Child Support in Lawrence County

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

Lawrence County, Ohio · Ironton

Ohio sets child support with a statewide Income Shares formula based on both parents' incomes. In Lawrence County, support is established or changed in the court case that decides custody (a divorce in the General Division or a parentage/custody case in the Juvenile Court) or through the Lawrence County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA).

How is child support set or changed in Lawrence County, Ohio?

Child support follows Ohio's 2024 Income Shares guidelines (R.C. Chapter 3119). The amount comes from the official Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet, which uses both parents' incomes, health-insurance and childcare costs, and parenting time. Support is established inside a divorce (General Division) or a parentage/custody case (Juvenile Court), or set up through the Lawrence County CSEA. To change an existing order, file a Motion for Change of Child Support (Form 28) in the case that issued it, or ask the CSEA at (740) 533-4338 for an administrative review. Payments run through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central. Run the official calculator at https://ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov/ before any case that sets or changes support.

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: Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas (General Division)

3rd Floor Annex Building, 111 South 4th Street, Ironton, OH 45638
Phone: (740) 533-4329
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Website: www.lawcocp.us

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Lawrence County Probate & Juvenile Court
111 South 4th Street, Ironton, OH 45638
Phone: (740) 533-4372
Hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Child Support is the right path if…

You need to establish, collect, or change a child-support order for a child in Lawrence County.
You want the support figure run through Ohio's official Income Shares worksheet.
There has been a change in income, parenting time, health-insurance, or childcare costs since the last order.
You are willing to open or use a IV-D case with the Lawrence County CSEA for collection.

Filing Fees

Support is set with Ohio's Income Shares worksheet (R.C. Chapter 3119). A post-decree motion deposit is on the Clerk's cost schedule (Local Rule 4) — confirm the current amount — while a CSEA administrative review carries no court deposit. Payments run through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central. Lawrence County does not fix family-law filing fees in its local rules — the deposit is set on the Clerk's cost schedule (Local Rule 4), so confirm the current amount with the Lawrence County Clerk of Courts before filing (case search / e-services at https://eservices.lawrencecountyclerk.com; domestic-relations office (740) 533-4329). A poverty (indigency) affidavit can substitute for the deposit, but costs must be paid in full before a final decree is accepted, and a publication deposit is required in all cases (even with an indigency affidavit) when service is by publication. For never-married-parent and juvenile cases, confirm the current deposit with the Probate & Juvenile Court at (740) 533-4372.

Forms & Filing Packets

Establish support in the underlying case — Set in the underlying divorce or juvenile case (deposit on the Clerk's cost schedule, or confirm with the Juvenile Court)

Support is established with the Ohio child-support worksheet inside the case that decides custody — a divorce in the General Division or a parentage/custody case in the Juvenile Court — and collected through the CSEA and the Ohio Child Support Payment Central.

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.
Health Insurance Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 4) — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer, so the court can order medical support.

Change an existing support order — Deposit for a post-decree motion is on the Clerk's cost schedule (Loc. R. 4) — confirm with the Clerk; a CSEA review has no court deposit

File a Motion for Change of Child Support (Form 28) in the case that issued the order, with an updated income/expense affidavit and a new worksheet — or ask the Lawrence County CSEA for an administrative review under the Ohio guidelines.

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.
Affidavit of Income & Expenses (Ohio SC Affidavit 1) — Income, expenses, and basic financial information. Each party files their own. Must be notarized.
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.

How to File Child Support in Lawrence County

Run the Ohio worksheet. Use the official Ohio Child Support Calculator with both parents' incomes, health-insurance, and childcare costs before any filing.
Choose your path. Establish support inside the divorce or parentage/custody case, or — to change an order — file a Form 28 motion or ask the CSEA for a review.
File or apply. File the worksheet and motion with the court that issued the order, or apply for a review with the Lawrence County CSEA at (740) 533-4338.
Set up payment. Support is collected through income withholding and the Ohio Child Support Payment Central.

