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Monthly child support
California child support
Enter both parents’ monthly net disposable income, parenting time, and child count to apply the §4055 equation; add-on shares appear separately.
Open calculatorCalifornia divorce help · CA
California divorce costs, calculators, and legal guides
Estimate child support, temporary spousal support, or case costs, then use the six guides and 5county pages to check the law, forms, fees, and local court.
Updated August 12, 2026Links to statutes, court forms, and fee schedulesCalculator results appear without an account
California calculators
Change the facts and see what moves the number
The child-support tool uses net income that you supply, the spousal-support tool shows a temporary county method, and the cost tool totals the amounts you enter. None predicts a judge’s order or calculates taxes.
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Support while a case is pending
California spousal support
Compare Santa Clara’s temporary guideline with Los Angeles’ local rule and see why neither one decides support at judgment.
Open calculator03
Build a case budget
California divorce cost
Combine the applicable first-paper fee with service, attorney time, mediation, and other professional costs you expect to incur.
Open calculatorCalifornia law at a glance
Six California rules worth knowing before you file
These rules affect where a case starts, what information spouses must exchange, and how support and property are decided.
See how the calculators work →Child support uses income and parenting time
The §4055 equation uses both parents’ net disposable income and the higher earner’s approximate share of physical responsibility.
The 2026 low-income threshold is $2,929.33
If the paying parent’s monthly net disposable income is below this minimum-wage comparison, the court considers a permitted adjustment range.
Final spousal support is factor-based
A county’s temporary formula cannot replace the §4320 analysis required for support in the judgment.
Community property starts with equal division
Spouses still need to classify and value each interest, trace separate claims, account for debt, and carry out any reimbursement or offset.
Residency and the status clock are separate
Residency determines when and where a regular divorce can be filed. Service or appearance usually starts the earliest-status clock.
County administration changes the filing path
Each Superior Court sets its own filing locations, local forms, e-filing procedures, facilitator access, and calendars.
From petition to judgment
The seven stages of a regular California divorce
- 1
Check jurisdiction
Confirm the state and county residency periods, the right filing court, safety needs, and any interstate custody issue.
- 2
File
Submit the petition and summons, pay the first-paper fee, or include a request to waive it.
- 3
Serve
Have another adult deliver the required papers and file proof. Service usually starts the response deadline and six-month clock.
- 4
Share finances
Exchange preliminary disclosures even when both spouses expect to settle.
- 5
Address immediate needs
If necessary, ask for temporary orders about support, children, property, fees, or safety while the case is open.
- 6
Settle or try the issues
Classify and value property, calculate support, finish disclosures, negotiate, mediate, or present evidence to the judge.
- 7
Get judgment
Submit papers the court can sign and check the effective termination date. The six-month date does not finish a regular case automatically.
California guides
Read the law when the short answer is not enough
Each guide explains the forms, deadlines, calculations, or evidence behind one part of a California divorce and links to the state or court page where the rule appears.
Divorce steps
California divorce process
See which court can hear the case, what to file and serve, when disclosures are due, and what must happen before judgment.
Read the guide →Court fees for 2026Filing fees and court costs
Find the $435–$450 first-paper fee, the $870 joint-petition fee, common later charges, and 2026 fee-waiver rules.
Read the guide →Child support lawChild support guidelines
Learn what goes into §4055, why net disposable income matters, and how low income, add-ons, and deviations are handled.
Read the guide →Temporary and final supportCalifornia spousal support
Separate a county's temporary formula from the §4320 analysis used at judgment, including duration and the 2026 tax change.
Read the guide →Property and debtCommunity property division
Work out what is community or separate, trace mixed funds, value property and debt, and turn equal division into workable transfers.
Read the guide →Custody and parenting timeChild custody and parenting time
Understand legal and physical custody, parenting schedules, mediation, safety findings, moves, and interstate jurisdiction.
Read the guide →Find the local court
The law is statewide; filing happens county by county
California’s child-support equation and family-law statutes apply statewide. Courthouse assignments, local forms, e-filing, fees, facilitator services, calendars, and document handling do not.
Los Angeles CountyFamily court locations: Los AngelesSee court links and fees →San Diego CountyFamily court locations: San Diego / Chula Vista / El Cajon / VistaSee court links and fees →Orange CountyFamily court locations: OrangeSee court links and fees →Riverside CountyFamily court locations: Riverside / Blythe / Indio / MenifeeSee court links and fees →San Bernardino CountyFamily court locations: San Bernardino and assigned district courtsSee court links and fees →
California law and court links
Check the statute, form, or fee schedule yourself
These links go to the Family Code, Judicial Council rules and forms, California Courts Self-Help pages, fee schedules, and the county courts responsible for local filing.
How we choose and update sources →- California Family Code §4055 — statewide child support formula ↗
Section 4055 contains CS = K[HN − (H%)(TN)], the income bands in use since September 1, 2024, the child-count multipliers, payment direction, timeshare averaging, and the low-income adjustment.
