Montgomery County Child Support Attorneys

Hire Gavvl for your Montgomery County child support case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Montgomery County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start (flat fees from $1,095).

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.

Hire Gavvl Law for Montgomery County child support

A Dayton support case is more than plugging numbers into a calculator: the worksheet has to reflect real income, the filing has to survive Compliance Office review if it touches support terms, and the CSEA case has to be opened so payments actually flow. Gavvl Law handles the full chain — worksheet, motion, IV-D application — with flat-fee pricing for paperwork matters and full representation when support is genuinely disputed.

• Local rules baked into the numbers. Montgomery layers county specifics onto the state formula — cash medical support set is set by the court per child per year under D.R. Rule 5.9, and a calculation that assumes 90 overnights under the Standard Order of Parenting Time. We run the worksheet with those local inputs so the figure holds up in front of a Dayton magistrate.
• The IV-D application filed with the motion. Without an open IV-D case at the Montgomery County CSEA, there's no wage withholding and no enforcement engine behind your order. We file the IV-D Application alongside the support request, so collection starts when the order does — not months later.
• Decrees with support terms that clear review. In Montgomery, every decree containing support provisions passes through Compliance Office review before it's accepted. We draft support language to that office's standards the first time, which is often the difference between an order this month and corrections next quarter.

Support for married parents travels with the DR case at 301 West Third Street, while never-married parents start at Juvenile Court on West Second Street — and the CSEA at (937) 225-4600 sits behind both. We know which packet, which courthouse, and which agency step comes first, so your Dayton support case moves in a straight line.

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: $1,095
• Modify child support: $1,095
• Terminate child support: $1,095

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

On limited-scope services of $2,000 or more, Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan with no interest and no credit check — takes 60% down to start, then the balance in three monthly payments, the first due 28 days after your initial payment. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

Start your child support case or see payment plans & financing.

Real people — with direct lines

• Stephanie Green — Managing Partner
• Elizabeth Warren — Managing Partner
• Niva Elgin — Director of Attorney Relations · Licensed New Mexico Attorney

Your consultation

Stephanie Green or Elizabeth Warren, our managing partners — or Niva Elgin, our Director of Attorney Relations and a licensed New Mexico attorney. They've heard hundreds of situations like yours and will tell you plainly what you need, and what you don't. Meet the firm.

Your attorney

One of our Of Counsel Ohio family-law attorneys is your attorney for the case — from the first strategy call to the final order in Montgomery County. You have their name and a direct line the day your file opens. Our attorneys.

Your case team

Niva Elgin keeps your case moving as Director of Attorney Relations. Madeline Wampler, Certified Paralegal, handles documents and scheduling. Erin Schultz, Finance Manager, handles billing and payment plans. Real people who answer when you call.

• 95+ five-star Google reviews
• 60+ years of combined Ohio family-law experience
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars honorees on the team: Elizabeth Warren (2021–2023) and Samantha Berkhofer (2019–2021)
• Every flat fee published before you call

From first call to retained — and every step after

1. Consultation — A 30-minute phone call, $25. You talk with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin about what's happening and what Ohio law actually does with it. Before you hang up you'll know whether you need a lawyer at all — and if you do, you leave with a written quote: the service we recommend, the price, your financing options, and your next steps.
2. Choose — Pick the level of help. Pay, or set up financing. Limited-scope flat fee or full representation — you choose, with real numbers in front of you. Pay online, or secure a Gavvl Direct payment plan or third-party financing in a few minutes. Nothing is billed until you decide.
3. Sign — Your agreement arrives by email. Review the client agreement and sign it electronically — from your phone if you like. While you do, your attorney reviews your intake.
4. Get started — Your first attorney call goes on the calendar. Limited scope: your attorney's first call is scheduled from your intake. Full representation: a paralegal reaches out the same or next business day to open your file and gather what's needed, then schedules your first attorney call — and if something is urgent, you speak with the attorney first.

It's easier than ever to retain an excellent attorney.

How you'll stay updated — you never have to wonder

Every client gets GavvLink™, our client portal, on day one. Your whole case — messages, calendar, billing, status — lives in one place, and your team is a message away.

• Reach your attorney directly. Message, text, email, or call. Request a callback or book time on their calendar yourself — no waiting to hear back.
• Case calendar with reminders. Every hearing, deadline, and milestone, with a reminder before each one.
• Case status updates. See where your case stands and what happens next, updated as it moves.
• Payments and billing in real time. Every entry on your account as it posts, plus links to make a payment or add funds.
• Your case team, one message away. Full-representation clients message their paralegal and case manager the same way — and they answer.
• 24/7 receptionists and direct lines. Something urgent after hours? A live receptionist answers around the clock and reaches your team. You also have your attorney's direct line — and a way to reach the managing partners. We return calls and messages promptly.

Can I do this without an attorney?

sometimes, yes. Ohio lets you represent yourself, and for a genuinely agreed dissolution or a simple motion, some people do. The Montgomery County forms and local rules are linked in the questions below, and our free tools will draft a parenting plan or estimate child support before you spend anything.

Here's what the online-divorce platforms leave out: most Ohio counties require their own forms and language on top of the statewide ones, and a rejected filing is the most common reason people call us after trying it alone. A $25, 30-minute call tells you whether you can do this yourself — and if you can, we'll say so.

