California Child Support Guide / Starting a case and challenging a default
The response to California child support papers depends on the document you received. An answer to a DCSS summons and complaint is different from a response to a governmental motion or a Request for Order in an existing family-law case. Identify the form number, case number, requested orders, service date, and hearing date before choosing what to file.
The practical goal is to put your position and financial evidence before the correct court, with proper notice to the people entitled to receive it. Calling a caseworker, discussing settlement, or uploading pay stubs to an agency account does not necessarily accomplish those steps.
This guide explains the main procedural paths. It should be read with the instructions attached to your actual papers, especially if the court has shortened a deadline, the papers were served by an unusual method, or you are challenging jurisdiction.
Look for the document’s title and the Judicial Council form number, usually printed near the bottom. Then read every attachment. A packet may include a proposed judgment, a financial declaration, a hearing notice, and instructions that are just as important as the cover page.
Make a simple case sheet recording the court, case number, names of the parties, date and method of service, hearing date, and what the requesting party wants. Keep the envelope and any delivery paperwork. Service rules can make the date of legally completed service different from the date you first saw a document.
Do not assume two packets concern the same case because they name the same child. A family-law case and a governmental support case can coexist. Matching the case number prevents filing a response in the wrong proceeding.
A governmental summons and complaint commonly uses FL-600. The usual answer is FL-610, Answer to Complaint or Supplemental Complaint Regarding Parental Obligations. The ordinary answer period is 30 days after service. Have the service method reviewed when calculating the actual deadline.
The answer addresses the allegations, including support and, where raised, parentage. The California Courts answer instructions explain filing and serving the response. There is no filing fee to file this answer in an LCSA case.
Do not replace an answer with a letter saying you disagree. If parentage is disputed, address it expressly rather than concentrating only on the proposed payment. An existing parentage judgment requires separate analysis of the available challenge and its deadline.
Under Family Code section 17430, the procedures for an unanswered complaint depend in part on whether the proposed support is based on actual income or earning capacity. A qualifying actual-income default can proceed without a hearing. Earning-capacity proceedings require the statutory motion and hearing process.
That distinction is not a reason to ignore the answer deadline. A parent who fails to respond may lose important opportunities to organize evidence and contest allegations. Review any declaration and amended proposed judgment as well; section 17430(c) provides a separate extension associated with that procedure.
If a judgment has already been entered, filing an answer may no longer be enough. Obtain the judgment and docket, then evaluate the appropriate default-relief procedure. A request to change future support does not automatically reopen the original judgment.
A governmental Notice of Motion, FL-680, or Order to Show Cause, FL-683, ordinarily calls for FL-685, Response to Governmental Notice of Motion or Order to Show Cause, together with the required financial information. This is different from answering the complaint that began the case.
The court’s governmental-motion instructions generally require response service at least nine court days before the hearing, with additional time for mailing. Read any different schedule ordered in your case. Court days exclude weekends and court holidays; calendar days do not.
A hearing response should identify which requested orders you agree with, which you dispute, and the factual basis for your position. If you agree that support should be reviewed but disagree with the income used, say that clearly and support your proposed figure.
When the other parent serves a Request for Order, FL-300, the usual response is FL-320, Responsive Declaration to Request for Order. Financial issues ordinarily require an Income and Expense Declaration, FL-150, or an authorized alternative when appropriate.
The California Courts response guide explains the supporting financial papers. Do not assume using FL-320 in a different proceeding will substitute for a required FL-610 answer.
A response also does not provide unlimited notice for any order you might want. If you seek relief beyond the matters properly raised, determine whether you need your own Request for Order. For example, a support dispute is not an automatic opportunity to obtain a new parenting schedule.
Filing places your papers in the court record. Service delivers the required papers through a legally authorized method. Proof of service tells the court how and when that delivery occurred. Completing only one part can leave the response procedurally incomplete.
For ordinary service that requires a server, choose an adult who is not a party. Do not personally mail papers when the applicable procedure requires someone else to serve them. Electronic filing does not automatically establish that every necessary person received valid electronic service.
