Child Support in Fayette County

Reviewed by Stephanie Green · Managing Partner & Co-Founder · Last updated June 11, 2026

Fayette County, Ohio · Washington Court House

Child support follows Ohio's statewide income-shares guidelines. Where the order belongs depends on the parents: married parents handle support in the General & Domestic Relations Division; never-married parents handle it in the Probate-Juvenile Court. The Fayette County CSEA, (740) 335-0745, can also establish, collect, and review support.

Hire Gavvl for your Fayette County child support case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Fayette County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start.

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

How do I get or change a child-support order in Fayette County?

Run the Ohio child-support worksheet and file in the right court: in a divorce or dissolution, support is set in the General & Domestic Relations Division; for never-married parents, support is set in the Probate-Juvenile Court (a $100 deposit). To change an existing order, file a motion to modify under R.C. 3119.79 (a $200 post-decree motion deposit in Domestic Relations), or ask the CSEA, (740) 335-0745, to review it. Modification motions within two years of the decree are disfavored absent a substantial, unforeseen change (Local Rule 11.12B).

Hire Gavvl Law for your Fayette County child-support order

Child support in Fayette County runs on Ohio's income-shares worksheet, but where it is filed depends on the parents: married parents set or change support in the General & Domestic Relations Division, while never-married parents use the Probate-Juvenile Court under Judge Mary E. King on a $100 deposit. The Fayette County CSEA at (740) 335-0745 can also establish, collect, and review an order administratively. Gavvl Law runs the numbers, files in the correct court, and works on a flat fee approved up front, with payment plans available.

The Ohio worksheet, run correctly the first time. Support is only as accurate as the numbers behind it, so we complete the Ohio income-shares worksheet with both parents' income, health-insurance costs, and parenting-time facts before anything is filed. In a married case the change goes on the county's Post Decree Motion Check List with a financial affidavit; for never-married parents we use the juvenile Form 28.
The two-year rule and R.C. 3119.79. A post-decree support change in Domestic Relations carries a $200 deposit and turns on R.C. 3119.79, but Local Rule 11.12B treats motions brought inside two years of the decree as disfavored unless a substantial, unforeseen change has occurred. We test your facts against that bar before filing so a modification is not thrown out on timing.
CSEA review as a lower-cost path. Not every support question needs a full motion — the Fayette County CSEA at (740) 335-0745 can review an existing order and collect it by income withholding. We tell you when the administrative review fits and when a court motion is worth the deposit, and our fee is one flat amount you approve up front with financing available.

Because Fayette splits support between the 3rd-floor Domestic Relations Division and the 2nd-floor Probate-Juvenile Court, filing in the wrong division can cost weeks. We confirm at intake whether your order came from a married or never-married case and file accordingly, so the $200 or $100 deposit and the hearing line up with the court that can actually change your support.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the support motion (establish, modify, or terminate). The court filing fee is billed separately and this does not include in-court representation.

Establish child support: $950
Modify child support: $950
Terminate child support: $950

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

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Ohio Child Support by the Numbers

2024 Year Ohio's updated Income Shares support schedule took effect Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.021
10% Change in the calculated amount that justifies a modification Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.79
3 years How often either parent can request an administrative review Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.60
Age 18 When support normally ends — or high-school graduation, whichever is later Source: Ohio Revised Code § 3119.86

What Counts in an Ohio Child Support Calculation

What the worksheet counts	Counts toward support?	Notes
Both parents' gross income	Yes	Wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and self-employment earnings
Health insurance for the children	Yes	Credited to the parent who pays the premium
Work-related childcare	Yes	Daycare and after-school costs are added in
Parenting time	Yes	Adjustments apply for substantial or equal parenting time
Imputed income	Sometimes	Added when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed
A new spouse's income	No	Only the two parents' incomes are counted

Where to File: Fayette County Court of Common Pleas — General & Domestic Relations Division

110 East Court Street, 3rd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160
Phone: (740) 335-4750
Hours: Monday–Friday
Website: Court website
e-Filing: Online e-filing portal

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court
110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, Washington Court House, OH 43160
Phone: (740) 335-0640
Hours: Monday–Friday

Child Support is the right path if…

You need a first child-support order, or your income or the other parent's income has changed.
Your parenting-time schedule or health-insurance costs have changed substantially.
You were never married to the other parent and need a Probate-Juvenile order.
You want the CSEA to establish, collect, or review support.

