Information for Parents Asked to Pay Child Support
If the Oregon Child Support Program, District Attorney, or your child's other parent asked you to pay child support, you're in the right spot. This page provides information about child support in Oregon and how to respond to child support papers.
What is child support?
Child support is money one parent pays the other to help cover the costs of raising a child. It's meant to ensure children have the financial support they need, even when parents don't live together. You can learn more about child support in Oregon here.
Can I be forced to pay child support?
Yes. Parents must support their children even if they don't live with them or see them regularly.
In most cases, the parent who does not have primary custody of the child usually pays child support. However, this isn’t always the case. Child support is based on several things, including each parent’s income, childcare costs, health insurance costs, and more.
You don't have to pay child support if you're getting disability benefits or TANF cash assistance or in jail or prison. Talk to the Oregon Child Support Program about modifying child support payments if you're paying support in one of these situations.
How much support will I have to pay?
Oregon uses a formula to calculate child support. The formula says which parent must pay support and how much. The formula considers:
- Both parents' incomes
- How much time the child spends with each parent
- The number of kids each parent has
- Health insurance costs for the parents and child
- Child care (daycare) expenses
The Oregon Child Support Program has an online child support calculator that you can use to estimate the amount of child support. You can find the calculator here.
How long does child support last?
In Oregon, child support usually ends when a child turns 18. However, if your child is unmarried and still in school, support can continue until age 21.
Learn more about child support for children ages 18-21 on the Oregon Child Support Program website.
Can I disagree with the papers asking me to pay support?
Yes, you can disagree with:
- Which parent should pay support
- The amount of support you are asked to pay
- The numbers used to calculate support (like your income, the other parent's income, or childcare costs)
How do I disagree with divorce or custody papers that say I have to pay child support?
You must file a document called a "Response" within 30 days of the date you are handed the court papers. A response is a short legal document that tells the court you disagree with things the other parent asked for in the court case.
- Free court forms: You can find court forms on the Oregon Judicial Department website.
- Help with forms: You can also get help finding the correct form or completing your paperwork from your local family law facilitator.
There is a $301 fee to turn in a Response. If you can’t afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive or defer the payment. You can ask court staff for the fee waiver and deferral application or find it online here.
How do I disagree with Oregon Child Support Program (CSP) or District Attorney (DA) papers?
Read all the paperwork. It will tell you how to disagree and how much time you have to disagree.
Warning! You don’t have much time to disagree with child support papers. Read the papers carefully to see how much time you have. You usually only have a few weeks.
More Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
- In a Child Support Program (CSP) or District Attorney (DA) case, the CSP or DA will notify the other parent.
- In a divorce or custody case, you must mail the other parent a copy of your Response.
Both parents must provide documents and testify about their income, health insurance expenses, childcare costs, and other factors that affect the child support calculation.
Then, a judge will decide which numbers to use for the child support calculation, and they'll re-calculate child support. The new amount may be higher or lower than the original amount you were asked to pay.
You can read this handbook for more information on preparing for a child support hearing.
Yes. Any state you live in can use the Oregon child support order to make you pay child support.
Yes. All states enforce child support orders from other states.