a family law case, such as a divorce. You generally have 30 days to file a response. A Request for Order (form FL-300) means a court date instead.California Courts: Child support
If you think the agency made a mistake, for example another case is already open, the case was filed in the wrong county or you were not served properly, talk to the court's family law facilitator or a lawyer quickly about your options. California Courts: Respond to a Summons and Complaint
Calculator
Served with papers? Your deadline to respond
1. Which papers did you get?
Fill in the steps to see the answer.
Uses only the numbers on this page, each from its official source. Nothing you type leaves your device. Not legal advice.
Paying and receiving child support
- Most support comes out of the paycheck. The order usually includes an Income Withholding Order, and the employer sends the money to the State Disbursement Unit, which pays the other parent. California Courts: How to pay child support · DCSS FAQ
- Paying yourself: on the State Disbursement Unit website, which also takes Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo through the Child Support Payment Center on ExpertPay. Registering needs your participant ID, which is on a support check or billing statement and can have up to 15 digits. DCSS: State Disbursement Unit · DCSS FAQ
- Receiving: by direct deposit, even into a non-US bank account, or on an Electronic Payment Card that works like a prepaid debit card wherever Mastercard is accepted (Way2Go call center 1-844-318-0740), or by paper check, which is slower and less secure. DCSS: Receiving support
- Your case online: Customer Connect shows your case, payment history and messages to your child support specialist, 24/7, with your participant ID and a PIN. By phone: 1-866-901-3212, or 1-408-273-0073 from outside the US; TTY 1-866-399-4096. DCSS: Customer Connect
Changing a California child support order
Ask as soon as things change. A judge can only change support back to the day you filed papers asking for it. The courts' example: you lose your job on March 1 and file on July 1; the judge can lower what you owe only from July 1. Until then, the current order stays due. California Courts: Child support
- Through the agency: a review and adjustment. Either parent or a guardian with an open case can ask, at no charge. The order can go up or down, and generally changes if it would move by 20% or $50, whichever is less. If you both agree, you can sign a Stipulated Agreement filed with the court. If the agency says no, you can still go to court.DCSS: Change a child support amount
- Through the court. File a Request for Order (form FL-300) if you don't agree, or turn in a written agreement if you do. If the agency is part of your case, follow its instructions; it must approve any agreement.California Courts: Child support
- In jail or prison. A paying parent who is or will be incarcerated for 60 consecutive days or more can ask to lower current support with DCSS's Incarcerated Parent's Request to Review Child Support.DCSS: Change a child support amount
Good reasons to ask: a layoff or firing, a new or second job, either parent's income going up or down, a custody or visitation change, a change in family size, a disability, jail or prison, or active military deployment. The agency asks for proof: DCSS: Change a child support amount
- Your income and expenses (the Income and Expense Declaration, form FL-150, with pay stubs for the past two months)
- Child care bills, receipts or check stubs
- Medical insurance statements
- Disability letters or records
- Jail or prison status
- Unemployment benefit letters
- Retirement income: pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements
- Your custody and visitation schedule: calendars, texts, drop-off logs
When child support ends in California
Support ends when the child turns 18, unless the child is still a full-time high school student: then at graduation or when the child turns 19, whichever comes first. That is 18 years old for most children and at most 19 years old for an unmarried full-time high school student. It also ends if the child marries or enters a domestic partnership, joins the military, is emancipated or dies. California Courts: Child support · DCSS FAQ
It can continue past 18 or 19 if the child is disabled and can't support themselves, or if the parents agree. Past-due support does not end: the agency keeps enforcing it until the balance, with interest, is paid in full. California Courts: Child support · DCSS FAQ
Stopping the paycheck deduction takes a Terminated Income Withholding Order (form FL-195) signed and stamped by a judge; an employer cannot stop withholding without it, and it can't be done by phone. When one child is emancipated but others are still owed support, ask the court to modify the order and get an Amended Income Withholding Order. DCSS FAQ
Date calculator · 2 situations
When does child support end in California?
Read from the California Courts self-help guide and DCSS's FAQ · checked Nov 1, 2026
Which situation?
Each rule comes from the official source linked in the result. It runs on your device: nothing you type is stored or sent. General information, not legal advice.
