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The program offers services to both welfare and non-welfare families to secure child and medical support. We locate parents, obtain court orders if none exist, enforce orders when a noncustodial parent fails to pay and establish paternity if the parents were not married before the child was conceived.
If you are receiving TANF, your eligibility worker automatically refers your case to our office.
If you are not receiving TANF, you can apply for services at the child support office by scheduling an appointment. To schedule an appointment, call (866) 901-3212. Our office is located at 88 Rowland Way, Suite 200, in Novato. You will be asked to fill out forms before a file can be opened.
The more information you provide, the more successful we will be in helping you. The more accurate your information, the faster your case can be processed.
In accordance with the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 the Department of Child Support Services may assess a $25 Annual Service Fee for each case that has never received public assistance. This fee will be assessed every year on October 1 for each case in which at least $500 has been disbursed to the family in the prior Federal Fiscal Year (October 1 - September 30). The fee will be automatically deducted from the next payment(s) issued to the custodial party after October 1 until the fee has been recovered in full.
It is extremely important that you keep us informed of everything which may have a bearing on the actions we are taking on your child support case. You must respond to all requests for information promptly, especially those which are related to pending court actions which have strict deadlines associated with them. You should notify us immediately of any of the following events:
You may call our voice response system at (866) 901-3212, 24-hours a day, seven days a week to receive payment information.
Please send correspondence to:
Department of Child Support Services PO Box 6145 Novato, CA 94948-6145
Our office is located at:
Department of Child Support Services 88 Rowland Way, Suite 200 Novato, CA 94945
Please include your name and Child Support Account number on your correspondence.
All child support payments are processed and disbursed through the California State Disbursement Unit. Payments should be mailed to: California SDU, PO Box 989067, West Sacramento, CA 95798. Please include the payor's name, and participant number, case number and/or social security number on the payment instrument, to make sure the payment is correctly identified. Visit the California SDU website for options available for paying or receiving child support electronically.
The action our office takes depends a great deal upon the facts you have given us about the noncustodial parent. You may be contacted if more information is needed. Some cases take longer than others before positive results are realized. We will keep you advised of every major development in your case, including copies of all pleadings filed on your behalf and significant items of correspondence with the noncustodial parent or attorney.
With a name, date of birth and Social Security number, we can make use of local, state and federal resources to locate the noncustodial parent. You may find this information on old pay stubs, credit forms, tax returns or school documents.
If the mother and father were not married at the time the child was conceived, the case will be more complicated and will probably take longer to conclude.
Sometimes the first contact with the noncustodial parent by our office is enough to start the support payments within the next month or two. On the other hand, sometimes the noncustodial parent is never located or is unable to provide any support. Most of our cases fall between these two extremes. We cannot guarantee adequate and proper child support, but our staff is dedicated to doing the very best possible job for you.
When a non custodial parent fails to make court ordered child support payments, our office will take action to help you collect your support. The action we take may include one or more of the following:
California has reciprocal child support agreements with other states and even with a number of other countries. Because in such cases we must rely completely on the court of the other state or country, response time may be slow. Normally, you should not expect any support payments for at least ninety days or longer. The other state will have to contact the noncustodial parent personally and may have problems and delays in doing so.
You may have to appear in court to give testimony where a trial or hearing is necessary, paternity is at issue or a criminal complaint has been filed. If so, you will be advised by a Child Support Attorney who will explain the court proceedings to you. You and the noncustodial parent will need to bring financial information to the court. This information will most likely include pay stubs or copies of tax returns. Many cases which are set for trial result in settlement at the last moment. If that happens, your testimony will not be needed.