CalWORKs child support case vs. filing directly with county court - which impacts my Cash Aid more?

With CalWORKs, you actually don't have a choice - cooperation with child support is REQUIRED to get Cash Aid unless you qualify for a Good Cause exemption (like domestic violence situations). When you apply for CalWORKs, your case is automatically referred to LCSA (Local Child Support Agency) and they handle everything for you. The main difference is that when CalWORKs/LCSA handles it, the state keeps most of the child support payments to "pay back" the Cash Aid you receive. You only get the first $100 per month (called the "disregard amount") and the state keeps the rest. This is because they consider Cash Aid to be an advance on child support. If you filed directly with the court without being on Cash Aid, you'd get the full child support amount, but then you wouldn't get Cash Aid.

I've been through this whole mess and can explain how it works. When you're on CalWORKs, the LCSA (child support agency) will handle everything - locating the father, establishing paternity if needed, filing court papers, etc. You WILL still need to attend court hearings in most cases, just like if you filed yourself. The BIGGEST difference is what happens to the money: 1. On CalWORKs: First $100 goes to you, rest goes to the county to "reimburse" your Cash Aid 2. Filing yourself: You get ALL the money, but then you lose CalWORKs The amount ordered should technically be the same either way because CA uses the same formula for calculating support. But sometimes people say the LCSA isn't as aggressive in pursuing maximum amounts as a private attorney would be. Consider this: if dad is inconsistent with employment, CalWORKs might be more stable even with them taking most of the support. If he starts paying consistently, you might do better without CalWORKs.

Thanks for the explanations! So basically while I'm on Cash Aid, the county is going to take most of the child support to reimburse themselves? That makes sense I guess, but kind of frustrating too. Does anyone know if there's any way to estimate how much child support he might be ordered to pay? His income varies a lot since he's in construction, sometimes making good money and sometimes barely working. I'm trying to figure out if it would even be worth it to give up CalWORKs if the child support might not be reliable anyway.

I'm going through this exact situation now and its SO frustrating!!! Child support is a REQUIREMENT for CalWORKs unless you can prove domestic violence or danger to you/your kid. My ex owes almost $9,000 already and I've only seen like $200 of it cause he never pays and they don't do nothing about it!!! But I still have to go to all these stupid court dates and the caseworkers keep asking me where he works and I DONT KNOW!!! 😡😡😡 The system is rigged against single moms I swear.

My sister was in this exact situation and found out 2 importamt things: 1) you dont actually have to go to court most time if the father agrees to the support amount 2) if your getting less in cash aid than you would from support, you can close the cash aid case and just get the full support instead. But is his job unstable maybe calworks is better? Just food 4 thought 👍

Try calling the LCSA (Child Support) directly to ask these questions. I've been trying to reach my CalWORKs worker for WEEKS about my child support situation with absolutely no luck. Constant busy signals, voicemails that never get returned, and getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at the child support division in 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. They kept calling until they got through and then connected me. The child support worker was actually super helpful and explained everything way better than my CalWORKs worker ever did about how the payments work and what my options were.

Here's a breakdown of pros and cons to help you decide: Pros of letting CalWORKs handle child support: - LCSA services are free (no attorney fees) - They handle all paperwork and enforcement - You get stable CalWORKs benefits regardless of whether father pays - Can include enforcement tools like license suspension, tax intercepts - Good if father's income is unstable Cons: - You only get $100/month of actual child support ($200 if 2+ kids) - County keeps the rest to reimburse Cash Aid - Some say LCSA isn't as aggressive as private attorneys - Limited control over the process If the father would reliably pay an amount significantly higher than your Cash Aid, you might consider just taking the child support instead. But if his income is inconsistent as you mentioned, the stability of CalWORKs might be more valuable.

one thing nobody mentioned - if u get off calworks and just do regular child support, u can still get calfresh and medi-cal so its not like ur losing all benefits. my friend did this when her ex finally got a good job and the support was way more than her cash aid. she gets like $750 a month in support now.

