Changing Child Support in Lorain County

Child support is money that you or the other parent pays to meet your child’s financial needs (like buying food and clothing). The Court or Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) decides the child support amount based on your income, expenses for the child (like childcare and health insurance) and how much time you spend with the child.

The amount of child support is determined by a standard set of rules from Ohio law. You can use the Child Support Calculator on this site to see if your support amount could go up or down based on the law. 

If you believe that the amount of child support you pay or receive needs to be changed, there are two ways to request a change:

• Request a CSEA review
• File a motion in Court

Requesting a CSEA review

One way to request a child-support change is having the county CSEA review your order to see if child support or health insurance should be added or changed.

You may be eligible for a CSEA review if it has been 36 months or more since your last child support order or most recent review, or if a substantial change in circumstances has occurred.

Learn more about requesting a CSEA review from the Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency.

Going to Court

Another way to request a child support modification is to file a motion in Court. The motion should be filed with:

• The Court that issued the original child support order, which could be a Juvenile or Domestic Relations Court.
• The Juvenile Court in the same county as the CSEA that issued the order, if the original order was from a CSEA and not a Court.

Going to Court is more complicated that having a CSEA review. You may want to consult with a lawyer before going to Court.

If you want to go to Court, you should:

• Complete the paperwork. If your order was issued by the Lorain County Domestic Relations or Juvenile Court, you can use the forms on this site to create your motion to change child support.
  • Use these forms for Lorain County Domestic Relations Court
  • Use these forms for Lorain County Juvenile Court
  • If you're not sure which court issued your order, you can check the case number on your existing court order. [INSERT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DIFFERENTIATING DR AND J CASE NUMBERS]. If you need additional help determining which court your case is in, contact the Help Center at (440) 406-3288.
• Explain your change of circumstances. On the paperwork, explain how your circumstances are different (like if your income is different, or if your custody changes). The change must result in at least a 10% change to the total child support amount. Proving that your child’s needs are different is not required.

Once you have completed the forms and are ready to file:

• [INSERT FILING INSTRUCTIONS]
• Complete service. You must serve papers to the other parent. Follow up with the Clerk of Courts after about 10 business days to make sure that service has been completed. 
  • Domestic Relations Division Clerk
  • Juvenile Division Clerk
• Attend the hearing. Once the other parent is served, the Court will schedule a hearing. You must attend the hearing.

The Court may send you to mediation to help you reach an agreement about child support. 

While your case is pending before the Court, the law requires you to keep paying support at the old amount. Otherwise, you will have to pay any back payments due.

If the Court decides there is a change of circumstances, the Court will require a new child support amount.

When does my duty to pay child support end?

Usually your duty to pay child support does not end until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school. If your child is still attending high school when he or she turns 18, you are obligated to pay child support until the child graduates from high school or turns 19, whichever happens first.

Your child support order also may be eligible for termination when:

• Your minor child lives on his or her own (and has been legally emancipated by the court), joins the military or gets married.
• There has been a legal change of custody and the child no longer lives with the other parent or has moved in with you.

If your situation qualifies under one of these reasons, you can contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency to request termination of the child support order. You can also file a motion with the Court.