How to File for Child Support in CT: Forms, Court, and Guidelines

To file for child support in Connecticut, you can either apply for services through the state’s Office of Child Support Services or file a support petition directly with the Superior Court. Both routes are free to open. You will need a completed Financial Affidavit, recent income records, and formal service of the other parent before a judge or family support magistrate sets the amount using Connecticut’s child support guidelines.¹

Two Ways to Open a Case

Your first decision is who runs the case: a state caseworker or you.

Applying Through the Office of Child Support Services

The Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services (OCSS), handles cases for parents who want state help. You complete a Custodial Parent Application for Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement Services and email it to the OCSS field office in your area. Non-custodial parents who want an order established can file their own version of the application.²

There is no application fee. OCSS does deduct a $35 annual service fee from payments sent to the custodial parent if at least $550 in support is disbursed during the state fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) and the custodial parent has never received Temporary Family Assistance (TFA). Families already receiving TFA do not need to apply. A child support case opens automatically when cash assistance is granted.²

Filing Directly With the Superior Court

If you would rather run the case yourself, you file a support petition with the Connecticut Superior Court. There is no filing fee.¹ You handle the paperwork, arrange service of process, and appear at court dates without a state caseworker managing the file. This gives you more control over timing and strategy but more responsibility.

What to Gather Before You File

Either path needs the same core information: full legal names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers for you, the other parent, and each child. Most preparation time goes into financial documentation.

Pull these records together first:

At least 13 weeks of recent pay stubs for both parents, covering regular and any overtime pay
Federal and state tax returns from the most recent year
Health insurance details for any plan covering the children, including insurer name, policy number, and premium cost
Documentation of work-related childcare expenses
Records of any other income: bonuses, commissions, self-employment earnings, veterans’ benefits, unemployment benefits, or Social Security

The Financial Affidavit

The Financial Affidavit is the central form. Connecticut has two versions. Use the short form (JD-FM-6-SHORT) if your gross annual income and total net assets are both $75,000 or less. If either figure exceeds $75,000, use the long form (JD-FM-6-LONG).³ Choosing the wrong version is a common mistake that can delay your case. Check both numbers before you pick.

You also need an Appearance form (JD-CL-12) if one has not been filed and an Affidavit Concerning Children (JD-FM-164).⁴ All forms are available on the Connecticut Judicial Branch website.

Filing the Papers and Serving the Other Parent

Once your forms are complete, you file them with the Superior Court. The Judicial Branch’s e-filing system accepts family cases and is open to both attorneys and self-represented parties.⁵ You can also mail the documents or bring them to the clerk’s office.

After filing, you must formally notify the other parent through service of process. In Connecticut, a state marshal delivers a copy of the court papers. Based on the state marshal fee schedule, expect to pay around $40 for the initial service, with lower fees for additional parties at the same address. If the marshal cannot complete service, they must notify you promptly and refund any fees you paid upfront.

The marshal will provide a Return of Service confirming delivery. You file that with the court to prove notification was completed. Without it, the case cannot move forward.

What Happens After You File

Once served, the other parent receives a summons requiring them to appear in court within the timeframe set by the clerk, which can be up to 90 days after the summons is issued. Their response indicates whether they agree with or contest the support request.

Before a formal hearing, the court often directs both parents to meet with a Family Relations Counselor. These counselors help parents resolve disputes and, when possible, reach an agreement without a trial. Any agreement goes to the court for approval. If no agreement is reached, the counselor may provide recommendations, and the case moves to a hearing.

At the hearing, a judge or family support magistrate reviews both Financial Affidavits, applies the guidelines, and hears any arguments for deviation. Family support magistrates have broad authority: they can set the support amount, order income withholding, and hold a non-compliant parent in contempt.⁶ The final order specifies the payment amount, frequency, and each parent’s responsibility for health insurance and childcare.

Nearly every Connecticut child support order includes automatic income withholding. The court is required to enter a withholding order against the paying parent’s income whenever support is established or modified. It takes effect immediately unless both parents agree otherwise or the court makes a written finding that immediate withholding would not be in the child’s best interest.⁷ In practice, support usually comes straight out of the paying parent’s paycheck.

How the Amount Is Calculated

Connecticut uses the Income Shares Model. The starting premise is that the child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if both parents lived together, and that the added cost of maintaining two households falls on the parents rather than the child.⁸

The calculation begins with each parent’s gross income. That includes wages (regular pay and overtime up to 45 paid hours per week), commissions, bonuses, tips, profit sharing, deferred compensation, self-employment earnings, military fringe benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, veterans’ benefits, and Social Security benefits. In-kind compensation such as housing or transportation provided in lieu of wages also counts.⁹

From gross income, each parent subtracts a fixed list of allowable deductions to reach net weekly income:

Federal, state, and local income taxes based on all allowable exemptions, deductions, and credits
Social Security and Medicare taxes (or a mandatory retirement plan contribution up to the Social Security maximum)
Health insurance premiums for the parent and legal dependents, including the child whose support is being determined
Court-ordered obligations: life insurance for the child, disability insurance, and alimony or child support paid for people not involved in the current case
Union dues and fees deducted by the employer, and employer-deducted costs for mandatory uniforms and tools

Those are the only allowed deductions. Voluntary 401(k) contributions and personal loan payments do not reduce net income.⁹

Both parents’ net weekly incomes are then combined. That combined figure is matched against the guidelines schedule, which cross-references total income with the number of children to produce a basic support obligation. Each parent’s share of that obligation is proportional to their share of the combined income.⁸ A parent earning 65% of the combined income is responsible for 65% of the basic support amount. Health insurance costs and work-related childcare are added on top and split in the same proportions. The parent without primary custody typically pays their total share to the custodial parent.

When a Judge Can Deviate

The guidelines amount is presumed correct, but a judge or magistrate can adjust it up or down when circumstances justify it. Recognized reasons include a parent’s substantial assets or earning capacity, extraordinary child expenses (unusual education costs, unreimbursed medical expenses, special needs), extraordinary parental expenses such as significant visitation travel, verified support for other dependents, and overtime beyond 45 hours per week when consistently earned and in the child’s best interests. Whenever the court deviates, it must document its reasoning on the record.¹⁰

Changing the Order Later

Once an order exists, either parent can ask the court to modify it by showing a substantial change in circumstances, such as a significant income change, a shift in custody, or a major change in the child’s needs.¹¹ There is a second, independent ground: showing that the current order deviates from the guidelines by 15% or more, which Connecticut treats as a rebuttable presumption of substantial deviation.

Modifications require a Motion for Modification (JD-FM-174) along with a current Financial Affidavit and Affidavit Concerning Children. If you cannot afford court costs, you can file an Application for Waiver of Fees (JD-FM-75).⁴ One timing rule matters: modifications cannot be made retroactive except back to the date the other parent was served with the motion.¹¹ File promptly when circumstances change rather than waiting.

1
Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 52 – Section 52-259 – Court Fees
2
Connecticut Department of Social Services. Child Support – Application for Services
3
Connecticut Judicial Branch. Financial Affidavit – Over $75,000
4
Connecticut Judicial Branch. Filing a Motion for Modification
5
Connecticut Judicial Branch. E-Services
6
FindLaw. Connecticut General Statutes Title 46B – Section 46b-215
7
Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 52 – Section 52-362 – Income Withholding for Support
8
Connecticut Judicial Branch. Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines
9
Connecticut eRegulations. Section 46b-215a-1 – Definitions
10
Connecticut eRegulations. Section 46b-215a-5c – Deviation Criteria
11
Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 46B – Section 46b-86