The motion to modify child support is the form used in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Parentage & Support Branch, to ask the court to change a child support order already entered in your case. You use it when something has changed since the order, such as your job, your income or the children's needs. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original PDF is published by the District of Columbia Courts at dccourts.gov.
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What is Motion to Modify Child Support – District of Columbia?
The Motion to Modify Child Support Order is the form a party to a District of Columbia Family Court case uses to ask the Superior Court to change an existing child support order. The District of Columbia Courts describe it as a form to ask the court to change an existing child support order.
The motion is filed in the case that produced the order, so the caption asks for the plaintiff's and defendant's names, the Case No., the IV-d number and the judge. It then walks through the order being challenged: the date it was entered, the support it requires (current support, past-due support and medical support), and the children it covers.
The core of the motion is paragraph 5, where you state the substantial and material change in the children's needs and/or the noncustodial parent's ability to pay. The listed reasons include job loss, lower earnings, disability, incarceration, supporting other children, a higher income for the other parent, changed expenses, children who are no longer eligible, a guideline result that varies by 15% or more, and a change in medical insurance.
A Request for Relief page lets you ask for a hearing, a decrease, an increase, a suspension or a termination of the order. The form ends with Points and Authorities citing D.C. SCR-Dom. Rel. R. 7(b) and D.C. Code §§ 16-916.01(r), 16-916.01(t) and 46-204(a). The last two pages explain service of a complaint, which is a different step from this motion.
Who needs to file Motion to Modify Child Support – District of Columbia?
Either party to a child support case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Parentage & Support Branch, can use this motion: the form lets you identify yourself as the plaintiff/petitioner or the defendant/respondent. You need an existing support order in the case, because the motion asks you to give the date it was entered.
The form is built for people who want the order changed because of a substantial and material change since it was entered. Examples printed on it include:
- a parent who is no longer employed, earns less, is disabled and unable to work, or is incarcerated;
- a parent who is supporting other children, in the home or through court-ordered child support;
- a parent who says the other parent is earning more than when the order was entered;
- a case where a child is not living with the other party, is no longer living, is over 21, or is emancipated through self-supporting employment, active military duty or marriage;
- a case where applying the DC child support guideline now gives a presumptive order that varies from the current order by 15% or more;
- a change in the availability or cost of medical insurance for the children.
The form also asks whether the other party consents to the motion. If you do not yet have a case or an order, this motion is not the starting document: the pages attached to the form explain that a case starts with a complaint.
When to file Motion to Modify Child Support – District of Columbia
File the motion when there has been a substantial and material change in the children's needs and/or the noncustodial parent's ability to pay since the support order was entered. The form prints no deadline of its own; its trigger is that change, or a guideline result that varies from the current order by 15% or more.
In the Request for Relief you can ask the court to hold a hearing on the motion within 45 days of filing and to issue a Notice of Hearing and Order Directing Appearance ("NOHODA") to the other party with the date and time of the hearing. Check the box only if you want that hearing request.
Have the date of the existing order and the current support amounts at hand, since paragraphs 2 and 3 require them.
Documents you need
- Any supporting documents you choose to attach: the Points and Authorities page asks you to list each attached document, and the form says the attached supporting document(s) are "if any".
How to fill out Motion to Modify Child Support – District of Columbia
Complete the case caption
Print the plaintiff's and defendant's names at the top, then enter the Case No., the IV-d number and the judge's name if you have them.
Answer the consent question
Check yes or no for "Does the Other Party Consent to this Motion?" Then print your name and check whether you are the plaintiff/petitioner or the defendant/respondent.
Enter the order date (paragraphs 1–2)
Paragraph 1 states that this Court is the proper place for your request. In paragraph 2, print the date the support order was entered.
Describe what the order requires
In paragraph 3, check all that apply: current child support (name of the payer, amount, and one frequency), past-due support (same details), and medical support by the other party, by you, or other.
List the children (paragraph 4)
Enter each child's name, current address, date of birth and gender for the children you have with the other party through birth or adoption.
