Changing a Child Support Order

After a judge makes a child support order, 1 or both parents (or the LCSA if they are involved in the case) may want to change the order.  You have to show that there has been a “change in circumstances” since the last child support order was made.

If the judge ordered a child support amount below the guideline amount, you can ask to change that amount at any time. You do NOT need to show a change in circumstances.  This is true even if your non-guideline child support order was reached by stipulation (agreement) between the 2 parents.

There are many good reasons why a child support order might need to be changed. Some of these reasons are:

• The income of 1 or both parents has changed;
• One parent has lost his or her job;
• One parent has been incarcerated;
• One parent had another child from another relationship;
• There have been significant changes in how much time the child in the case spends with each parent;
• The child's needs may have changed and there may be more (or less) costs for child care, health care, or education; and
• There have been changes in any of the factors that are used to calculate child support.

If the parents (and the LCSA if involved in the case) can reach an agreement on a new amount of child support, they can write it up as a stipulation and give it to the judge for signature and to have it become a new order.

Read more at: http://www.courts.ca.gov/1196.htm