California Child Support Recovery System

What’s Inside

What’s Inside — All 25 Sections

PART I — SITUATION ASSESSMENT (Sections 1–4)

Section 1 — Decision Tree: Four gates — order, DCSS status, employer location, arrears — routing you to the right enforcement path.

Section 2 — California Rights Reference: Every key Family Code statute explained in plain language. The enforcement arsenal table with all tools, who triggers them, and arrears requirements.

Section 3 — Evidence Worksheet: Everything to gather before contacting DCSS or filing any motion. Payer info, court order details, payment history log.

Section 4 — Violation Identifier: Every enforceable violation with the specific tool it triggers and the enforcement timeline.

PART II — THE AMOUNTS (Sections 5–8)

Section 5 — Guideline Calculation: The Dissomaster formula, what counts as income (including what payers try to hide), income imputation for voluntary unemployment.

Section 6 — Medical and Add-On Expenses: Health insurance requirements, proportional medical cost sharing, child care add-ons — all enforceable the same as base support.

Section 7 — Arrears and 10% Interest: How the debt grows automatically, the arrears calculator, the automatic judgment lien, Abstract of Judgment recording process.

Section 7 Claude AI Prompt — Recordable County Lien Generator

Copy the prompt below, fill in your information, and paste into claude.ai (free). Claude will generate a completed Abstract of Judgment ready to record with your County Recorder.

I need help preparing a California Abstract of Judgment to record a property lien for unpaid child support. Here are my facts: – My name (judgment creditor): [YOUR FULL LEGAL NAME] – Payer’s name (judgment debtor): [PAYER’S FULL LEGAL NAME] – Court that issued the child support order: [COURT NAME] – Case number: [CASE NUMBER] – Date of original support order: [DATE] – Total arrears owed as of today: $[AMOUNT] – 10% annual interest accrued: $[AMOUNT] (or “I need help calculating this”) – Payer’s last known address: [ADDRESS] – County where payer owns or may own real property: [COUNTY NAME] Please: 1. Explain how arrears become a judgment lien under Family Code §17523 and CCP §697.310 2. Walk me through completing Form EJ-001 with my specific information 3. Explain exactly how to record with the County Recorder including current fees 4. Explain what happens once recorded — how it affects any sale or refinance 5. Calculate the full amount owed including 10% simple interest per missed payment 6. Draft a cover letter to the County Recorder Note: Educational information only. Not legal advice.

Section 8 — Modification: How to request an increase, how to defend against a decrease, income imputation as your strongest defense.

PART III — FREE STATE ENFORCEMENT (Sections 9–13)

Section 9 — DCSS Activation: What DCSS can do that you cannot. Template language to demand every tool by statute number. Escalation path if caseworker is unresponsive.

Section 10 — Wage Garnishment: EWO mechanics, maximum withholding limits, employer personal liability for ignoring the order.

Section 11 — Tax Intercept: State and federal, what to do before November 30, injured spouse claims, how to confirm enrollment.

Section 12 — License Suspension: Which license to target for maximum pressure — professional license strategy, 30-day process, reinstatement.

Section 13 — Passport Denial and Bank Levy: $2,500 threshold, Financial Institution Data Match, account freeze and seizure.

PARTS IV–VII — COURT ENFORCEMENT, LETTERS, SPECIAL SITUATIONS, AI LIBRARY (Sections 14–25)

Section 14 — Contempt of Court: Form FL-410 step by step. 5 days jail per count. 12 missed months = 12 counts. Proving willfulness.

Section 15 — Property Liens: Abstract of Judgment recording. Forces payment at any real estate transaction.

Sections 17–20 — Four Demand Letters: Arrears demand, employer EWO non-compliance, license suspension warning, contempt warning.

Section 21 — Self-Employed Payers: Bank deposit analysis, lifestyle evidence, imputation strategy, business record subpoenas.

Section 22 — Interstate Enforcement: UIFSA, registration in payer’s new state, federal tools that work nationwide.

Section 23 — Modification Defense: Stop the reduction. Income imputation argument. Cross-examination of claimed income.

Section 25 — AI Prompt Library: All 14 Claude prompts with master directory, chaining strategies, and tips.

The Analyzer in Action — A Real Example

Here is what happens when a custodial parent uses the kit’s Claude AI Prompt Analyzer with their own facts. This example was run by a mother in Los Angeles whose ex-husband had not paid child support in 14 months, was self-employed as a contractor, and DCSS had told her the case was “difficult to enforce” because he had no W-2 employer.

Input to the Analyzer

Court order: $1,800/month child support. Two children. Ex-husband stopped paying 14 months ago. Self-employed as a general contractor in San Bernardino County. Owns a truck. Has a contractor’s license. DCSS says hard to collect because no employer. He posts jobs on Instagram showing active work. No bank account located yet. I have the court order and case number.

What Claude Identified

Total arrears: 14 months × $1,800 = $25,200 principal. With 10% annual interest accruing from each missed payment date, total owed is approximately $26,800–$27,200 as of today.

Enforcement tools that apply immediately:

  • Contractor’s license suspension: Family Code §17520 — DCSS can refer the CSLB license for suspension at 30 days past due. A contractor without a license cannot legally bid or work on jobs in California. This is the highest-leverage tool for a self-employed contractor.
  • Driver’s license suspension: Same statute. He cannot drive the work truck without a license. Secondary pressure on top of the contractor license.
  • Financial Institution Data Match: Family Code §17450 — DCSS matches case against all California bank accounts quarterly. Written request required to confirm enrollment and prioritize the search.
  • Bank levy once located: Account freeze and seizure up to full arrears amount plus interest.
  • Property lien: Arrears are an automatic lien on any real property in California. Record Form EJ-001 in San Bernardino County today. If he owns anything or acquires anything, the lien attaches. Cannot sell or refinance without clearing it.
  • Contempt of court: 14 missed months = 14 separate counts. Form FL-410. Up to 5 days jail per count. Willfulness established by his own Instagram posts showing active work income.
  • Income imputation: Self-employment income can be calculated from bank deposits, lifestyle evidence, and contractor bid history. Instagram posts documenting active jobs are admissible evidence of earning capacity.

What the Instagram posts establish: A payer who claims inability to pay while posting active job sites creates a willfulness problem for contempt. The posts document earning capacity. Claude drafted the specific language for the FL-410 contempt motion using this evidence.

Immediate action plan Claude produced:

  1. Send written DCSS request citing Family Code §17520 — demand contractor’s license AND driver’s license referral today
  2. Send written DCSS request citing Family Code §17450 — confirm FIDM enrollment, request prioritized search
  3. Record Abstract of Judgment (Form EJ-001) in San Bernardino County Recorder — $15–25 recording fee
  4. File FL-410 contempt motion citing all 14 counts with Instagram posts as exhibit
  5. Request DCSS income imputation review based on contractor license history and social media evidence
Arrears + interest
~$27,000 today
Contempt exposure
14 counts × 5 days
License at risk
CSLB contractor + driver’s
Lien filed today
Any property, any county
DCSS told her the case was “difficult to enforce.” The kit’s analyzer identified five simultaneous enforcement tools she hadn’t used, generated the written requests for each, drafted the contempt motion language, and showed her exactly how his Instagram posts became evidence. She had the contractor’s license referral request in the mail the same day.
Get the Complete Kit — →

Educational use only. Not legal advice. Justice Foundation.

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