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HomeFamily CodeDiv. 9Pt. 2Ch. 2Art. 3§ 4204 Child Support Payment Direction

§ 4204 Child Support Payment Direction

Family Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 4204 Child Support Payment Direction

This law says that if a court orders someone to pay child support, and either the support is assigned to the county or someone asks for help collecting it, the local child support agency must tell everyone involved where to send the payments. They also have to notify everyone if they stop providing these services.

Key Takeaways

  • •If a court orders child support and the county or a parent asks for help, the child support agency will tell both parents where to send the payments.
  • •The agency must send this notice to both parents and file it with the court.
  • •If the agency stops helping with child support, they must notify both parents.

Example

A parent is ordered by the court to pay child support to the other parent. The parent receiving support asks the local child support agency for help collecting the payments.

The agency will send a notice to both parents saying that the payments should be sent to the agency, another county office, or the State Disbursement Unit. If the agency stops helping later, they will send another notice to let both parents know.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 4204 Child Support Payment Direction

Notwithstanding any other law, in any proceeding where the court has made an order requiring the payment of child support and the child support is subsequently assigned to the county pursuant to Section 11477 of the Welfare and Institutions Code or the support obligor or obligee has requested a local child support agency to provide child support enforcement services pursuant to Section 17400, the local child support agency shall issue a notice directing that the payments shall be made to the local child support agency, another county office, or the State Disbursement Unit pursuant to Section 17309. Additionally, the local child support agency shall provide notice when it is no longer providing services under Part D of Title IV of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 651 et seq.). The local child support agency shall serve the notice on both the support obligor and obligee in compliance with Section 1013 of the Code of Civil Procedure and file the notice with the court. (Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 420, Sec. 15. (AB 2960) Effective January 1, 2023.)

Last verified: January 9, 2026

Key Terms

child supportlocal child support agencysupport obligorsupport obligeeState Disbursement UnitSection 11477Section 17400Section 17309Part D of Title IV of the federal

Related Statutes

  • § 4200 Child Support Payment Routing
  • § 4201 Child Support Payment Orders
  • § 17401 Child Support Enforcement Timeline
  • § 17404 Child Support Enforcement Actions
  • § 17415 Child Support Referral Duty

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Family Code. Section 4204.
View Official Source