California Form FL-250 is the proposed judgment you submit at the end of a parentage case, setting out the court’s findings on who the legal parents are and the final orders on custody, visitation, and child support. It is a cover page: the substantive terms live in attachments, and the judge’s signature is what turns the package into a binding order. If you have a blank FL-250 in front of you, you are at the finish line of a case that started with Form FL-200, not the beginning.1California Courts. Judgment (Uniform Parentage—Custody and Support) (FL-250)
What FL-250 Does and When to Use It
The full title is “Judgment (Uniform Parentage — Custody and Support).” It records three things: how the case reached judgment (default, uncontested, or contested), the court’s findings on parentage, and the orders that will govern custody, visitation, and support going forward.2Judicial Council of California. Judgment (Uniform Parentage—Custody and Support)
You prepare FL-250 once one of three things has happened: the other parent was served and did not respond within 30 days, both parents have reached a written agreement, or a judge has heard the contested issues and told you what the orders will be. In each of those situations, FL-250 is where the outcome gets written down for the judge to sign.
Filling Out FL-250 Section by Section
Header Block
Enter the attorney or self-represented party information at the top left, the superior court’s name and address, the petitioner’s and respondent’s names exactly as they appear on the petition, and the case number. Small inconsistencies here, like a middle initial that appears on FL-200 but not on FL-250, are a common reason clerks reject judgment packages.
Item 1: How the Case Proceeded
Check the box for default, uncontested, or contested. Then fill in the judicial officer’s name, the date of the hearing or judgment, the department number, and which parties and attorneys were present. On a default, there is no hearing appearance to report; on an uncontested or contested matter, this line reflects what actually happened in court.
Item 2: Court Findings
This section documents the parentage determination itself. Check the boxes that apply: whether either party appeared without counsel and was advised of their rights, whether either party previously signed a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage, and whether either signed Form FL-235 (Advisement and Waiver of Rights).
Item 2(j) is the finding that matters most. It names both parents and lists each child by full legal name and date of birth. Use the same spelling and dates that appear on the petition and on the child’s birth records. A mismatch here creates problems later when enforcing support or updating a birth certificate.
Item 3: Custody and Visitation Orders
Rather than writing the custody terms on FL-250 itself, you check the box for the attachment that contains them, typically FL-341 (Child Custody and Visitation Order Attachment) or FL-355 (Stipulation and Order for Custody and/or Visitation) if both parents signed off on an agreement. Note any restraining orders in this section if they apply.
Item 4: Support and Financial Orders
Check the box for the child support attachment, usually FL-342 (Child Support Information and Order Attachment) or FL-350 if support was negotiated by agreement. Attach Form FL-192 (Notice of Rights and Responsibilities), which is a mandatory notice about health-care cost reimbursement that has to accompany every support order.2Judicial Council of California. Judgment (Uniform Parentage—Custody and Support)
The Attachments That Carry the Actual Orders
FL-250 by itself contains no custody schedule and no support figure. Everything binding lives in the attachments, so treat these as part of the form, not add-ons.
- FL-341 sets out legal custody (decision-making authority), physical custody (where the child lives), and the visitation schedule, including holidays, summers, and transportation arrangements. FL-355 substitutes when both parties have signed a stipulation.
- FL-342 states the monthly support amount, the due date for payments, and which parent carries health insurance for the child. FL-350 substitutes for a negotiated agreement.
- FL-192 gives the parties formal notice of their rights and responsibilities on health-care costs.
If you want support deducted directly from the other parent’s paycheck, prepare Form FL-195 (Income Withholding for Support) as well. FL-195 is filed separately, not attached to FL-250.
The Package Depends on How You Got Here
Default Judgment
If the other parent was served and did not file a response within 30 days, you can finish the case by default. The default package around FL-250 includes:3California Courts. Finish Your Parentage Case in a Default
- FL-165 (Request to Enter Default), asking the court formally to enter the other parent’s default.
- FL-230 (Declaration for Default or Uncontested Judgment), a sworn statement supporting your proposed orders.
- FL-235 (Advisement and Waiver of Rights), signed by you and attached to FL-230.
- FL-250 with its attachments (FL-341, FL-342, FL-192).
- FL-190 (Notice of Entry of Judgment), which the court uses to notify both parties once the judgment is signed.
There is a critical limit on default judgments: the court can only grant relief you actually requested in your petition. If you did not check the box for child support on FL-200, you cannot add support to the FL-250 default judgment without first amending the petition. Pull out your original FL-200 and compare it to your proposed FL-250 before you file, item by item.
Uncontested Judgment
When both parents agree on parentage, custody, and support, the package is similar to a default in shape but reflects the agreement. Both parties typically sign a stipulation (FL-355 or FL-350), and FL-230 documents the uncontested nature of the resolution.
Contested Judgment
If the case went to a hearing, FL-250 records what the judge decided. The findings in Item 1 reflect the actual hearing date, department, and appearances. The attachments reflect the terms the judge ordered rather than terms the parties chose.
Filing the Judgment Package
Submit the complete FL-250 package to the same superior court clerk’s office where the petition was filed. If the fee for the initial filing was waived on Form FW-001, that waiver typically continues through the judgment; if it was not, no additional fee is required for entering judgment beyond fees already paid.
The clerk forwards the package to the judge. If everything is in order, the judge signs FL-250 and returns it for entry. If something is missing or inconsistent, the package comes back unsigned with a note about what needs to be fixed. Common reasons for rejection include mismatched names between petition and judgment, missing FL-192, default orders that exceed what the petition requested, and unsigned stipulations.
After the Judge Signs
Once FL-250 is signed, it is a binding court order. The court mails FL-190 (Notice of Entry of Judgment) to both parties. Custody and visitation terms are enforceable through the court’s contempt power, and child support becomes collectible through wage garnishment and the Department of Child Support Services.
Within 10 days of the judgment date, both parents must file Form FL-191 (Child Support Case Registry Form). This registers the order with the state’s child support enforcement system.2Judicial Council of California. Judgment (Uniform Parentage—Custody and Support) Missing this deadline does not invalidate the judgment, but it can complicate enforcement.
The judgment stays in force until the court modifies it or the child reaches adulthood. If circumstances change substantially — a job loss, a significant raise, a change in the child’s needs, a move — either parent can file Form FL-300 (Request for Order) to ask the court to modify the custody, visitation, or support terms. The existing FL-250 orders remain in effect until the court signs new ones.
Mistakes That Send FL-250 Back Unsigned
A few patterns account for most rejected judgment packages:
- Names or birth dates on FL-250 that do not match FL-200 or the child’s birth certificate.
- Requesting orders in a default judgment that were not requested in the petition. Support, name changes, and specific custody arrangements all have to be traced back to boxes checked on FL-200.
- Missing FL-192, which is mandatory whenever there is a support order.
- Stipulations (FL-355 or FL-350) that one party has not signed.
- Custody attachments that reference holiday or joint-custody schedules (FL-341(C), (D), or (E)) without including those forms.
- No proof of service on file from the original petition. Without FL-115 in the record, the court cannot enter judgment.
Reviewing your FL-200, your proof of service, and each attachment against FL-250 before you file catches nearly all of these. FL-250 is a routing document: it works when every piece it references is present, signed, and consistent.