Lawrence County Practice Notes

The Lawrence County CSEA sets up and enforces support. The Child Support Enforcement Agency, part of the Department of Job & Family Services at 1100 South 7th Street, Ironton ((740) 533-4338), opens the IV-D case, sets support under the guidelines, collects by income withholding, and can review existing orders. Even amounts paid directly are credited through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central.
Two ways to change support. You can file a Form 28 motion in the court that issued the order, or ask the CSEA for an administrative review. A change generally requires a substantial change of circumstances (commonly a roughly 10% change in the guideline amount under R.C. 3119.79); confirm current thresholds with the court or the CSEA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Lawrence County CSEA do?: The Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), part of the Department of Job & Family Services at 1100 South 7th Street, Ironton ((740) 533-4338), establishes paternity, sets and collects child support under the Ohio guidelines, and can review existing orders administratively. Support payments run through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central — even amounts paid directly to the local CSEA are credited through the state payment center.
How do I change child support in Lawrence County?: File a Motion for Change of Child Support (Form 28) in the case that issued the order, with an updated income/expense affidavit and a new Ohio worksheet, or ask the Lawrence County CSEA at (740) 533-4338 for an administrative review under the Ohio guidelines (R.C. Chapter 3119). A change generally requires a substantial change of circumstances; confirm current thresholds with the court or the CSEA. The deposit for a post-decree motion is on the Clerk's cost schedule (Local Rule 4).
How much does it cost to file a family law case in Lawrence County?: Lawrence County does not fix family-law filing fees in its local rules. Common Pleas deposits for a divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, or post-decree motion are set on the Clerk's cost schedule (Local Rule 4), so confirm the current amount with the Clerk of Courts before filing (case search / e-services at https://eservices.lawrencecountyclerk.com; domestic-relations office (740) 533-4329). A poverty (indigency) affidavit can substitute for the deposit, but costs must be paid in full before a final decree is accepted, and a publication deposit is required in all cases (even with an indigency affidavit) when service is by publication. Juvenile deposits are confirmed with the Probate & Juvenile Court at (740) 533-4372, and a DVCPO petition has no filing fee for the petitioner (R.C. 3113.31).
What is the standard parenting-time schedule in Lawrence County?: Under the county's Standard Visitation Guidelines (Local Rule 53), the non-residential parent has alternating weekends from 6:00 p.m. Friday to 8:00 p.m. Sunday — but ending 6:00 p.m. Sunday if the following Monday is a school or pre-school day — plus one weekday evening 4:00–8:00 p.m. (Wednesday if the parties can't agree). Holidays alternate by even/odd year, the non-residential parent has Christmas from 4:00 p.m. December 25 to 6:00 p.m. December 28, and there are Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthday provisions. The schedule can be changed on motion if it is in the children's best interest; liberal arrangements beyond the minimum are encouraged.

Free Local Resources in Lawrence County

Lawrence County Clerk of Courts. The Clerk handles filing, fees, and the docket for divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, DVCPOs, and domestic-relations post-decree matters in the General Division. File at 111 South 4th Street, Ironton; case search and e-services at https://eservices.lawrencecountyclerk.com. Confirm the current deposit on the Clerk's cost schedule and packet requirements before filing (domestic-relations office (740) 533-4329).
Lawrence County Probate & Juvenile Court. The Probate & Juvenile Court (Hon. Patricia Sanders) handles never-married parentage, custody, parenting time, and child support, plus non-parent custody and adoption. Confirm juvenile filing deposits and procedures at (740) 533-4372 or https://lawrenceohiopjc.org/juvenile.php.
Lawrence County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). The CSEA, part of the Department of Job & Family Services at 1100 South 7th Street, Ironton ((740) 533-4338), establishes paternity, sets support under Ohio's guidelines, collects by income withholding, and can review existing orders. Support payments run through the Ohio Child Support Payment Central. More at https://www.lawrencecountydjfs.com/child-support.htm.
Common Pleas Rules of Practice (Local Rules). The Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas Rules of Practice set the cost schedule (Rule 4), Domestic Track (Rule 21), magistrate/objection rules (Rules 35, 40), mediation (Rule 37), custody investigations (Rule 52), and the Standard Visitation Guidelines (Rule 53). Read them through the Law Library at https://lawrencelawlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Rules-of-Practice-Common-Pleas-2013-to-Print-web.pdf.
Lawrence County Law Library. The Law Library offers online resources and the local rules for self-represented parties and attorneys at https://lawrencelawlibrary.org.
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

Ohio Child Support guide — Statewide overview of child support in Ohio.
Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
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Call (844) 694-2885 or email support@gavvl.com.