You may have heard California recently revised the child support laws through the 2023 Senate Bill 343. The new laws took effect in September 2024, and apply to all guideline child support cases in California. We will discuss what was changed, does it apply to your child support case, and could it benefit your child support case.
What laws were changed?
California updated the guideline child support formula to, in essence, increase child support paid by higher earning parents, decrease child support paid by lower income parents, and unequally allocate the children’s costs for medical expenses and child care. There are a few other things the new laws do such as extend the time to request reimbursement for child care and medical expenses, strengthen the low income adjustment, and change some procedures for the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS).
Do the new child support laws apply to my case?
The short answer is, yes, that is because the new laws apply to every child support case in the State of California. The Court can deviate from the guideline child support formula, it can only do so in unusual circumstances. Therefore, the law applies to just about everyone. The question is whether the new laws will benefit or hurt you.
Can I benefit from the change in child support laws?
To request a modification to a child support order you may need to demonstrate a change in circumstances since the last order was entered. However, a change in the law is always regarded as a change in circumstances, so just about anyone can request the Court modify their child support orders based on the new laws.
Whether you specifically will benefit from a child support modification depends entirely on your specific set of circumstances. Those that will benefit the most from the new law change will be those who are the lower earning parent when there is a large gap between what each parent earns. We are seeing increases in child support attributed solely to the new law range from $300 – $500 per month in recent cases. However, understand the outcome of your case could be very different.
Conversely, you would not likely benefit from the law changes if you are the higher earning parent in such a situation, as your support obligation could increase. The only way to know for sure is to contact an experienced Family Law Attorney such as the ones at Mesnik Law Group, to run the child support calculation for you.
Conclusion
The new California child support guideline formula and other child support laws are complex and can be confusing. Contact our experienced Family Law attorneys at Mesnik Law Group to understand how the new laws apply to your case and if you can benefit from asking the Court to modify support in your case.