Domestic Relations FAQ

Support is usually defined as money given by a person to help provide necessities for his/her dependents including food, clothing, shelter, transportation etc. Under Pennsylvania law, a dependent could include children and/or a spouse. In addition to money, support can also include medical support, which may include providing health insurance coverage and/or payment of medical bills which are not paid by insurance. Support can also include a contribution to childcare costs.

You may begin the filing process by completing a Questionnaire for support services that is available on the PA child support website at www.childsupport.state.pa.us, or you may obtain the necessary paperwork from our office. You will then to contact our office to make an appointment to complete the filing process. Information you will need for filing purposes include: names of all parties involved in the action (plaintiff/defendant/children), complete addresses for both parties, dates of birth for all parties, social security numbers for all parties, employment/income information, medical insurance cards, and a driver’s license/photo ID. 

Please see our Fee schedule here. 

If you believe you have had a significant change of circumstance and would like to have your current support amount modified, you may file a Petition for Modification. To file a Petition you may contact our office for a form or file a Petition through the PA child support website at www.childsupport.state.pa.us.

The support amount is based on guidelines provided by the PA Rules of Civil Procedure (1910.16). If you want to estimate the amount of child support to be paid/received, you may access the Child Support Estimator on the PA child support website at www.childsupport.state.pa.us. 

At the time a support action is filed, you may elect to receive support payments via the PA EPPICard, a MasterCard debit card, or via direct deposit. Please see the direct deposit form.