Need child support? We show you how to ask the court.
Answer questions about income and time with the kids. We prepare the papers and walk you through every step.
Built with licensed family law attorneys
Built with licensed family law attorneys$79 for a limited time (reg. $349). Court fees separate.
Here's everything Virdix does for you, start to finish.
Virdix walks you through every step of your case, from the first question to the day it's done. In this case, unmarried parents asked for custody and child support, and the packet came together over about five weeks.
Based on a real Virdix case in Santa Clara County. Names and details changed.Your court papers, filled in from your answers
Answer easy questions in English or Spanish. Virdix fills in the papers your case needs, including the one that starts a case for unmarried parents, ready to download when you finish. Here, the first step took four minutes.
Your income and expenses, and your support request, on paper
Virdix turns your answers about pay, work, and family costs into your income and expense papers. It also puts your support request on paper, so the court can read it clearly.
INCOME AND EXPENSE DECLARATION
Paid every two weeks. Health insurance for Isla: $180 a month.
REQUEST FOR ORDER
Requested by Carmen Reyes: custody, visits, and child support for Isla.
Your courthouse, your fee, your hours
Know exactly where to go. Virdix gives you your county's family law courthouse, the clerk's hours, and the filing fee. If money is tight, Virdix shows you how to request a fee waiver.
Where to file
Family Justice Center Courthouse (FJCC)
201 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113
- Open
- Monday to Thursday, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM; Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
- Filing fee
- $435
- Family law phone
- (408) 534-5711
Papers delivered to the other parent the right way
The court needs proof the other parent got a copy. Virdix shows you who can deliver it, what to hand over, and fills in the proof paper for you.
Who can deliver them
- Any adult, 18 or older, who is not you
- They hand the other parent the papers in person
- They fill in the proof paper, and you file it
FL-330 PROOF OF PERSONAL SERVICE
Served on October 14, 2026 by Marisol Reyes
A heads-up before every deadline
Add your dates and Virdix emails you before each one, so you stay on track while life keeps happening.
Virdix
Your court date is in 7 days
To: Carmen Reyes
Your income and expense papers are in your case. Here's what to bring and where to go.
Stuck on a step? Ask your case manager
A real person answers your questions about the steps, your papers, and where things go. Help is always one message away. Call or text (888) 486-3408
Always know what's next
Your case page shows what's done, what's due, and what comes next, from your income papers to your court date.
Your case
- Court papersDone
- Income and expense papersDone
- Filed at courtDone, October 9
- Court dateMonday, November 23
- Final papersNext
The courthouse details above are real Santa Clara County details. Virdix has the same for all 58 California counties. Names and details are changed to protect privacy.
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 page one of your first document before you pay.
Get startedRejected by the clerk? We fix it until it's accepted. Learn more
What we do
Everything you need to set up child support is on Virdix.
You answer plain questions. Virdix completes the official forms your case needs, checks them the way a clerk would, and tells you where to file in your county. Then we show you what comes next.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
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
Answer the first questions and see page one of your first document. $79 once for your whole case. Flat pricing instead of retainers and hourly billing.
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.
Rejected by the clerk? We fix it until it's accepted
If a court clerk rejects a document we prepared, we fix it until it's accepted.
A case manager, included.
A real person answers your questions about the process, your papers, and filing. Call or text (888) 486-3408
"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
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
$79One payment for your whole case.
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 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. You can start and see page one of your first document before paying; the whole case is a one time $79 payment for a limited time.
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.
How do I change my child support amount in California?+
To change child support amount california, you file a new Request for Order, the same Form FL-300 used to open a support case, along with an updated Form FL-150. These are the standard child support modification forms california; a judge compares your updated numbers against the guideline formula and issues a new order if the change is significant enough to justify it.
How long does child support last in California?+
Child support generally continues until a child turns 18, or 19 if the child is still a full-time high school student living at home. Support can end earlier if the child marries, joins the military, or is otherwise legally emancipated, and it can be ordered to continue longer for a child with a disability.
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 fee waiver checker.
Virdix is self-help software, 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.