As the new year begins it’s always important to take a look at the changes that have been implemented for California child support laws in 2025 so that you can make sure that you’re aware of changes as they might affect your current case or mediation.
California child support laws in 2025 have undergone significant changes which are aimed at creating a more equitable system for families. These changes are primarily enacted through Senate Bill 343 and SB 1055. The biggest change was the revised child support calculation formula, which was actually effective September 1, 2024 but is going to affect most cases this year. We will go through each of the changes below in more detail.
Updated “K Factor”
The formula that is used to calculate child support payments has been adjusted to increase the percentage of net income allocated for child support and is seen to particularly affect higher-income parents because it does increase the amount of support that may be ordered. This change was mainly done to ensure that the child support amounts are more reflective of each parent’s financial situation and ensure that the parent receiving child support is receiving enough.
Proportional Allocation of Add-On Expenses
Another change was that instead of additional expenses being split equally between the parties these additional expenses (which can include childcare, extra-curricular activities and out of pocket medical costs) are now presumed to be shared between the parents proportionate to their incomes to distribute financial responsibilities more equitable. This is an area that can be a big change especially if there is a large difference in income between the parties and an equal split has been too difficult for the lower income parent.
Low-Income Adjustments
The threshold for low-income adjustments for child support has been increased to align it with the earnings of a full-time worker at the state’s minimum wage (which has also increased). This change allows more low-income parents to qualify for reduced child support obligations and hopefully makes payments more manageable where needed.
Additionally, California child support laws in 2025 changed the suspension of driver’s license suspension for low-income parents under SB 1055. This means that child support agencies are prohibited from suspending a parent’s driver’s license as a tool to enforce child support if the parent’s annual household income is below 70% of the area median income for their county. This is important because it allows low-income parents to be able to maintain their employment and meet their support obligations instead of not being able to work and thus not being able to pay child support.
Lastly by March 2025 the courts are no longer certifying for use DissoMaster software for calculating child support so all family law professionals who had used DissoMaster are needing to find something new. At West Coast Family Mediation, we have been using Family Law Software for many years now and will continue to use it and know that it has been updated to comply with the new guidelines and ensure accurate calculations. Additionally, using Family Law Software we can turn off the new September 1st calculations if anything needs to be predated to the change.
Even if you are already divorced with a child support order, child support is always considered modifiable and so it could mean that you and your co-parent need to reconsider and recalculate the amount of child support being paid or the allocation of add on expenses. California child support laws in 2025 are different and you should make sure that you have all of the information necessary to navigate this change. This can be done through mediation to make the process quicker, less costly and more amicable. Questions? Contact our team and we are happy to discuss these changes with you.