In an agency case, check the requirements for both the LCSA and the other parent. There are special statutory service procedures in some circumstances, but they should not be assumed merely because a caseworker has a copy. Use the instructions for the particular filing.
Begin with the governing deadline, identify whether it uses court or calendar days, and determine the event that starts the calculation. Then account for the service method, holidays, and any order changing the schedule. A deadline measured from service is not necessarily measured from the hearing date.
For a motion response, work backward from the hearing and leave enough time for the chosen service method. For an answer, determine when service was legally completed and work forward. Keep the calculations with the original notice so someone else can verify them.
If the deadline appears to have passed, act immediately. Ask counsel or the court’s self-help center what can still be filed and whether a continuance or other relief is available. Neither an informal promise from the other parent nor a pending settlement discussion should be treated as a court-approved extension.
An accurate FL-150 starts with current information, but the relevant history may extend beyond the most recent paycheck. Bonuses, commissions, overtime, self-employment, and seasonal earnings require context. Explain unusual deposits or changes rather than presenting an unexplained monthly number.
Attach the records required by the form and instructions. The California Courts response guidance calls for recent income proof and directs parents to bring tax returns to the hearing rather than routinely attach them to the response. Follow any specific production order as well.
Our FL-150 guide addresses common errors. A bank transfer between your own accounts, for example, should not automatically be presented as new income. Likewise, a business’s gross deposits are not necessarily its owner’s disposable earnings.
A useful hearing outline pairs each disputed input with your proposed correction and supporting document. For parenting time, identify the relevant period and actual schedule. For an omitted payment, identify the date, amount, recipient, and bank record.
Keep the argument focused. A declaration describing years of relationship conflict may obscure the three financial facts that control the calculation. A judge needs a reliable route from the evidence to the requested order.
Maintain originals and a complete copy of everything filed and served. If you need a witness, subpoenaed records, or live testimony, address that before the hearing. Bringing new documents on the hearing date does not guarantee they will be admitted.
Review pay stubs, bank records, and attachments for Social Security and financial account numbers. California Rules of Court, rule 1.201, generally requires exclusion or redaction of those identifiers in the public file, subject to the rule’s exceptions.
Address confidentiality requires additional planning when there is a safety concern. Do not assume redacting an account number protects a residence address visible elsewhere in the exhibit. Our address-privacy guide explains the separate agency and court issues.
Preserve unaltered originals securely. A filing copy can contain appropriate redactions without changing the underlying financial figures or concealing information the court has ordered disclosed through a proper confidential procedure.
Confirm the current appearance instructions, including any remote-appearance requirements. Arrange an interpreter or disability accommodation early if needed. Check that the court received the filing and that proof of service is in the record.
Before signing a proposed stipulation, review more than the monthly amount. Effective dates, an admission about arrears, health insurance, add-ons, and withholding can have lasting consequences. A manageable current payment does not establish that an old balance is correct.
After the ruling, obtain the signed order and compare it with what was decided. Confirm who must prepare it and how the agency and employer will implement it. Our Riverside DCSS hearing guide also explains commissioner objections and the distinct procedure for a new hearing before a judge.
No. A discussion with the agency can be useful, but it ordinarily does not file the required response with the court or complete service.
No. FL-320 responds to a Request for Order. An initial governmental complaint ordinarily uses FL-610, while a governmental motion commonly uses FL-685.
Do not allow the response deadline to pass while waiting. Disputed parentage and requests for appropriate testing should be raised through the correct procedure.
Attend as directed and promptly seek advice about correcting the omission. Attendance does not guarantee the court will accept late evidence or cure a default.
Use the Judicial Council child support forms directory and the instructions for your court. Several governmental forms changed in 2026, so avoid relying on an old saved packet.
Edgar & Dow assists Riverside County parents with California child support proceedings, including disputed calculations, DCSS cases, arrears, and contested hearings. Bring the complete served packet, your service dates, and the existing orders. A focused review can identify the response form, the financial evidence needed, and any separate request required to present your position.
For advice about your circumstances, contact Edgar & Dow at 951-684-6885. This article provides general information about California law; the applicable procedure depends on the documents, orders, and facts in your case.
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