CalWORKs provides cash aid and services to eligible families with children in the home.

In many cases, parents or guardians whose children are receiving CalWORKs must cooperate with the child support program.

This requirement comes from federal law.

If you apply to CalWORKS and have a child whose other parent does not live with you, your local social services agency may refer you to child support. If you fear that working with child support could bring harm to you or your children, discuss that with your social services caseworker.

Once we receive a notice about your case from CalWORKs, we will contact you about child support.

To cooperate, you should answer our questions as completely as you can. You should also provide us with the documents that we ask for.

You and your child may also have to take a DNA test. Genetic testing is a simple, painless process. 

The amount of child support you could receive while also getting CalWORKs depends on many factors. The easiest way to understand how it might work in your case is to contact us.

Current and Past-due Support

One factor that affects how much you might receive is the type of child support we collect for you. We divide child support collections into two types:

• Current support. This is the amount of child support that is due that month
• Past-due support (or arrears). This is any amount that was not paid in a previous month

Thanks to recent changes in the law, you can receive up to $100 per month in current support if you have one child. If you have two or more children, you can receive up to $200 per month. (The children must be living in your home. They also need to be part of your CalWORKs case.)

Beginning in May 2024, you may also be able to receive any past-due support that we collect for the period when you received CalWORKs. Contact us for more details about what that might mean for you.

When you stop receiving CalWORKs, we will continue to collect child support on your behalf. One hundred percent of any current support we collect will go to you.

Any past-due support that builds up after you stop receiving CalWORKs will be owed to you, not us.