The better way to set up child support.
Set up California child support. Your documents are ready instantly.
Answer plain-English questions about income and parenting time, and your court forms are produced automatically.
Start free. $79 once, when your documents are ready.
What we do
Everything you need to set up child support is on Virdix.
We make setting up child support accessible, affordable, and less stressful. As you answer plain-English questions about each parent's income and parenting time, the inputs behind California's statewide guideline formula (Family Code section 4055), Virdix completes your Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) and Request for Order (Form FL-300), and hands you filing instructions matched to your county's Superior Court and Local Child Support Agency. Starting is free: you see every form your case needs, and previews of your completed documents, before you pay anything.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Let's get your child support case started today.
Answer a few questions about income and parenting time. Your support paperwork builds itself as you go, and you see previews of your completed documents before you pay anything.
Get startedIf a clerk rejects a document, we fix it free until it's accepted. Learn more
Why people choose Virdix
Documents ready instantly
Your forms are produced automatically as you answer. No waiting days for someone to prepare them, no mail, nothing to chase.
One flat price, upfront
Start free and see everything first. $79 once when your documents are ready. No retainers, no hourly billing, no hidden fees.
Built on California's guideline formula
Each parent's income and their percentage of parenting time are the two inputs behind California's statewide guideline formula, Family Code section 4055. Virdix asks for those answers and completes your Income and Expense Declaration and Request for Order from them.
Court, or your Local Child Support Agency
You can file your Request for Order directly with the court, or your county's Local Child Support Agency, part of the California Department of Child Support Services, can open a case to establish, collect, and enforce support, often at no cost to either parent.
All 58 California counties
Filing instructions matched to your county's Superior Court and Local Child Support Agency.
Accepted by the court, guaranteed
If a court clerk rejects a document we prepared, we fix it for free until it's accepted.
"Virdix created my packet based on my answers and gave me a lot more clarity and confidence in filing the right things… the questions aligned more with what I needed."
Alicia, custody case, Los Angeles County
Real user feedback
How it works
We don't just give you forms. We walk you through the entire family court process, educating you along the way.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Tell us about your case
Answer simple questions about your situation. We'll determine exactly what documents you need for your county.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Build your documents
Use our guided builders for declarations, parenting plans, and settlement agreements. Our builders organize what happened into clear, complete documents.
Your words
on march 15 he kept the kids past the 6pm exchange time in our court order again and didn't answer either of my two calls
Court-ready version
On March 15, Respondent failed to return the children at the court-ordered exchange time of 6:00 p.m. and did not respond to my two phone calls.
AI Suggestion
Add the actual return time and any witnesses so your account is complete.
File and serve
Get step-by-step filing instructions for your courthouse. We guide you through serving the other party.
Complete your case
Navigate hearings, responses, and final judgments with guidance at every step until your case is resolved.
Compare your options
Three ways to set up child support
- California's guideline calculation built into your paperwork
- Documents produced instantly as you answer
- Income and Expense Declaration and Request for Order prepared for you
- County-matched instructions, court or Local Child Support Agency
$79Once, when your documents are ready. Free to start.
Other online services
- Just a blank form, no guideline calculation
- Days, sometimes a week, before your forms come back
- No Local Child Support Agency guidance
- Just forms, no process guidance
$400 to $2,000Typical published rates. Most only hand you a blank form and leave the guideline calculation to you.
Traditional attorney
- Retainers up front, then hourly billing
- Conflict escalates through opposing attorneys
- Scheduling delays can stretch for months
- You wait on someone else for every document
$5,000+Attorney-represented California family law cases commonly run $5,000 to $15,000.
Set up child support without the $15,000 attorney.
Explore our child support resources
How to modify child support in California
Read now
Enforcing child support in California
Read now
Contempt for unpaid child support in California
Read now
Working out spousal support too? Try the free California spousal support calculator.
Child support questions, answered
How is California child support calculated?+
California uses a statewide guideline formula, Family Code section 4055, based mainly on each parent's income and the percentage of time the child spends with each parent. Virdix asks for those answers and runs the same inputs into your paperwork.
Which forms does a child support case use?+
Most child support requests use Form FL-150, the Income and Expense Declaration, along with Form FL-300, the Request for Order. Virdix determines the exact list from your answers and fills the forms for you.
Do I have to go through the court, or can I use my Local Child Support Agency?+
Either. You can file your Request for Order directly with the court, or your county's Local Child Support Agency can open a case to establish, collect, and enforce support, often at no cost to either parent. Virdix's county-matched instructions explain both paths.
Do I need a lawyer to set up child support?+
No. You have the right to represent yourself in family court, and many parents do. Virdix prepares your documents and gives you step-by-step filing instructions, but is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
How much does it cost to set up child support?+
Court filing fees vary by county and request type. If money is tight, the fee can be waived using form FW-001 if you qualify. Virdix itself is free to start; you pay $79 once, when your documents are ready.
Can a child support order be changed later?+
Yes. A support order can be modified when circumstances change significantly, such as a change in income or parenting time. Virdix's guide to modifying child support in California walks through how that process works.
Or browse your county's child support guide+
Bay Area
Central Coast
Central Valley
Eastern California
Northern California
Sacramento Valley
Sacramento region
Sierra Nevada
Southern California
Smaller counties: regional guides
California's smaller, more rural counties are grouped into regional guides that cover every county's local Superior Court, Local Child Support Agency, and process in one place.
Guides and resources+
Court filing fees vary by request type and county. The court filing fee can be waived if you qualify, using form FW-001, the same fee waiver used across every California family law filing. Check if you likely qualify with the free fee waiver checker.
Virdix is a self-help document preparation service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. If your case involves domestic violence or you fear for your safety, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.