Child support orders follow the paying parent across state lines. California’s support orders are enforceable in every other state through the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA). Moving doesn’t eliminate or reduce the obligation.
How Interstate Enforcement Works
When a paying parent moves to another state, California retains jurisdiction over the order as long as one party or the child still lives here. California DCSS can work with the other state’s enforcement agency to establish income withholding in the new state. The custodial parent can also register the California order in the new state and pursue enforcement there directly.
The paying parent cannot get a better deal by moving. Some paying parents believe that relocating to a lower-cost state will result in a lower support obligation. It won’t — California’s order remains in effect until a court with proper jurisdiction modifies it. Filing for modification in a new state doesn’t automatically reduce the California obligation.
The California Child Support Recovery System gives custodial parents the exact tools, templates, and step-by-step guidance to enforce support orders, calculate arrears, and use every enforcement mechanism available — without paying an attorney to get started. Request your free evaluation here.
California Child Support Recovery System 
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