Child Support in San Francisco County, California

San Francisco is unusual among California counties in that the city and county are one and the same, so every family in the city falls under a single jurisdiction for child support purposes: the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, whose family law matters (including the Unified Family Court) are heard at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, and the San Francisco Department of Child Support Services (SFDCSS), the city and county's local child support agency.

Child support here is set the same way it is throughout California, using the statewide uniform guideline formula in Family Code section 4055. That formula takes both parents' net disposable incomes and the timeshare, the share of time the child spends with each parent, and produces a number the law presumes to be correct. San Francisco's compact geography doesn't change the calculation itself, only the practical logistics of getting to court.

There are two paths to a support order in San Francisco. A parent already in a divorce, parentage, or custody case can file a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) with the Unified Family Court at the Civic Center Courthouse. Alternatively, SFDCSS, the local branch of the statewide Department of Child Support Services, can open a case directly to establish and enforce support from its own office. The forms themselves are identical across California; what's local to San Francisco is the single courthouse and agency office that serve the entire city, plus the fact that many family law filings, including dissolution cases, must now be e-filed through one of the court's approved e-filing vendors rather than filed on paper.

Before filing, it's worth estimating your number. Our free California child support calculator can help. If both parents already agree, they can put that agreement into a written stipulation and ask a judge to sign it instead of going through a contested hearing.

How child support is calculated in California

California sets child support with a statewide uniform guideline (Family Code section 4055) that applies the same way in San Francisco County as everywhere else. The formula is based mainly on two things:

1. Both parents' net disposable incomes.
2. The percentage of time the child spends with each parent (the timeshare).

The guideline amount is presumed to be correct, and courts use a calculator to run the numbers. Because the result depends on accurate income, the Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) you file is what drives your number.

Where child support cases are handled in San Francisco County

Child support in San Francisco County is handled through the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, and the county's Local Child Support Agency, which is part of the California Department of Child Support Services. There are two common paths:

1. Either parent files a Request for Order (Form FL-300) with an Income and Expense Declaration (Form FL-150) inside a divorce, parentage, or custody case.
2. The Local Child Support Agency opens a case to establish, collect, and enforce support, often at no cost to the parents.

Because courthouse and local agency office details change over time, confirm current details using the official California Courts court finder:

Find the San Francisco County Superior Court (official California Courts finder)

Local notes for San Francisco County

Because San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, family law matters are heard at a single location, the Civic Center Courthouse at 400 McAllister Street, where the Unified Family Court sits on the 4th floor; confirm current filing procedures and any required e-filing vendor on the court's own website before you file. SFDCSS, the San Francisco Department of Child Support Services, operates its own office at 617 Mission Street and is the local branch of the statewide Department of Child Support Services.

The court's ACCESS (Assisting Court Customers with Education and Self-help Services) Center, based in Room 509 of the Civic Center Courthouse, assists self-represented parents with completing Form FL-150 and related family law forms and can explain the filing process, though staff are not permitted to give legal advice about your specific case. Given the high cost of living in San Francisco, being thorough and accurate with the income figures on that form is especially important, since those numbers are what the guideline calculation is built on.

As under California law statewide, child support in San Francisco generally continues until the child turns 18, or 19 if the child is still a full-time high school student living at home and not self-supporting. Either parent can ask the court to modify the order later if income or the parenting timeshare changes.

Official child support resources in San Francisco County

San Francisco's family law cases, including child support matters, are heard by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco at the Civic Center Courthouse, 400 McAllister Street, home to the court's Unified Family Court division. The San Francisco Department of Child Support Services (SFDCSS) is the city and county's local child support agency; it operates from its own office at 617 Mission Street and is the local branch of the statewide Department of Child Support Services. SFDCSS can open a case to establish paternity, set up a support order, or enforce an existing one, separate from any case a parent files directly with the court.

For parents representing themselves, the court's ACCESS (Assisting Court Customers with Education and Self-help Services) Center, in Room 509 of the Civic Center Courthouse, offers in-person help, a live chat, a phone helpline, and an online intake form for family law matters, including help understanding forms like FL-150 and FL-300. Center staff can explain court process and procedure but cannot give legal advice about the outcome of a specific case.

San Francisco Superior Court also requires e-filing for many family law case filings, including dissolution cases, submitted through one of the court's approved e-filing vendors rather than filed on paper. Current requirements and the list of approved vendors are posted on the court's own e-filing page.

• San Francisco Department of Child Support Services (SFDCSS)
• Family Law | Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• ACCESS (Legal Self-Help) Center | Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
• E-Filing | Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco

Local details reviewed July 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

San Francisco County Child Support FAQs