To increase or reduce child support in Los Angeles, you file a Request for Order (form FL-300) asking the court to modify the existing order, attach a current Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150), serve the other parent, and attend a hearing. You must show a change in circumstances since the last order — such as a change in income or in the parenting timeshare. The judge recalculates the amount using California's Guideline (Dissomaster) formula. Flat-fee document preparation makes this possible without hiring an attorney.
Key Takeaways
- You need a change in circumstances: Courts modify support only when income, timeshare, or another key factor has changed since the last order.
- File a Request for Order (FL-300): This is the motion that asks the court to raise or lower the amount.
- Money math is Guideline-driven: California calculates support with a statewide formula (Dissomaster) based on income and parenting time.
- Disclose your finances: A current Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150) must be attached and served.
- File promptly: A change usually applies back only to the date you served the other parent — not before.
Child support isn't set in stone. When your income changes, the other parent's income changes, or the parenting schedule shifts, the existing order may no longer match California's Guideline amount. Either parent can ask the court to recalculate — a parent paying support can ask to lower it, and a parent receiving support can ask to raise it.
The process is the same either direction: a Request for Order, current financial disclosures, proper service, and a hearing. Below is exactly how it works in Los Angeles County. If you'd like it handled for you, our child custody and support document preparation service prepares the entire motion at a flat fee. We're a registered legal document assistant, not a law firm, so we don't give legal advice.
First: Do You Have a "Change in Circumstances"?
California courts won't reopen a support order just because you'd like a different number. You have to show something meaningful has changed since the current order was made. The most common qualifying changes are:
- A significant increase or decrease in either parent's income
- A job loss, reduced hours, or a new higher-paying job
- A change in the parenting timeshare (how many overnights each parent has)
- A new child, a disability, or incarceration
- A change in health insurance or childcare costs
If nothing has changed since the last order, the court will usually leave it in place — so this is the first thing to be honest with yourself about before filing.
The Forms You'll Need
| Form | What it does |
|---|---|
| FL-300 — Request for Order | The motion itself; asks the court to raise or lower child support and states your reasons. |
| FL-150 — Income and Expense Declaration | Your sworn financial statement — income, deductions, expenses. This drives the Guideline calculation. |
| FL-335 — Proof of Service by Mail | Proves the other parent was properly served with your Request for Order. |
| FL-342 — Child Support Information and Order Attachment | Attached to the proposed order so the judge can sign the new support terms. |
Accuracy matters more than anything. Because support is calculated from income and timeshare, a mistake or omission on the Income and Expense Declaration can change the result by hundreds of dollars a month. This is the single most common place self-filers go wrong.
Step by Step: Modifying Child Support
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Complete the Request for Order (FL-300)
State clearly that you're asking to modify child support, whether you want it increased or reduced, and describe the change in circumstances (for example, "my income dropped when I lost my job in March"). Attach the child support request items so the court knows exactly what you're asking for.
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Prepare your Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150)
Fill out a current, accurate FL-150 with your gross income, mandatory deductions, health insurance, childcare, and monthly expenses. Attach recent pay stubs. This document is what the Guideline calculation runs on, so it has to be right.
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Run the Guideline (Dissomaster) calculation
Support is set by California's statewide formula, which weighs each parent's income and the percentage of time each parent has the child, along with tax status, health insurance, and childcare. Preparing this calculation in advance shows the court the number you're asking for and where it comes from.
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File with the Los Angeles Superior Court
File your Request for Order and Income and Expense Declaration with the court that issued your existing support order. The clerk assigns a hearing date. There is generally no filing fee to modify child support in California.
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Serve the other parent
The other parent must be served — usually by mail by someone 18 or older who is not you — with a copy of the filed Request for Order and your financial disclosure, far enough ahead of the hearing to meet the court's notice rules. File a Proof of Service (FL-335) to prove it was done. Your modification can only go back to this service date, so don't delay.
