Go to court

You can go to court to change child support if you and your partner:

• cannot agree on changing your separation agreement on child support even with the help of a family law professional, or if this is not the right option for you, and
• cannot use or do not want to use the online Child Support Service

Family Law Guided Pathways: Form 8

Fill out court forms for cases about children, support, and property in separation or divorce

Going to court can be a complicated process and it can take a lot of time. It can be stressful and expensive, but it is sometimes necessary to decide your issues. This family law court process flowchart explains each step in a family law court case.

You ask a judge to change child support by bringing a motion to change. A motion to change is the name of the court process used to ask a judge to make changes to support.

You can talk to a lawyer who can explain your rights and responsibilities under the existing child support agreement, Notice of Calculation, or court order. A lawyer can also tell you if facts exist that may convince a judge that the child support should be changed.

If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer for your whole case, some lawyers will provide “unbundled” or “limited scope” services. This means you pay them to help you with part of your case.

If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer at all, you may be able to find legal help in other places.