Child Support in Butler County

Butler County, Ohio · Hamilton

Ohio sets child support with the statewide Income Shares Model. In Butler County, support travels with a divorce or dissolution at the Domestic Relations Court for married parents, or is established at the Juvenile Justice Center for never-married parents. The Butler County CSEA at 315 High Street, 7th Floor opens IV-D cases and enforces orders.

How do I get a child support order in Butler County, Ohio?

Run the official Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet, then file where your case belongs: a DR727 Complaint for Support and/or Custody at the Domestic Relations Court, 315 High Street, Hamilton (married parents living separately), inside your divorce/dissolution, or a support complaint at the Butler County Juvenile Justice Center, 280 N. Fair Ave., for $165 plus $50 service (never-married parents). File a JFS 07076 IV-D application so the Butler County CSEA can collect and enforce support by wage withholding. Orders include a 2% processing charge.

Where to File: Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division

Gov't Services Center, 315 High Street, 2nd Floor, Hamilton, OH 45011, Hamilton, OH 45011
Phone: (513) 887-3100
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.)
Website: drcourt.bcohio.gov/
e-Filing: https://drcsubmit.bcohio.gov/ESubmit/

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Butler County Juvenile Justice Center
280 N. Fair Ave., Hamilton, OH 45011, Hamilton, OH 45011
Phone: (513) 887-3317
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (Clerk 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

Child Support is the right path if…

  • You need a new child-support order or want to change an existing one.
  • You want CSEA to collect support automatically through wage withholding.
  • Income, parenting time, or health-insurance costs have changed since the last order.
  • You need health-insurance and cash-medical support addressed in the order.

Filing Fees

DR support: deposit set by the Clerk · Juvenile support complaint: $165 + $50 service · 2% processing charge on orders · Minimum order $80/month for an unemployed obligor

Forms & Filing Packets

Support inside a DR case (married parents) — Deposit set by the Butler County Clerk of Courts

Filed at the Domestic Relations Court inside a divorce/dissolution or by a married parent living separately.

Support at the Juvenile Justice Center (never-married parents) — $165 + $50 clerk service

Filed at 280 N. Fair Ave. when the parents were never married. Paternity is established first if it hasn't been already. One child per filing.

How to File Child Support in Butler County

  1. Run the Ohio child-support calculation. Use ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov and Butler's DR624 worksheet to estimate the guideline amount and health-insurance obligation.
  2. File where your case belongs. Married parents file at the Domestic Relations Court (DR727 or inside a divorce); never-married parents file a support complaint at the Juvenile Justice Center.
  3. Open a IV-D case with CSEA. File the JFS 07076 IV-D application so the Butler County CSEA can collect and enforce support through automatic wage withholding.
  4. Attend the hearing. Bring proof of income and health-insurance costs. The order will include a 2% processing charge and pass through CSEA/OCSPC.

Butler County Practice Notes

  • Pay through CSEA or OCSPC — never directly. Butler County support must be paid through CSEA or Ohio Child Support Payment Central; direct payments are treated as gifts. Pay in person by card/ATM/cash (no personal checks), by mail to the Columbus OCSPC P.O. boxes, or online at ExpertPay.
  • Worksheet required before the hearing. A signed Ohio child-support computation worksheet (and Butler's DR624 at DR) must be completed and on file before the support hearing. The court can deviate from the guideline amount for cause.
  • Best-interest standard governs. R.C. 3109.04(F)(1) lists 10+ factors: each parent's wishes, the child's wishes (when of sufficient age), the child's interaction with parents/siblings, adjustment to home/school/community, mental and physical health of all involved, the parent more likely to facilitate court-approved parenting time, child support compliance, criminal history, residence outside Ohio, and any history of abuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Butler County CSEA do?
The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency at the Gov't Services Center, 315 High Street, 7th Floor, Hamilton (health-insurance line (513) 887-3362) opens IV-D cases, runs the Ohio child-support calculation, collects support by wage withholding, distributes it, and enforces orders. Pay in person by Visa, MasterCard, ATM, or cash (no personal checks), by mail through Ohio Child Support Payment Central in Columbus, or online via ExpertPay.
Do I file in Domestic Relations or the Juvenile Justice Center?
If you are married to the other parent (or were married when the children were born), custody, parenting time, and child support travel with your divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment at the Domestic Relations Court, 315 High Street, Hamilton. If you were never married, paternity and custody go to the Butler County Juvenile Justice Center at 280 N. Fair Ave., a separate building. Grandparent and non-parent custody is always Juvenile.
How much does it cost to file in Butler County?
Domestic Relations filing deposits are set by the Butler County Clerk of Courts and posted at clerkofcourts.bcohio.gov; you pay them after the Case Management Office approves your packet. Juvenile Justice Center filings are $165 plus $50 clerk service for a custody, support, allocation, or visitation complaint ($165 plus service for paternity; $45 for a relocation notice). If you cannot pay, file Form DR824 to proceed in forma pauperis at DR, or an indigency affidavit at Juvenile.
What is a IV-D application and why do I need one?
A IV-D Application opens a child-support case with your county's Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Once opened, CSEA collects support through automatic wage withholding, distributes it to the receiving parent, and can enforce the order through license suspension, federal tax intercept, credit reporting, and contempt referrals. Filing a IV-D Application is standard whenever a child-support order is issued.
How long does a case take in Butler County?
Dissolution: about 30–90 days — Butler County requires the final hearing within 90 days of filing or the petition is dismissed. Uncontested (default) divorce: roughly 4–6 months once the 28-day answer window passes with no Answer filed. Contested divorce: 6–18 months depending on temporary-orders activity and the trial calendar. Civil Protection Orders: an ex parte order can issue the same day, with the full hearing in 7–10 business days.

Free Local Resources in Butler County

  • Butler County DR Court Forms & E-Submission. All Domestic Relations forms, instructions, and completed packets are posted at drcourt.bcohio.gov/forms. Non-DV documents are submitted through the E-Submission portal at drcsubmit.bcohio.gov; DV/CPO documents use the Document Submission portal.
  • Butler County Juvenile Justice Center Forms. Custody, visitation, support, contempt, and emergency-custody complaints and motions (PDF and DOC) are at juvenilejusticecenter.bcohio.gov/forms___downloads. CSEA e-filing is at bcjjcefile.bcohio.gov/EFile.
  • Butler County Bar Association. Attorney referral and general legal information at (513) 896-6671 / butlercountybar.org. Court staff cannot give legal advice.
  • Women Helping Women (24-hour DV hotline). Confidential domestic-violence support and victim advocacy at (513) 381-5610. The Butler County Sheriff's Victim Assistance Program is at (513) 887-3430.

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Call +1-844-694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.