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Attend the hearing (or submit a stipulation)
At the hearing, the judge reviews both parents' finances and the timeshare, then sets support using the Guideline formula. If both parents agree on the new amount beforehand, you can instead submit a signed written stipulation for the judge to approve without a contested hearing.
What About Wage Garnishment?
Most child support in California is collected automatically through an Earnings Assignment — a wage garnishment order sent to the paying parent's employer. Many parents come to us wanting to "lower the garnishment," so it's worth being clear about how it works:
- The amount withheld follows the court order. You can't simply ask your employer to take out less.
- To reduce the garnishment, you have to reduce the underlying support order — which means filing the Request for Order described above.
- Once a new, lower order is entered, the wage assignment is updated to match the new amount.
- Past-due support (arrears) is handled separately and generally can't be erased.
In other words, the path to a smaller garnishment runs through the same modification process — there's no shortcut around the court order.
Common Situations We Help With
Over 23 years and thousands of family law cases, these are some of the most common child support requests we prepare in Los Angeles County:
- A paying parent whose income dropped and needs support lowered
- A receiving parent who learns the other parent now earns much more
- A parent whose parenting timeshare increased and wants support recalculated
- A parent trying to reduce a wage garnishment by correcting an outdated order
- Parents who agree on a new number and just need a stipulation prepared for the judge
Paternity not established yet? If the parents were never married, child support usually can't be ordered until parentage is established. That's a separate step — see our guide on establishing custody and parentage in Los Angeles, or ask us to prepare both together.
How We Help
We prepare your complete Request for Order package — the FL-300, a correct Income and Expense Declaration, the Guideline calculation, and the proof of service — and tell you exactly where to file and how to serve the other parent. If both parents agree, we prepare the stipulation instead so you can skip the courtroom. Flat-fee pricing with payment plans, and service in English, Spanish, and Filipino. We are a registered legal document assistant, not a law firm; we do not give legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I lower my child support payments in California?
To lower child support, you file a Request for Order (form FL-300) asking the court to modify the existing order, attach a current Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150), serve the other parent, and attend the hearing. You must show a change in circumstances since the last order — for example, a drop in income, a job loss, or a change in the parenting timeshare. The judge recalculates support using California's Guideline formula. We prepare the full motion for a flat fee; we are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice.
What is a change in circumstances for child support?
California courts will only change a child support order if something meaningful has changed since the last order. Common examples include a significant increase or decrease in either parent's income, a job loss, a change in the number of overnights each parent has, a new child, incarceration, or a disability. The change must have happened after the current order was made. Without a change in circumstances, the court will usually leave the existing order in place.
How is child support calculated in California?
California uses a statewide Guideline formula, run through software commonly called Dissomaster. It considers each parent's gross income, the percentage of time each parent has the child (timeshare), tax filing status, health insurance costs, mandatory deductions, and childcare. Because the formula is income- and timeshare-driven, accurate financial disclosures matter a great deal — small errors on the Income and Expense Declaration can change the result. We prepare the Guideline calculation as part of the motion.
Can I reduce the wage garnishment for child support?
Child support is typically collected through an Earnings Assignment (wage garnishment) sent to your employer. California generally allows a large share of disposable earnings to be withheld for support. You cannot simply ask your employer to withhold less — the withholding follows the court order. To reduce it, you must get the underlying support order lowered through a Request for Order, or resolve arrears. Once a new, lower order is entered, the wage assignment is updated to match.
Do I need to go to court to change child support?
Usually yes. Even when both parents agree, the new amount generally has to be approved by the court to be enforceable. If both parents agree, you can submit a written stipulation for the judge to sign, which avoids a contested hearing. If you don't agree, you file a Request for Order and attend a hearing where the judge decides. We can prepare either the stipulation or the full Request for Order package.
How far back can child support be changed?
In California, a modification generally can only go back to the date the other parent was served with your Request for Order — not before. That's why filing promptly matters: if your income drops, every month you wait is a month you may still owe at the old, higher amount. The court cannot retroactively erase support that built up before you filed. Past-due support (arrears) is handled separately and usually cannot be wiped out.