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Child Support Shouldn't Depend on Their Mood.
Make It a Court Order.
✓We fill out every form — you just review and sign.✓Your forms are ready to file the same day.✓Flexible payment plans, no retainer.
A
Anna finished her FL-300in 22 minutes
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4.9 / 5from 2,400+ Californians
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Filed todayLos Angeles Superior Court
As seen in
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Child Support Orders
What you can ask the court to order
Whether or not your ex agrees, you can ask the court to set, change, or enforce child support. Here's what parents most often request:
Set guideline child support
Ask the judge to order monthly support based on both parents' incomes and how time with the children is shared.
Raise or lower an existing order
Jobs change, custody time changes. Ask the court to recalculate support when the old number no longer matches real life — in either direction.
Childcare costs
Daycare, after-school care, a sitter so you can work or train for work — ask that these be shared on top of base support.
Health insurance & medical costs
Ask the court to order who carries the children's health insurance and how uninsured medical, dental, and vision bills get split.
Unpaid (back) support
If ordered support hasn't been paid, ask the court to determine exactly what's owed and how it will be collected.
School & activity expenses
Tutoring, team fees, camps — ask the judge to decide how the extras that keep kids thriving get shared between parents.
Every request above becomes one court-ready filing — our wizard prepares exactly what your case needs and keeps every number consistent from start to finish.
We meet you where you are
Wherever you are with child support, start here.
Nobody wants to take the other parent to court. Most people arrive here after months of promises that didn't turn into groceries. Whichever sentence below is yours — that's exactly where we'll start.
My ex says they'll pitch in 'when they can.'
A promise isn't enforceable — a court order is. A child support order sets an exact monthly amount with a start date, and if it isn't paid, there are real ways to collect it. We prepare the Request for Order that asks the judge to make it official.
I'm covering everything by myself.
School clothes, groceries, the dentist — carrying it alone isn't how support law is designed to work. Support is calculated from both parents' incomes and how time with the kids is shared, and you can ask for childcare and medical costs on top of the base amount.
My ex earns much more now — the old number doesn't fit.
Support orders aren't carved in stone. When incomes or parenting time genuinely change, you can ask the court to recalculate. It's the same request process, and we prepare the paperwork that shows the court what changed.
I lost my job. I can't pay what the order says.
This matters more than most people realize: support that's already come due generally can't be erased later, even if the judge would have lowered it. Waiting quietly builds debt — filing a modification request puts a realistic number in front of the court.
I have no idea what the right amount even is.
Most states use a guideline formula based on both parents' incomes, tax situations, and time with the kids. Our wizard collects exactly what that calculation needs, in plain language, and lays it out cleanly for the court — no spreadsheet wrestling at midnight.
Your kids' support shouldn't be optional. Put it in writing.
Answer plain questions about your family and finances — we turn them into a court-ready Request for Order and financial disclosure. Nothing is filed until you say so, it's free to start, and every form carries our 100% court-acceptance guarantee.
Before you go it alone
The court doesn't grade on effort. The paperwork has to be right.
Support requests are where paperwork mistakes cost real money: a missing or inconsistent FL-150 is one of the most common reasons a support request stalls at the courthouse.
Pitfall 01
The forms that travel together
An FL-300 rarely files alone — one missing companion form and the clerk can bounce the whole packet.
Pitfall 02
One wrong checkbox
Those boxes decide what the judge is asked to order. The wrong one gets your request misread — or denied.
Pitfall 03
Declarations judges actually read
Judges read hundreds of pages a day. A declaration that vents instead of explains buries your ask.
Pitfall 04
Service rules & deadlines
Served the wrong way, or a day late, and your hearing slips while the problem keeps going.
This is exactly why people hand us the paperwork: every form picked, filled, and consistent — for one flat price, with our 100% court-acceptance guarantee.
Why we exist
Spend it on your kids,
not on lawyers.
We built Legalfina because you shouldn't have to spend $4,000 on a lawyer to fill out a form. Attorneys are worth every dollar for the hard stuff — standing up for you in court, fighting a truly contested case. But filing your initial divorce, custody, or restraining-order paperwork isn't that. It's the same court-accepted result, without the bill.
