Interstate Child Support: Collecting From a Parent Who Left California

California Child Support Recovery System | Justice Foundation

When the parent who owes child support moves to another state, many custodial parents mistakenly believe their enforcement options have narrowed or disappeared. In fact, federal law provides a robust interstate enforcement framework — the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) — that allows California to enforce its child support orders across state lines with the full cooperation of other states’ courts and enforcement agencies.

UIFSA: The Federal Framework

UIFSA has been adopted by all 50 states. It establishes that a child support order issued by one state continues to be enforceable in every other state, and that only one state at a time has jurisdiction to modify the order. California retains exclusive jurisdiction to modify its own order as long as either the child or one of the parents continues to live in California. If all parties have left California, jurisdiction to modify shifts to the new home state — but the California order remains enforceable everywhere.

Two Enforcement Pathways

When the paying parent lives in another state, you have two enforcement options. First, direct enforcement: California’s DCSS can register the California order in the other state and request that state’s enforcement agency take action on California’s behalf — income withholding, license suspension, tax intercept — using that state’s enforcement tools. This is typically the fastest pathway and costs you nothing.

Second, direct registration: You can register the California order directly in the other state’s court system and enforce it there as a local order. This gives you access to that state’s contempt powers and enforcement mechanisms directly, without routing through DCSS. An attorney in the other state is helpful for this approach, though not always required.

Locating a Parent Who Has Disappeared

If the paying parent has moved without disclosure, the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) — accessible through DCSS — can search Social Security Administration records, IRS records, state motor vehicle databases, and the National Directory of New Hires to locate the parent’s current address and employer. This service is free through DCSS and is frequently the first step in interstate enforcement. The Justice Foundation kit includes the request forms for FPLS location services.

International Cases

If the paying parent has moved to another country, enforcement is more complex but not impossible. The United States has reciprocal enforcement agreements with approximately 30 countries through the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support. DCSS can assist with international enforcement for countries with which the US has agreements.