Filing Fees

Domestic Relations: post-decree support motion $200 deposit. Probate-Juvenile Court: $100 deposit. CSEA review available, (740) 335-0745 · modifications within 2 years are disfavored (Local Rule 11.12B) · confirm current amounts with the Clerk (740) 335-6371 or the Probate-Juvenile Court (740) 335-0640

Forms & Filing Packets

Support in a divorce/dissolution (Domestic Relations) — $200 post-decree motion deposit (Domestic Relations)

Set or change support in the Domestic Relations case with the Ohio child-support worksheet; to change an order after the decree, file a post-decree motion (deposit $200) under R.C. 3119.79, following the Post Decree Motion Check List.

Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time the court sets or changes support.
Affidavit of Income & Expenses (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own. Must be notarized.
Post Decree Motion Check List (Fayette County) — Fayette County checklist for filing a post-decree motion to modify or enforce custody, parenting time, or support; the post-decree motion deposit is $200.

Support for never-married parents (Probate-Juvenile Court) — $100 deposit (Probate-Juvenile Court)

File in the Probate-Juvenile Court using Ohio Supreme Court juvenile forms (complaint or Form 28 to modify) with the support worksheet; a new juvenile matter is a $100 deposit.

Probate-Juvenile Court Page (Fayette County) — The combined Probate-Juvenile Court page (Judge Mary E. King, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640), where unmarried-parent custody, support, visitation, and parentage are filed; all new juvenile family matters are a $100 deposit.
Motion for Change of Child Support (Ohio SC Form 28) — The Ohio uniform motion to change child support, medical support, or the tax exemption after a change of circumstances. File in the division that issued the order.
Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you ask the court to set or change support.
Juvenile Self-Help Custody Information (Fayette County) — Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court self-help information for unmarried parents and non-parents seeking custody, parenting time, or support (Judge Mary E. King, 2nd Floor).

How to File Child Support in Fayette County

Run the Ohio worksheet. Complete the Ohio child-support worksheet using both parents' income, health-insurance costs, and parenting-time facts before filing.
Pick the right court. Set or change support in the Domestic Relations case if you were married, or in the Probate-Juvenile Court if you were never married; the CSEA can also review the order.
File the right form. Use the Ohio support worksheet with a post-decree motion in Domestic Relations, or the juvenile complaint / Form 28 in the Probate-Juvenile Court.
Attend the hearing. A magistrate or judge — or the CSEA on review — recalculates support under Ohio's guidelines.