A lawyer wants$4,000–$10,000per filing
We ask forLess than your coffee habit
12,000+
Californians helped since 2016
100%
Court-acceptance guarantee on your paperwork
< 2 hrs
Average time to finish your paperwork
The process
Three simple steps. One hour, maybe two.
2
We explain everything
Every form and every question, answered in plain English you actually understand.
3
Get your paperwork instantly
Plain English. Change anything. Ask us anything.
A few plain questions to get started.
Built for California
We know your county,
your courthouse, your clerk.
Family law is local. A filing that flies in San Francisco gets kicked back in San Bernardino. We know the quirks of all 58 California counties — because we've walked into all of them.
Sacramento
San Francisco
Los Angeles
One flat price
The cost of peace
shouldn't bankrupt you into it.
One honest number for the whole case. Tell us what you're doing — we'll show you exactly what it costs, whether you're filing first or answering your ex's paperwork.
What are you dealing with?
Request for Order (FL-300)
Asking the court for orders
$399
or 6 payments of $73
Court filing fees not included
✓We help you fill out all your court paperwork in a stress free manner
✓Do you have child custody, child support or other high conflict issues? Not a problem, it is all included!
✓We guarantee the court will accept your paperwork
Your ex filed first
Responding to their request
$199
or 6 payments of $36.33
Court filing fees not included
✓We help you respond to your ex's paperwork in a stress free manner
✓Do you have child custody, child support or other high conflict issues? Not a problem, it is all included!
✓We guarantee the court will accept your paperwork
No subscriptions, no surprise fees. Change your mind anytime, free — you only pay when you're ready to file.
Questions, honestly answered
The child support questions
people ask at 2 a.m.
If yours isn't here, write us. A human will answer, usually the same day.
How is child support calculated in California?
California courts use a statewide guideline formula. The main ingredients are each parent's income, certain deductions (like taxes and support paid for other children), and the percentage of time the children spend with each parent. Judges follow the guideline in most cases. Our wizard collects exactly what the formula needs and presents it cleanly, so the court is working from complete, consistent numbers.
Can I request child support if we were never married?
Yes. Child support can be requested in a divorce, in a parentage (paternity) case, or in other family law cases. If you don't have a case open yet, that's not a problem — our wizard helps you open the right kind of case and request support inside it.
What forms do I need to ask for child support?
The core of the request is the FL-300 (Request for Order) plus the FL-150 (Income & Expense Declaration) — and depending on your situation, additional forms for filing, serving, and responding. Forgetting one of the companions is the most common DIY mistake. Our wizard selects and fills every form your specific request needs.
My ex is paid in cash or hides income. Can I still ask for support?
Yes. You tell the court what you know — work history, lifestyle, what they've told you about their earnings — and you can ask the court to consider what your ex is capable of earning, not just what they claim. Presenting this clearly matters; you can add an attorney review to sharpen it before filing.
When would support start if I file now?
Generally, a court can order support starting as far back as the date the request was filed — not before. That's one of the strongest reasons not to wait: every month before you file is usually a month the order can't reach.
Can a child support order be changed later?
Yes. Either parent can ask the court to modify support when circumstances genuinely change — income goes up or down, parenting time shifts, a child's needs change. It's the same FL-300 process, and we prepare modification requests every day.
What happens at the hearing?
The judge reads the paperwork from both sides — usually before you ever walk in — then hears briefly from each of you and makes an order. Your forms are your first impression, which is exactly why they need to be complete, consistent, and easy to follow.
Is Legalfina a law firm?
No — and that's on purpose. We're a licensed and bonded Legal Document Assistant service. We prepare your paperwork, and every step of our wizard is reviewed and approved by attorneys licensed in your state. If you want one-on-one legal advice, you can add an attorney consultation anytime.
What does it cost?
Filling out your forms is free — you only pay one flat price when you're ready to download or file, and payment plans are available. The court charges its own filing fee, but if that's a hardship we prepare the fee waiver paperwork too.
What if my ex and I actually agree on an amount?
That's great news — an agreement can be written up properly and submitted for the judge's signature so it becomes a real, enforceable order. We help with the paperwork for agreements just as much as for contested requests.
Steady ground
Take the First Step Toward Support You Can Count On
Chasing support month after month is exhausting — the reminders, the excuses, the math that never adds up in your kids' favor.
Let Legalfina turn it into a clear, enforceable court order — quickly, affordably, and on your terms.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
RESOURCES
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