Child Support in Scioto County

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

Scioto County, Ohio · Portsmouth

Child support in Scioto County follows Ohio's statewide 2024 Income Shares Model — there is no county formula. A Scioto County court sets the order (the Domestic Relations Division or, for never-married parents, the Juvenile Division), and the Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) at 710 Court Street collects payments by wage withholding and enforces the order.

How is child support set and changed in Scioto County, Ohio?

Run both parents' incomes through the official Ohio Child Support Calculator (the 2024 Income Shares Model), print and sign the worksheet, and file it with your case — in the Scioto County Domestic Relations Division or the Juvenile Division. File a IV-D Application (DR Form 4) so the Scioto County CSEA can open a case and collect support by wage withholding. To change support, file a motion to modify (a $130 DR deposit or $125-per-child in Juvenile) with an updated worksheet showing a qualifying change of circumstances.

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: Scioto County Court of Common Pleas — Domestic Relations Division

602 7th St, Room 303, Portsmouth, OH 45662, Portsmouth, OH 45662
Phone: (740) 355-8316
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (closed for lunch 12:00–1:00 PM)
Website: sciotocountydrcourt.com

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Scioto County Juvenile Court
602 7th St #201, Portsmouth, OH 45662, Portsmouth, OH 45662
Phone: (740) 355-8306
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (closed for lunch 12:00–1:00 PM)

Child Support is the right path if…

You need a new child-support order, or your current order no longer matches the parents' incomes.
You want CSEA to collect and enforce support through automatic wage withholding.
There has been a substantial change in income, parenting time, health-insurance, or child-care costs.
You can complete the Ohio child-support worksheet with both parents' financial information.

Filing Fees

Setting support is part of the underlying case · DR modification deposit $130 · Juvenile reopen $125 per child plus a $25 drug/alcohol screen · Mediation Fund $50 on a modification · confirm amounts with the Clerk.

Forms & Filing Packets

Establish a new child-support order — Part of the underlying case deposit

Run the official worksheet and file it with your custody, divorce, or parentage case, plus a IV-D application so CSEA can collect.

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.
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.
IV-D Application for Child Support Services (Scioto County DR Form 4) — Opens a IV-D case with the Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency so it can calculate, collect, and enforce support. File whenever a support order is requested. Confirm the current form with the DR Court or CSEA.

Modify an existing child-support order — $130 DR post-decree deposit · $125 per child in Juvenile (plus $25 screen)

File a motion to change support in the court that issued the order, with an updated worksheet. CSEA can also conduct an administrative review.

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.
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.

How to File Child Support in Scioto County

Run the official calculator. Use ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov with both parents' gross incomes, the parenting schedule, health-insurance premiums, and work-related child-care costs. Print and sign the worksheet.
Open a IV-D case. File a IV-D Application (DR Form 4) with the Scioto County CSEA so it can establish, collect, and enforce the order by wage withholding.
File with the right court. Married parents file in the Domestic Relations Division; never-married parents file in the Juvenile Division. To modify, file in the court that issued the order.
Show a change of circumstances (to modify). A modification needs a qualifying change — typically a 10% swing in the guideline amount or a change in custody, health-insurance, or child-care costs — with an updated worksheet.
Attend the hearing. The magistrate reviews the worksheet, rules on any deviation, and enters or changes the order; CSEA implements wage withholding.

Scioto County Practice Notes

CSEA calculates, collects, and enforces support. The Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), 710 Court Street, Portsmouth, opens the IV-D case, sets up automatic wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders through license suspension, tax intercept, credit reporting, and contempt referrals. Confirm the agency's current direct phone before calling. File a IV-D Application (DR Form 4) whenever a support order is established.
DR filing deposit is $250 (post-decree $130). The Scioto County Domestic Relations Division deposit for a new divorce, dissolution, legal separation, or annulment is $250, paid to the Clerk at filing (schedule eff. 1/1/2024). A reopened case or post-decree motion is $130. The Mediation Fund adds $40 at filing ($50 on a modification) under DR Rule 8.13. A Poverty Affidavit (DR Form 12) waives the deposit if you can't afford it. Confirm current amounts with the Clerk's Legal Division.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is child support calculated in Scioto County?: Scioto County uses Ohio's statewide 2024 Income Shares Model — there is no county formula. Run the official worksheet at ohiochildsupportcalculator.ohio.gov using both parents' gross incomes, the parenting-time schedule, health-insurance premiums, and work-related child-care costs, then print and sign it. The Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), 710 Court Street, Portsmouth, opens the IV-D case, sets up wage withholding, and enforces collection. A deviation from the guideline amount requires statutory best-interest findings.
What is a IV-D application and why do I need one?: A IV-D Application opens a child-support case with the Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), located at 710 Court Street, Portsmouth (confirm the agency's current direct phone). Once opened, CSEA calculates support under Ohio's 2024 Income Shares Model, collects it 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 established.
How much does it cost to change a custody, parenting-time, or support order in Scioto County?: In the Domestic Relations Division, a reopened case or post-decree motion takes a $130 deposit (Clerk schedule eff. 1/1/2024), and the Mediation Fund adds $50 on a modification (DR Rule 8.13). In the Juvenile Division, reopening a prior custody case is $125 per child plus the $25 drug/alcohol screen (Juv. Local Rule 2.1). File the motion in the court that issued the original order. Changing the residential parent requires a change in circumstances plus best-interest findings under R.C. 3109.04(E); a schedule-only change uses the best-interest standard; a support change needs an updated worksheet. Confirm current amounts with the Clerk.

Free Local Resources in Scioto County

Scioto County Clerk of Courts — Legal Division. Provides the current Clerk fee schedule (rev. 1/1/2024), local forms, and filing instructions for divorce, dissolution, and custody cases. Visit https://sciotoclerk.com/legal-division/ before filing to confirm deposits and accepted payment methods.
Scioto County Domestic Relations Division. The standalone DR court (Judge Jerry L. Buckler; Magistrate Robert M. Johnson) at 602 7th St, Room 303, Portsmouth, (740) 355-8316 (fax (740) 355-8205). Hears divorce, dissolution, legal separation, annulment, parentage, custody, and support, and distributes the DR packets and local forms. Hours Monday–Friday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (closed for lunch 12:00–1:00 PM). https://sciotocountydrcourt.com
Scioto County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). Scioto County's IV-D agency at 710 Court Street, Portsmouth, opens child-support cases, runs wage withholding, distributes payments, and enforces orders. Confirm the agency's current direct phone. File a IV-D Application when establishing or modifying support.
"Successful Co-Parenting" Parenting Class — OSU Extension. The court-approved 3-hour parenting-education seminar for parents with minor children, taken online at https://scponline.osu.edu (registered via DR Form 11). Complete it within 60 days and file the Certificate of Attendance before the final hearing (DR Rule 6.02).

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.