Open a Child Support Case

Who Can Open a Child Support Case?

Any parent or caretaker of a child where one or both of the parents does not live in the home with the child can request child support services.  If the child lives in California the services are usually provided in the county where the child lives.  If the child is in the care of a non-relative caretaker, proof of legal guardianship may be required. If you have questions about whether or not you qualify to receive child support services, please call us at (707) 441-3232.

How Do I Open a Child Support Case?

There are three ways to open a case.


  • If you are receiving CalWorks public assistance benefits, a case will automatically be opened for you.
  • If you are not receiving CalWorks you can:
    • call (707) 441-3232 to Open or Reopen a case in Humboldt or Trinity County.
    • call (866) 901-3212 or walk into your nearest LCSA and request a paper application
    • *NEW* starting Sunday 8/1/2021 open your child support case in our NEW online portal.  If you've tried to open a case in the past and couldn't get past all the questions, this application is for you!  Check it out at childsupport.ca.gov/enrollment/ . 

What Do I Need to Know to Open a Case?

At minimum you need to be able to provide your own information and information for the child(ren) on the case.  Any information you have on the other parent will be helpful.  We will use our resources to locate missing details; addresses, phone number, employers, etc.
If there is already a court order for child support, we need to know what court it is filed with so that we can obtain a copy of the order.

Tell us how we're doing!

Please take a few minutes to complete the Child Support Customer Satisfaction Survey to let us know what's working, what needs to stay the same, and what could be improved!