How to Request Child Support in California

How to Request Child Support in California

When two people raise a child together and separate, a child support agreement is generally made a part of that separation. However, in cases in which the parents were not involved in an ongoing relationship, or one parent has essentially disappeared, is it still possible to request child support? Yes. Read on to learn more about the process and then contact Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell at 909-482-1422 to begin the process.

There are several options

Depending on the specifics of your case, there are two main methods of requesting support from a non-custodial parent. If the mother is requesting support from the father, then it may involve beginning with a paternity case to establish that the man involved is the biological father. The other main option is to file a Petition for Custody and Support for Minor Children.

Fill out Form FL-300

Once you have an official case open in family court, you can file a Request for Order, which is a Form FL-300. This does not mean that the other parent has to show up at court, which is important to know if the person you are petitioning is missing in action.

Steps can be taken if the other parent is missing

It is not entirely uncommon for a parent to essentially be missing. If this is the case, then the local child support agency will be tasked with finding the missing parent. There are steps you can take to help them, such as providing them with any information you have about their previous whereabouts, their income, or their assets.

They will look at a number of records to try and find the missing parent. This can include contacting their current and previous employers, looking at driver’s license records and motor vehicle registration, and finding information from state licensing boards if they have a professional license. The local child support agency can also look at unemployment records, information from credit reporting agencies, employment records, criminal records, and others.

A word about out-of-state parents

If the non-custodial parent of your child owes child support and has moved out of California, then you will be relieved to know that all 50 states have child support agencies that work specifically to enforce child support orders, no matter what state they are from. While it is true that the laws can vary form one state to another, child support agencies work together to support the order. Some foreign countries will also work with the custodial parent.

Call us now if you need to request child support

If you have tried to request child support from your child’s non-custodial parent to no avail, then it is time to get an attorney involved. At Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell we are here to provide assistance no matter where you are in the process. You can contact us at 909-482-1422 to learn more.