- California Family Code §§4058–4059 — income ↗
Sections 4058 and 4059 define gross income and the deductions used to reach net disposable income, including actual tax liability, payroll taxes, qualifying insurance, other ordered support, job expenses, and hardships.
- California Family Code §4061 — allocation of child support add-ons ↗
Section 4061 calculates basic support first, then allocates qualifying add-ons using adjusted net incomes. It reduces the paying parent's net by basic support but does not add that payment to the receiving parent's net.
- California Family Code §4062 — child support add-ons ↗
Section 4062 treats qualifying child care and reasonable uninsured health costs as additional support, with education, special-needs, and parenting-time travel costs left to the court's discretion. Child care already included in the guideline is not added twice.
- California Child Support Services — public guideline calculator notice ↗
The DCSS public calculator remains online and describes its result as an estimate. Its availability does not establish certification; the Judicial Council's current status table controls that question.
- Judicial Council — status of guideline support calculators ↗
The Judicial Council's status table lists the DCSS public calculator as decertified and identifies the programs currently certified for California court proceedings.
- California Rule of Court 5.275 — certified support software ↗
Rule 5.275 sets certification standards for support software and explains when another certified program may be used while the DCSS calculator is decertified or unavailable.
- California DIR — 2026 minimum wage ↗
The statewide minimum wage is $16.90 an hour beginning January 1, 2026. Full-time monthly earnings at that rate supply the low-income comparison in §4055.
- California Family Code §4320 — long-term spousal support factors ↗
Section 4320 lists the factors a court must consider for support at judgment and the general self-support goal for a marriage not treated as long duration.
- California Family Code §4336 — long-duration marriages ↗
Section 4336 creates a rebuttable long-duration presumption at 10 years for retained jurisdiction. It does not award support or promise lifetime payments.
- Santa Clara County family rules — temporary support formula ↗
Santa Clara Rule 3.C generally uses 40% of the payor's net income minus 50% of the payee's net income for temporary support, adjusted for taxes and income allocated to child support or child-related expenses.
- Los Angeles County Local Rule 5.10 ↗
Los Angeles Rule 5.10 says the court may use Santa Clara County's guideline when deciding temporary spousal support.
- California Courts — starting a divorce ↗
California Courts explains the ordinary six-month state and three-month county residency rules, the forms used to start a regular case, and the $435–$450 filing-fee range.
- Judicial Council — 2026 statewide civil fee schedule ↗
The 2026 schedule lists first-paper, motion, custody, stipulation, copy, certification, and dissolution-record charges and shows how county construction surcharges change some totals.
- California Courts — divorce waiting period ↗
For a regular case, marital status cannot end before six months from service of the summons and petition or the respondent's appearance, whichever occurred first, even if status is tried separately.
- California Courts — property and debts ↗
California Courts explains community, separate, quasi-community, and commingled property and why an agreement still needs to become part of the judgment.
- California Courts — fee waivers ↗
California Courts explains the three eligibility routes, the required forms, what a waiver covers, and how long it lasts.
Common questions
California divorce, support, property, and fees
Use the short answers to find the right topic, then check the linked law or court instructions before acting on a deadline, filing, tax issue, parenting plan, or financial agreement.
How is child support calculated in California?
For one child, Family Code §4055 uses CS = K[HN − (H% × TN)]. It combines both parents’ monthly net disposable income with the higher earner’s approximate share of physical responsibility. A multiplier applies for additional children. Low-income adjustments and add-ons are handled separately.
What is California’s low-income child support comparison in 2026?
The amount is $2,929.33 a month, based on full-time work at the $16.90 statewide minimum wage. If the paying parent’s monthly net disposable income is below it, the law presumes an adjustment should be considered. The adjustment does not automatically reduce support to zero.
How much does it cost to start a California divorce?
The first paper usually costs $435–$450 in the counties shown here. A spouse who files a response generally pays a separate first-appearance fee. Service, e-filing provider charges, copies, later motions, legal help, and experts cost extra. A qualifying person can ask the court to waive specified fees.
How long must someone live in California before filing?
Usually, one spouse must have lived in California for the previous six months and in the filing county for the previous three months. If those periods are not met, legal separation may be available before the case can be changed to divorce.
Does a California divorce become final after six months?
No. In a regular case, six months from service or the respondent’s appearance is only the earliest possible end date. The court still needs completed disclosures, resolved issues, and judgment papers it can sign.
Does California divide community property equally?
The community estate is generally divided equally in value unless the spouses make a valid agreement or an exception applies. That does not require splitting every item. Classification, tracing, valuation, reimbursement, debt, and equalization determine how the result is carried out.
Does California have a statewide spousal support formula?
Not for support at judgment. The court must consider every applicable factor in Family Code §4320. Some counties use a formula for temporary support while the case is pending, but that interim number does not decide the final award.