Fayette County Practice Notes

Fayette County CSEA handles support administratively. The Fayette County Child Support Enforcement Agency, (740) 335-0745, can arrange genetic testing, open a IV-D case, set support under Ohio's guidelines, collect by income withholding, and review existing orders.
Never-married parents file in the Probate-Juvenile Court. If the parents were never married, custody, parenting time, support, and parentage are decided by the separate combined Probate-Juvenile Court under Judge Mary E. King, 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640 — not the Domestic Relations Division. The Juvenile deposit for a new custody, support, visitation, or paternity matter is $100, not the Domestic Relations fee schedule.
Modifications within two years are disfavored. The Domestic Relations court disfavors modification motions filed within two years of the decree unless a substantial, unforeseen change has occurred (Local Rule 11.12B), and frivolous motions can be taxed with the other side's attorney fees.
Divorce is heard by the General & Domestic Relations Division. Divorce, dissolution, legal separation, and annulment are heard by the General & Domestic Relations Division of the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas under Judge David B. Bender, 110 East Court Street, 3rd Floor, Washington Court House. The Division shares the General Division's judge, clerk, local rules, and fee schedule. File through the Clerk of Courts, (740) 335-6371; the Division can be reached at (740) 335-4750, option #6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change child support or custody soon after my decree in Fayette County?: The Domestic Relations court disfavors modification motions filed within two years of the decree unless a substantial, unforeseen change has occurred (Local Rule 11.12B), and frivolous motions can be taxed with the other side's attorney fees. The post-decree motion deposit is $200.
How much does it cost to start a custody or paternity case in Fayette County?: In the Probate-Juvenile Court, all new custody, child-support, visitation, and paternity matters are a $100 deposit. A fee waiver is available with an Affidavit of Poverty. Confirm current amounts with the Probate-Juvenile Court at (740) 335-0640.
Who hears custody if the parents were never married in Fayette County?: The Juvenile Division of the Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court (Judge Mary E. King), at 110 East Court Street, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640 — not the Domestic Relations Division. The Juvenile Division handles unmarried-parent custody, support, visitation, parentage, and non-parent custody. New juvenile family matters are a $100 deposit.
How do I establish paternity in Fayette County?: Sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity, request genetic testing through the CSEA, (740) 335-0745, or have the Probate-Juvenile Court determine parentage. Custody and support for unmarried parents are then handled in the Juvenile Division, where a new matter is a $100 deposit.

Free Local Resources in Fayette County

Fayette County Clerk of Courts (Domestic Relations). Current filing fees, deposit amounts, and case filing for divorce ($400), dissolution ($350), legal separation, annulment, and post-decree motions ($200). Clerk of Courts, 3rd Floor, 110 East Court Street, Washington Court House; (740) 335-6371; https://courts.fayette-co-oh.com/. Attorneys must e-file via Henschen (https://www.fayette-co-oh.com/341/eFiling-Henschen); pro se filers are exempt.
Fayette County Probate-Juvenile Court. Judge Mary E. King, 2nd Floor, (740) 335-0640. Handles never-married-parent custody, parenting time, support, and parentage, plus non-parent custody, and runs a mediation program (Local Rule 18). All new juvenile family matters are a $100 deposit. There is no e-filing. Self-help: https://www.fayette-co-oh.com/269/Juvenile-Court.
Fayette County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Arranges genetic testing, opens IV-D cases, sets support under Ohio's guidelines, collects by income withholding, and reviews existing orders. Contact (740) 335-0745.
Prosecutor's Victim Witness Division. Fayette County directs people seeking a civil protection order to the Prosecutor's Victim Witness Division for help determining eligibility and preparing the petition. There is no filing fee for the person seeking protection.
Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) Online. Fayette County promotes Triple P Online as a free parent/caregiver resource: https://octf.ohio.gov/what-we-do/statewide-initiatives/triple-p-online. A parenting class is not a standard DR requirement, but the court may order one case by case.
Ohio Child Support Calculator. Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares child-support worksheet at https://ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov/ before any case that sets or changes support.

Related to your child support case

Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.
Spousal Support — Pursue or respond to alimony requests during and after divorce.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on child support and related Ohio family law topics.

Child Support Calculation in Ohio: How the Formula Works — Ohio calculates child support with the income shares model, combining both parents' incomes to set a shared obligation. Here's how the formula works and what changes the bottom line.
How to Modify Child Support in Ohio — Child support orders aren't permanent. When income or circumstances change substantially, Ohio lets you modify support — through a CSEA review or a court motion. Here's how.

Keep exploring Fayette County family law

Ohio Child Support guide — Statewide overview of child support in Ohio.
Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
Fayette County family law guide — Court info, local filing notes, FAQs, and the downloadable Fayette County guide.
Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Gavvl Law.
Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.

Call (844) 694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.