If a parent lives in another state, and how Texas compares
A California order can be enforced in every state and many countries. If the other parent lives elsewhere, your child support specialist works with that state to review or change the order, and decides which state has jurisdiction to set or modify the amount. DCSS FAQ
Texas, to compare. The calculator above also runs the Texas guideline for the same incomes. Texas uses only the paying parent's monthly net resources: 20% for 1 child, 25% for 2, 30% for 3, 35% for 4 and 40% for 5 or more, and 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% and 35% when net resources are less than $1,000 a month. Since September 1, 2025 the percentages apply to the first $11,700 of monthly net resources. In Texas, time with the children does not change the guideline amount. Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125 · Texas OAG 2026 tax charts
Free help in California
Common questions about child support in California
How is child support calculated in California?
With the statewide formula CS = K[HN − (H%)(TN)], from both parents' net disposable incomes and the higher earner's share of time with the children, multiplied for more than one child (1.6 for two). Add-ons such as child care come on top. Use the calculator or DCSS's official one.
What is the California child support calculator?
DCSS's free guideline calculator at childsupport.ca.gov works out net income from gross pay, taxes, add-ons and hardships. Courts and the agencies use the same guideline; the estimate is not an order.
How much is child support for one child in California?
It depends on both incomes and time. In the Judicial Council's example, with $6,000 and $4,000 net a month and the higher earner having the child 20% of the time, it is $1,200 a month.
What is the minimum child support in California?
There is no fixed minimum. A paying parent with net income under $2,929 a month in 2026 is presumed to get a low-income adjustment, and with no income it can bring the order to zero.
How do I log in to California child support?
Customer Connect, at childsupport.ca.gov, shows your case and payment history with your participant ID and a PIN. Payments are set up on the State Disbursement Unit website, which uses your participant ID and date of birth.
What is the California child support phone number?
1-866-901-3212 for Customer Connect and your local agency (option 1 for the State Disbursement Unit); 1-408-273-0073 from outside the US; TTY 1-866-399-4096.
What is my child support participant ID?
Your case number for payments and Customer Connect, up to 15 digits. It is on a child support check or billing statement, or call 1-866-901-3212.
What is the California child support card?
The Electronic Payment Card, a Way2Go card that works like a prepaid debit card wherever Mastercard is accepted. Sign up on the State Disbursement Unit website as the person receiving support; direct deposit is the other electronic option.
Does it cost money to open a case with DCSS?
No. Enrolling, getting an order, genetic testing, enforcement and a review and adjustment are free, and there are no income requirements.
Can child support be changed in California?
Yes, when finances or circumstances change. Ask the agency for a free review, or file a Request for Order (form FL-300). A change reaches back only to the day you asked.
When does child support end in California?
At 18, or for an unmarried full-time high school student at graduation or 19, whichever comes first. It can continue for a disabled adult child who can't support themselves. Use the date calculator.
What happens if child support is not paid in California?
Unpaid support collects 10% interest a year, and the agency or the other parent can use collection tools, starting with taking it from the paycheck. The debt stays until it is paid in full.
Official sources
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: Child support (the guideline, changing an order, when support ends, responding) selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: What you can file to ask for a child support order (the agency or the court; first filing fee) selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: Start a child support case with the Local Child Support Agency selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: Summons and Complaint Regarding Parental Obligations (form FL-600), 30 days to answer selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: Notice of Motion or Order to Show Cause (forms FL-680, FL-683) selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: How to pay child support (withholding, 10% interest) selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Courts Self-Help Guide: Ask for or change child support (forms FL-300, FL-150; $60 fee) selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services, CSSI Letter 24-07 (August 9, 2024): guideline changes under SB 343, old and new K-factor tables, low-income threshold (PDF, on courts.ca.gov) courts.ca.gov
- Judicial Council of California: Review of the Statewide Uniform Child Support Guideline 2025 (formula, K-factor, multipliers, worked examples, 2026 low-income threshold) (PDF) courts.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Guideline Calculator childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Guideline Calculator User Guide, July 21, 2026 (PDF) childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Enroll for Support childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Change a child support amount (review and adjustment) childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Frequently Asked Questions (when support ends, participant ID, withholding orders, other states) childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Customer Connect childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: State Disbursement Unit childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Receiving Support (direct deposit, Electronic Payment Card) childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Child Support Services: Contact Us childsupport.ca.gov
- California Department of Industrial Relations: Minimum wage frequently asked questions ($16.90 from January 1, 2026) dir.ca.gov
- Texas Family Code, Chapter 154: child support guidelines (§ 154.125) tcss.legis.texas.gov
- Texas Attorney General: 2026 tax charts (cap of $11,700 since September 1, 2025) (PDF) csapps.oag.texas.gov
- Texas Attorney General: Monthly Child Support Calculator csapps.oag.texas.gov
Related
This page explains the law in general terms. It is not legal advice about your situation. Justice is not a law firm and is not affiliated with any court or government agency.