California Form FL-192, titled Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support, is a pre-printed Judicial Council form that must be attached to every California child support order or judgment. It tells both parents how to split uninsured medical and childcare costs, how quickly those requests must be sent and paid, and how to ask the court to change the support amount later. Because the text is standardized, the only part you fill in is the case header. The work the form creates comes afterward, in the deadlines it imposes on you.
When the Form Has to Be Attached
Every child support order in California, whether it sets support for the first time or modifies an existing order, must include FL-192. Form FL-342, the Child Support Information and Order Attachment, states directly that FL-192 “must be attached and is incorporated into this order.”1Judicial Council of California. FL-342 Child Support Information and Order Attachment If the form is missing, the clerk can reject the paperwork or hold up the judgment.
The attachment requirement is tied to the court’s duties under the Family Code. Section 3751 requires the court to order one or both parents to maintain health insurance for the child whenever coverage is available at a reasonable cost.2California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 3751 Section 4063 governs how parents split the costs insurance does not cover, and FL-192 is the notice that puts both parents on written notice of those rules.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063
What You Fill In
FL-192 is three pages, and almost all of it is pre-printed legal text. The only blank fields are in the header on page one:
- Petitioner’s name
- Respondent’s name
- Court case number
These entries have to match the main order exactly. A mismatch between the header on FL-192 and the names or case number on FL-342 or the judgment itself is enough to get the filing bounced.
Use the current version, revised September 1, 2024, from the California Courts website.4California Courts. Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support Older printouts should be replaced before filing.
The Deadlines FL-192 Puts on You
The core of the form is a timetable for reimbursing uninsured health care costs. Two deadlines matter, and they run in sequence.
90 Days to Send an Itemized Statement
When you pay a medical cost that insurance did not cover, you have to send the other parent an itemized statement of the charges within a reasonable time, and no later than 90 days after you were billed.5Judicial Council of California. California Form FL-192 – Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support Include proof of what you paid and a request for the other parent’s court-ordered share. The same 90-day window applies to childcare costs covered under the order.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063
30 Days to Reimburse
Once you receive an itemized statement from the other parent, you pay your share within the period the court order specifies. If the order does not set a period, the default is 30 days from notice of the amount due.5Judicial Council of California. California Form FL-192 – Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support Parents can agree in writing to a different schedule, and a court can set one for good cause.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063
Use Preferred Providers
If the child’s health plan designates preferred providers, you have to use them. A parent who goes out of network without a valid reason pays the full difference between the out-of-network charge and what the in-network provider would have billed.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063 Emergencies and situations where the preferred provider cannot treat the child’s specific condition are recognized reasons.
Pay First, Dispute Later
If you disagree with the other parent’s reimbursement request, California handles it in a specific order: pay the amount requested, then file a motion with the court to recover any overpayment. Refusing to pay invites the other parent to file an enforcement motion, and if the court finds your nonpayment was without reasonable cause, it can order you to pay attorney’s fees and filing costs on top of the original amount.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063 Ignoring a reimbursement demand consistently makes the problem more expensive, not less.
Childcare Costs Follow the Same Rules
FL-192 and Section 4063 are not limited to medical bills. Childcare costs tied to a parent’s employment, education, or job training follow the same procedure: itemized statement within 90 days, reimbursement within 30 days of notice unless the order says otherwise.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063 Amounts actually paid for childcare are presumed reasonable, though a court can look at whether the expense is genuinely necessary.
Changing a Support Order Later
Page two of FL-192 is the Information Sheet on Changing a Child Support Order. Either parent can ask for a modification when circumstances change significantly, for example a substantial shift in net disposable income, a change in parenting time, or the birth of a new child.5Judicial Council of California. California Form FL-192 – Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support There are two ways to pursue a change:
- File a Request for Order (FL-300) with the court, together with an Income and Expense Declaration (FL-150) or the simplified Financial Statement (FL-155). Serve the other parent with your papers and a blank Responsive Declaration (FL-320). Filing fees run roughly $60 to $85 unless you qualify for a fee waiver.6California Courts. Child Support Forms
- Contact your local Department of Child Support Services office. DCSS can review and modify qualifying orders administratively at no cost, without a formal motion. The agency does not represent either parent. If you owe support and are falling behind, reaching out early can help you avoid enforcement actions while a modification is pending.7CA Child Support Services. CA Child Support Services
Filing and Serving the Order with FL-192
After filling in the header, attach FL-192 to the proposed order or judgment and file the full package with the clerk. Once the judge signs and the clerk stamps the order, the entire set, including FL-192, has to be served on the other parent. Service is what formally puts the other parent on notice of the reimbursement timelines and preferred-provider rules.
Service can be made in person or by mail, and the person who delivered the papers completes a proof of service:
- Personal service uses Form FL-330. The server must be at least 18 and cannot be a party to the case.8Judicial Council of California. Proof of Personal Service
- Service by mail uses Form FL-335. Temporary restraining orders cannot be served by mail and require personal service.9Judicial Council of California. Proof of Service by Mail
File the proof of service with the clerk. Without it in the court file, enforcing the order later is harder because there is no official record that the other parent received notice of their obligations.
What Happens If a Parent Does Not Pay
Unpaid medical reimbursements and missed support payments are both treated as support arrears, and unpaid support accrues interest at 10 percent per year.10California Courts. Paying Child Support California’s enforcement tools include income withholding (every child support order carries an Income Withholding Order, and an employer can withhold up to 50 percent of net earnings), suspension of driver’s, professional, and contractor licenses through the State Licensing Match System after a 150-day temporary license period, bank levies (a compliant parent keeps the first $3,500 exempt), interception of state and federal tax refunds, and contempt of court when a parent knows of the obligation, can pay, and refuses.11Child Support Services. Enforcing a Court Order
On top of the general enforcement tools, Section 4063 lets the court award the requesting parent attorney’s fees and filing costs when a parent refuses to reimburse health care or childcare expenses without reasonable cause.3California Legislative Information. California Code FAM 4063 The deadlines printed on FL-192 are not advisory. They are the standard the court will measure both of you against.