Many parents want a legally valid child support order but want to avoid the stress of the court process.

Our program can help you set or change a child support order outside of court by working to develop a child support agreement. Also called stipulations, agreements create child support orders that have the same legal status as the courts’ orders.

Child support agreements often save both parents time and stress. Exactly how an agreement will work differs from case to case, but parents who choose this path often:

• Get to the finish line faster. Your case moves at the pace of you and the other parent. Together, you control the timing of the agreement, not the court. For parents who receive child support, that may mean getting support payments faster. For the person paying support, it might make it easier to stay on top of your payments from the start.
• Feel heard and in control. Our staff talk through important child support questions, such as the amount of child support, with both parents. To make sure each person gets heard, we normally work with one parent at a time. That approach keeps the focus on the process, the best interests of the child, and the child support order.
• Avoid the stress of court and seeing the other parent. Appearing in court in person often requires taking time off work, finding child care, and paying for the costs of travel and parking. While some local courts allow participants to call into their hearings or appear through Zoom, not all do, and even in those cases, participants sometimes find it stressful to interact directly with the other parent.

Parents who start the agreement process with us can always move to the court process if they prefer. They can also reach agreements on child support orders as part of the court process itself.

Contact us.

If you do not already have a child support order, you can also begin by applying for services. We will talk to you about agreements as part of the enrollment process.