Filing Ohio’s Child Support Modification Request Form (JFS 01849)

To request a child support modification in Ohio through the administrative process, fill out Form JFS 01849, “Request for an Administrative Review of the Child Support Order,” and submit it to the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) in your county. There is no filing fee, and the CSEA notifies the other parent for you. You can download the form from the Ohio Child Support Customer Service Portal or pick one up at any county CSEA office.

One quick clarification before you start. Form JFS 07049 is not the form you complete. That is the notice the state mails both parents every 36 months reminding them that a review is available.¹ The form you actually fill out and submit is JFS 01849.²

Confirm You Qualify Before You File

Ohio only allows an administrative review at specific times. You need to fit one of the categories below, defined under Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1.³

The 36-Month Standard Review

Once 36 months have passed since the date of the most recent support order, either parent can request a review without proving any change in circumstances. You do not have to wait for the JFS 07049 notice to arrive; you can submit JFS 01849 on your own once the window opens.¹

Early Review Triggers

If fewer than 36 months have passed, you can still file if one of these applies:³

Either parent’s gross income has increased, or decreased through no fault of their own, by at least 30% for a period of at least six months that is expected to continue.
Either parent has been unemployed or laid off for at least 30 consecutive days.
Either parent lost their job due to a plant closing or mass layoff.
Either parent has become permanently disabled in a way that reduces earning ability.
Either parent has been institutionalized and cannot pay support.
Either parent will be incarcerated for more than 180 days.
The original order was set at a minimum or reduced amount because a parent was unemployed or underemployed, and that parent is now working.
Health coverage for the child has become newly available, no longer accessible or affordable, or the cost of ordered health coverage or childcare has changed enough to shift the support obligation by more than 10%.

Watch the 30% income-decrease trigger. The drop must be beyond your control. Quitting or voluntarily cutting hours does not qualify. An income increase carries no such restriction.

If you do not fit any trigger and it has not been 36 months, the administrative route is closed to you. Your alternative is a motion to modify filed with the court, which has no waiting period but requires court costs, formal service on the other parent, and a recalculation that produces a support amount more than 10% different from the current order.⁴⁵

What Information JFS 01849 Asks For

The form itself is short. Incomplete or inaccurate entries are the most common reason the CSEA sends packages back, so slow down on the identifiers.

Your full legal name, current mailing address, and Social Security number.
Your child support case number, which appears on your existing order and any correspondence from the CSEA. If you cannot find it, the county CSEA can look it up.
The other parent’s full name and any contact or identifying details you have.
The name and date of birth of each child covered by the existing order.
The reason for your request. Identify which qualifying category applies: the 36-month standard review or one of the early-review triggers.

Ohio Legal Help offers a free online Form Assistant that walks you through JFS 01849 step by step and generates a completed version you can print or upload.² If you are filling the form out by hand, double-check every Social Security number and date of birth. Transposed digits routinely cause processing delays.

Documents to Gather Before You Submit

JFS 01849 is only the request. Once the CSEA accepts it, both parents receive a JFS 00593, “Child Support Financial Affidavit,” which asks for detailed income and expense information.⁶ Having the following ready before you file will keep the process moving:

Recent pay stubs (at least six months if possible), your most recent federal income tax return, and all W-2 or 1099 forms. Ohio’s child support calculator factors in overtime, bonuses, and commissions from the last three calendar years, so include documentation for those if they apply.⁷
If you or the other parent is self-employed: profit-and-loss statements, relevant tax schedules (Schedule C, Schedule K-1), and business bank statements. Tax returns alone may not be enough, since the CSEA can look behind the return to examine claimed business deductions.
Health insurance details for the children: insurer name, policy number, and the out-of-pocket premium you actually pay. If coverage has become unavailable or unaffordable, bring documentation showing the change.
Receipts or statements for daycare, after-school care, or similar childcare arrangements.
If the request involves a disability or medical condition: physician statements, Social Security Administration benefit letters, or other records showing the impact on your earning ability.
Documentation of any other recurring income: workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, disability or retirement income.

Before you file, run your numbers through the free calculator at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov to see whether a review is likely to change your amount at all. You will need gross annual income for both parents to get a meaningful estimate.⁷

How to Submit the Form

You submit JFS 01849 to the CSEA in your county. Three options:²

Online through the Ohio Child Support Customer Service Portal at childsupport.ohio.gov. You will need a driver’s license or state ID number and your Social Security number to create an account. Once logged in, use the “Attach Support Documents” feature to upload the signed form and any supporting documents.
By mail to the CSEA address listed on the form. Certified mail gives you a receipt establishing your filing date.
In person at your county CSEA office.

Keep a copy of everything you submit. If the CSEA later says a document is missing, your copies are your only proof.

What Happens After You File

The CSEA has 15 days from the date it receives your JFS 01849 to decide whether you qualify.⁶ If you are a military member called to active duty, that window shrinks to three business days.⁵ Written notification follows either way.

If your request is accepted, the CSEA schedules the review for a date at least 30 days out and mails both parents a JFS 07606 notification along with the JFS 00593 financial affidavit. Each parent must return the completed affidavit with supporting documents by the review date. Neither parent has to appear in person; the CSEA can decide based on the documents alone. The entire review can take up to 180 days from the date the CSEA has a valid mailing address for both parents.⁶

Within five days of completing the review, the CSEA mails both parents a JFS 07724, “Administrative Adjustment Recommendation,” laying out the findings and the proposed new amount.⁸ If neither parent objects within 14 days, the CSEA sends the recommendation to the court for approval (for court-issued orders) or issues a new administrative order directly. If you disagree, submit a written request for an administrative review and adjustment hearing within that 14-day window.⁵

Any new amount becomes effective on the first day of the month after the modification was scheduled for review.⁹ It does not reach back to your filing date. Support that accrued at the old rate before the effective date still stands, so keep paying the current amount while your review is pending. Filing does not pause your obligation, and unpaid support accrues as arrears.

A Warning About Voluntary Underemployment

If you quit a job, cut your hours, or otherwise chose to earn less, the CSEA or court can assign you “potential income” based on what you could be earning. Ohio’s statute lists the factors used to set that amount: prior work history and education, physical or mental disabilities, job availability in your geographic area, prevailing local wages, special skills or training, and increased earning capacity from experience (or decreased capacity from a felony conviction).¹⁰

If you request a reduction and the CSEA concludes you are voluntarily underemployed, your obligation will be calculated on imputed income rather than actual earnings, and your review may produce no reduction at all. The same rule works the other way if you are asking for an increase because the other parent left a well-paying job.

1
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05 – Administrative Review and Adjustment Process
2
Ohio Legal Help. Request to Review Child Support Form Assistant
3
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1 – Initiation of an Administrative Review
4
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 3119.79 – Modification of Child Support
5
Ohio Legal Help. Changing Child Support in Ohio
6
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.3 – The Administrative Review
7
Ohio Child Support Calculator. Ohio Child Support Calculator – Home Page
8
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.4 – Administrative Adjustment Recommendation
9
Ohio State Bar Association. Child Support Orders Can Be Modified
10
Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 3119.01 – Definitions