• Free parenting plan builder
• Free child support estimate
• Attorney-written guides
• See the Montgomery County forms & local rules

Schedule Your $25 Consultation

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

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Montgomery County Juvenile Court
380 West Second Street, Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 496-7908
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Child Support is the right path if…

• You need a first child-support order, or a IV-D case opened with the county CSEA for your child support matters.
• Child support payments should run through automatic wage withholding and CSEA enforcement.
• You have the income information needed to run the Ohio Income Shares worksheet and finalize the child support calculations.
• Ohio is the children's home state under the UCCJEA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which forms do I need to file for child support in Montgomery County?

Support inside a Montgomery divorce/dissolution (married parents)

• Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.
• Application for Child Support Services (JFS 07076 / IV-D · DR Appendix Form 6) — Opens your case with the Montgomery County CSEA so support is collected, tracked, and enforced through wage withholding.
• Health Insurance Affidavit — Discloses whether health insurance is available for the children through either parent's employer.

Child support — Juvenile Court / CSEA (never-married parents)

Filed at the Montgomery County Juvenile Court, 380 West Second Street. Citizen Services provides the pro se packet.

• Initiate Child Support Packet (Juvenile Court, 5 forms) — The Montgomery County Juvenile Court packet that opens a child-support case for never-married parents.
• Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet — Run the official Ohio 2024 Income Shares calculator, print, and sign. Required any time you're asking the court to set support.
• IV-D Application for Child Support Services — Opens your case with Montgomery County CSEA so support can be collected, tracked, and enforced through wage withholding.

How to file child support in Montgomery County

1. Run the Ohio child-support worksheet. Complete the Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (or the Montgomery County calculator at mcdrc.ohiolegalhelp.org) using both parents' income.
2. Pick your court. Married parents: support travels with the divorce or dissolution at the DR Court. Never-married parents: file the Initiate Child Support Packet at the Juvenile Court.
3. Open a IV-D case with CSEA. File the IV-D Application with the Montgomery County CSEA, (937) 225-4600, so support is collected by wage withholding and enforced.
4. File and serve. Self-represented DR parties review through the Compliance Office; Juvenile filers can use Citizen Services for the packet.

What does child support cost in Montgomery County?

Two numbers matter. The court's filing fee, which the Clerk sets and can confirm. And the attorney work: Our published flat fees from $1,095 cover drafting and filing the paperwork (limited scope — the court's filing fee is invoiced separately), with payment plans available. Prefer full representation? An attorney can carry the whole case on a retainer — every number is published in the pricing section above.

What forms do I need for child support in Montgomery County?

It depends on your situation — children, temporary orders, and which court you file in all change the packet. Answer the quick questions in the paperwork section above and your exact Montgomery County checklist appears, with every official form linked as a PDF.

How long does child support take in Montgomery County?

It depends on how much you and the other side agree. Agreed matters generally move through Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division in months, not years; contested cases take longer. The part you control is filing a complete, correct packet the first time — bounced paperwork is the most common self-filing delay.

Do we really need lawyers if we agree?

Maybe not — and we'll say so at a $25 consultation. But an agreement only counts if it survives on paper, in the exact packet Montgomery County's court expects, and what you file becomes a binding court order that is hard to fix later. Precision drafting for people who already agree is most of what our flat-fee work is: done once, done right.

Where are the Montgomery County local rules, and what does this court do differently?

Judges, magistrates, and filing fees change, so we do not publish them here. Montgomery County posts the current information itself:

• Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division — local rules, standing orders, and the current judges and magistrates.
• Montgomery County Clerk of Courts — current filing fees and deposits, e-filing, and case records.

• Ohio Income Shares model and 90 overnights. Montgomery applies the 2024 Ohio Income Shares worksheet, calculating child support based on each parent's income. The Standard Order of Parenting Time assumes 90 overnights for the non-residential parent, which affects the child support obligation. Cash medical support is set is set by the court per child per year (Mont. D.R. Rule 5.9).
• 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.

Are there free legal resources in Montgomery County?

• Montgomery County DR Court — Ohio Legal Help Self-Help Portal. Free step-by-step interviews and fillable forms for Montgomery County divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, custody, support, and protection-order cases at mcdrc.ohiolegalhelp.org.
• Montgomery County DR Court Navigator & Legal Clinic. The Court Navigator (Room 222, (937) 496-7766) and the free virtual Legal Clinic with the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project (2nd Tuesday and 3rd Thursday monthly) help self-represented parties understand procedures and complete forms.
• Montgomery County Juvenile Court Citizen Services. Free pro se assistance for custody, parenting time, child support, paternity, contempt, and grandparent filings at (937) 224-3977, citizen.services@mcjcohio.org — walk-in Monday/Tuesday, by appointment Wednesday–Friday.
• Montgomery County CSEA. The county IV-D child-support agency at (937) 225-4600, 1111 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., opens cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders.

Other Family-Law Topics in Montgomery County

• Montgomery County Divorce — Full filing guide for contested divorce in Montgomery DR.
• Montgomery County Dissolution — Both-parties-agree route — faster and cheaper than divorce.
• Montgomery County Custody — Married parents file inside divorce; never-married parents file at the Juvenile Court.
• Montgomery County Family Law Attorney — Full-service family-law representation across the Montgomery County courts in Dayton.
• Dayton Domestic Violence Lawyer — Civil protection orders and domestic-violence cases in the Dayton and Montgomery County courts.

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.

More Montgomery County family-law resources

• Ohio Child Support guide — Statewide overview of child support in Ohio.
• Dayton family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Dayton metro.
• Montgomery County family law guide — Court info, local filing notes, FAQs, and the downloadable Montgomery 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.