Form FL-191: California Child Support Case Registry, Filing and Updates

To fill out Form FL-191, California’s Child Support Case Registry Form, enter the court name and case number at the top, check whether the order is new or a modification, then complete your own personal, employment, and children’s information on the two-page form and deliver it to the court clerk with the support order.¹ The clerk will not file a child support or family support order without an FL-191 attached, so the form has to be right before the order can move.²

Who Fills One Out and When

Both parents have to complete a separate FL-191. It is not optional for either side.

If you are the parent asking the court for the support order, you deliver your completed form to the clerk at the same time as the proposed judgment or order. If you show up without it, the clerk has to hand you a blank one to complete before the order can be processed.²

If you are the other parent, your deadline is 10 days from the date you receive a copy of the support order.¹ Blank forms are available at any court clerk’s office, the family law facilitator’s office, or the California Courts website. If you have an attorney, your attorney should complete it for you.²

Case Information at the Top

Enter the court name and the case number from your family law case. Then check the box that identifies the order: an initial child support or family support order, or a modification of an existing one. This tells the state registry whether to create a new record or update one that already exists, so double-check it against the order you are filing.¹

Your Personal Information

The form has parallel sections for “Party 1” and “Party 2.” On your own form, fill in your section with your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, mailing address, and phone number.¹

You are also asked to provide the same information about the other parent, but only what you actually know. If you do not know a field, leave it blank or write “unknown.” The form encourages you to include what you have; it does not require you to fill in the other parent’s data.¹

Employment Details

Each parent’s section includes an employment status field: employed, not employed, or self-employed. If you are employed, enter the employer’s name, street address, city, state, zip code, and phone number. If you are self-employed, note that and include the business contact information that applies. This information is what the state uses to set up income withholding if payments fall behind, so accuracy here has consequences later.

Children and Health Insurance

List each child covered by the support order with their name, date of birth, and Social Security number. The form then asks whether the children have health insurance and, if so, the details of that coverage. Pull the policy information (provider name and type of coverage) before you sit down with the form so you are not stopping to hunt for it.

Where to File and Fees

The FL-191 goes to the court clerk. The filing parent delivers it with the proposed judgment or order for child support or family support; the non-filing parent delivers theirs within 10 days of receiving the order.²

There is no separate filing fee. The FL-191 is an administrative attachment to the support order, not a standalone filing. Any fees you pay relate to the underlying motion or judgment.

Whether you can e-file depends on the county. Some California courts accept electronic filing for family law documents; others still require paper. In counties that offer e-filing, attorneys are generally required to file electronically unless they obtain a hardship exemption, while self-represented parties can usually choose. Check your local court’s website or call the clerk to confirm before you submit.

Keeping the Form Updated

Your obligation does not end when the form is filed. California Family Code § 4014 requires both parents to keep the court informed of their residential address, Social Security number, phone number, driver’s license number, and employer information, and to update that information within 10 days of any change.³ If you move, switch jobs, or change phone numbers, file an updated FL-191 within that window.

Confidentiality and Safety

The FL-191 does not go into the public court file. The clerk date-stamps and time-stamps it, then stores it in a restricted area, and the information is transmitted to the confidential California State Case Registry.² The form itself carries a bold notice: “THIS FORM WILL NOT BE PLACED IN THE COURT FILE.”¹

If you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or a related threat, the California Secretary of State’s Safe at Home program gives you a substitute mailing address that all state, county, and city government agencies must accept in place of your residential address.⁴ If you are enrolled, use the substitute address on every field of the FL-191 that asks for a mailing or residential address. One caveat worth knowing before you enroll: Safe at Home is required to notify the other parent of your enrollment unless a no-contact order is in place, in which case your address stays entirely confidential.⁵

1
Judicial Council of California. FL-191 – Child Support Case Registry Form
2
Judicial Branch of California. Rule 5.330 – Procedures for Child Support Case Registry Form
3
Justia Law. California Family Code 4000-4014 – Article 1
4
California Secretary of State. Safe at Home
5
California Secretary of State. Safe at Home