State the change in circumstances
In paragraph 5, check every reason that applies and fill in its details, such as the employment end date, current employer and pay, incarceration information, other children you support, or an explanation of changed expenses.
Answer TANF and Medicaid questions
In paragraph 6, check whether you are or are not currently receiving TANF. In paragraph 7, check whether you are or are not receiving Medicaid and/or DC HealthCare Alliance.
Choose your Request for Relief
Check all that apply: a hearing within 45 days with a NOHODA, a decrease, an increase, a suspension for a specific period, a termination, or Other.
Sign and add contact details
Sign and date the declaration under penalty of perjury, then print your name, phone number, home addresses and email. Check the substitute address box only if you wrote someone else's address because you fear harassment or harm.
List attached documents
On the Points and Authorities page, list any documents you are attaching under item 4.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that every paragraph that applies is filled, the boxes match your request and the signature is in place. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Motion to Modify Child Support – District of Columbia
The form does not print a filing address, portal or fee rule for the motion, so confirm the current filing method with the District of Columbia Courts through the Motion to Modify Child Support page at https://www.dccourts.gov/court-resources/search-forms/motion-modify-child-support.
What the form does tell you:
- Before filing: sign and date the declaration under penalty of perjury. The signature line says to add slashes on either side, /like this/, to sign electronically. If the document is signed outside the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or any territory or insular possession subject to U.S. jurisdiction, additional requirements apply under Super. Ct. Dom. Rel. R. 2(c)(1)(B).
- Attachments: list on the Points and Authorities page any documents you attach.
- After filing: the pages attached to the form refer to the Family Court Central Intake Center for filing proofs of service, and to the Family Court Self Help Center at DC Superior Court and www.LawHelp.org/DC for questions about serving papers. If you request a hearing, special instructions for serving a NOHODA are at www.ProBono.center/NOHODAInstructions.
Keep a copy of everything you file. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's channels.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping the question "Does the Other Party Consent to this Motion?" at the top of page 1 instead of checking yes or no.
- Checking more than one payment frequency in paragraph 3, where the form says to check one for each of current and past-due support.
- Checking the paragraph 5 reasons without the detail the form asks for, such as the date you stopped working, your employer and pay, or the incarceration details.
- Leaving paragraph 6 (TANF) or paragraph 7 (Medicaid and/or DC HealthCare Alliance) without checking "I am" or "I am not".
- Forgetting to check the Request for Relief box for a hearing within 45 days and a NOHODA when you want one.
- Signing outside the United States or its territories without meeting the additional requirements under Super. Ct. Dom. Rel. R. 2(c)(1)(B).
- Submitting the declaration unsigned or undated; the form requires a signature (slashes on each side for an electronic one) and a date.
- Attaching documents without listing them on the Points and Authorities page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a motion to modify child support in DC?
It is a request to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, to change a child support order already entered in your case. The court's page describes the form as one you can use to ask the court to change an existing child support order.
What reasons can I give for changing a child support order?
Paragraph 5 requires a substantial and material change since the order was entered. Reasons on the form include job loss, lower earnings, disability, incarceration, supporting other children, the other parent earning more, changed expenses, and a guideline result that varies by 15% or more.
What does the 15% box on the form mean?
It applies when the DC child support guideline, applied to the parents' current circumstances, produces a presumptive child support order that varies from the current order by 15% or more. You check that reason in paragraph 5 if it describes your situation.
Can I ask for a hearing with this motion?
Yes. In the Request for Relief you can check the box asking the court to hold a hearing within 45 days of filing and to issue a NOHODA to the other party with the hearing date and time.
Can I sign the motion electronically?
The signature line says to add slashes on either side of your name, /like this/, to sign electronically. If you sign outside the United States or its territories, additional requirements under Super. Ct. Dom. Rel. R. 2(c)(1)(B) must be met before signing.
What if I fear for my safety and don't want to give my home address?
The signature block has a substitute address box. Check it if you wrote someone else's address because you fear harassment or harm.
Can I fill out the motion to modify child support online?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the motion with the court; you file it through the District of Columbia Courts' channels.
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