Child Support In California

Tens of thousands of parents who receive support are entitled to larger payments. And many parents who pay support qualify for a decrease due to changes in their income or in the other parent's financial status. How to Change Child Support in California shows parents on either side of the support issue how to go to court and get an existing order changed to the appropriate level.Recent changes in the law have made this process much simpler than it used to be, and it's now easier than ever to get your child support changed without a lawyer.The newly revised fourth edition incorporates all of these changes, and it provides the latest forms, with step-by-step instructions to compute new payments and request a change.

'This urgently needed, groundbreaking book provides solid data that coincides with the real life stories I have been hearing for years from men and women nationwide regarding unfair child support laws and policies that have resulted in adverse effects on their children and families. I anticipate that this book will have a major positive impact on social policy and the general collective attitudes toward families in today's society. The information presented in this book must be read and understood by every policymaker to insure that child support policies are made just and fair so that all families can prosper.' - Dianna Thompson, National Family Justice Association, US The delinquent payment of child support by non-custodial to custodial parents is a major problem throughout the United States. To many observers, the problem is one of 'deadbeat dads' - men who simply will not make the required payments. The solution has been to enforce payment by the imposition of increasingly stringent civil and criminal penalties. Despite these efforts, the percentage of single mothers receiving child support has changed very little over the past twenty-five years. The Law and Economics of Child Support Payments investigates why this is, and approaches the payment of child support as an economic problem.

This report examines why the child support system breaks down for so many low-income families, presenting information from interviews with unmarried mothers and fathers nationwide. Four chapters focus on: (1) "Introduction" (child support policy in California and nationwide); (2) "The National and California Child Support Systems" (California's system involves: opening child support cases, locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, establishing support orders, enforcing support orders, and modifying support orders and treatment of past-due support payments); (3) "Effects on Low-Income Parents" (deadbeat dads and responsible fathers, financial disincentives created by assigning child support rights to the state, responses to financial disincentives, family conflicts created by mandatory cooperation, formal payments versus direct or in-kind payments, responses to mandatory cash support, problems created by enforcement practices, and problems with the modification process); and (4) "Conclusions and Policy Options" (general changes such as raising the pass-through and establishing child support assurance, and specific changes such as setting awards as a realistic percentage of the noncustodial parent's income, forgiving or limiting arrearage, and recognizing informal support). (Contains 38 references.) (SM)

How to get what your child needs and deserves.

Divorce and Family Law in California provides a clear, concise, and complete guide to divorce and family law in California. Topics covered include: Marriage, Divorce, Annulment, Legal Separation, Property, Debts, Spousal Support, Unmarried Couples, Paternity, Custody & Visitation, Child Support, Guardianship, Adoption, Dependent Children, Children's Names, Restraining Orders. A California attorney since 1978, Bob Pickus works for the Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association in Oakland, addressing primarily the impact of divorce on retirement benefits. He also volunteers for the Volunteer Legal Services Corporation in Oakland, providing weekly divorce and family law clinics and follow-up services for low-income persons.