As someone who went through this decision a few years ago, I'd strongly recommend sticking with the CalWORKs route for now, especially given what you said about his inconsistent construction work. Here's why: Even though you only get to keep $100/month of the child support while on CalWORKs, you have the security of knowing your Cash Aid will come every month regardless of whether he pays or not. With construction workers, income can be feast or famine - I've seen too many friends get burned when their ex made good money for a few months, they dropped CalWORKs, then suddenly he's "laid off" and they're left with nothing. The other huge advantage is that LCSA will do all the heavy lifting for enforcement. They'll garnish wages when he IS working, intercept tax refunds, suspend licenses if he doesn't pay, etc. If you filed privately and he stops paying, you'd have to go back to court yourself and pay attorney fees to enforce it. My advice: Let CalWORKs handle it for now. Once the support order is established and you can see a pattern of consistent payments for at least 6-12 months, THEN consider whether dropping CalWORKs for full child support makes sense. You can always change your mind later, but it's harder to get back ON CalWORKs if the support stops coming.

I'm also navigating this decision right now with my 2-year-old son! One thing I learned from my worker is that even if you let CalWORKs handle the child support case, you can still request a "good cause" exemption if there are safety concerns or if pursuing support would be harmful to you or your child. Also, something to consider - if your ex does start paying consistently through the CalWORKs system and you decide later that you want to get off Cash Aid to receive the full support amount, you can do that. The child support case doesn't disappear, it just transfers from being handled by LCSA to being a regular court-ordered support case. One more tip: make sure you keep detailed records of any informal support he's already given you (cash, buying diapers, etc.) because they might ask about that during the process. Sometimes people don't realize that informal support can be factored into calculations. Good luck with whatever you decide! The whole system is definitely confusing at first but it sounds like you're asking all the right questions.

Just wanted to add one more thing that helped me when I was in your shoes - don't feel pressured to make this decision quickly! Your CalWORKs worker might make it sound urgent, but you have time to think it through. I was so stressed about "choosing wrong" but honestly, both paths can work depending on your situation. Since your ex has inconsistent work in construction, I'd personally lean toward letting CalWORKs handle it initially. Construction workers often get paid under the table or have gaps between jobs, which makes enforcement tricky if you're doing it on your own. One thing that really helped me was talking to other moms at my daughter's daycare who had been through this. Everyone's situation is different, but hearing real experiences (like all the great advice in this thread!) made me feel way less alone in figuring it all out. You're clearly thinking this through carefully and asking the right questions - your daughter is lucky to have a mom who's being so thoughtful about what's best for your family's future. Whatever you decide, you can always reassess as things change!

I went through this same decision about 18 months ago with my two kids. Here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: The CalWORKs route ended up being the right choice for my situation, even though it felt frustrating at first to only get $200/month (for 2 kids) while the county kept the rest. My ex also works construction and his paychecks are all over the place. What really sealed it for me was when I calculated the actual numbers: - My CalWORKs was about $650/month guaranteed - Child support was ordered at $480/month, but he only paid maybe 60% of the time - So I was getting $650 + $200 (when he paid) = $850 vs. potentially $480 but often $0 The LCSA has also been way more aggressive about enforcement than I expected. They've garnished his wages multiple times, intercepted his tax refunds, and even suspended his driver's license once when he got behind. There's no way I could have afforded to do all that enforcement stuff on my own. Plus like others mentioned, you can always change your mind later once you see how reliable the payments are. But starting with the stability of CalWORKs while the case gets established was definitely the smart move for me.

I'm new to CalWORKs and going through something similar with my 4-year-old son. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that the county keeps most of the child support to "reimburse" the Cash Aid - my worker didn't explain that clearly at all. One question I haven't seen addressed yet: does anyone know what happens if the father's income changes significantly after the support order is established? Like if he gets a better paying job or loses his job completely? Do we have to go back to court to modify the amount, or does LCSA handle that automatically? Also, I'm curious about the timeline - how long does it typically take from when CalWORKs refers your case to LCSA until there's actually a support order in place? My worker made it sound like it could take months, which seems like a long time to wait. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - this is way more helpful than anything I've gotten from my caseworker!

I'm in a very similar situation with my 5-year-old daughter! Her father works in landscaping and his income is just as inconsistent as construction work. After reading through everyone's responses here, I'm feeling much more confident about letting CalWORKs handle the child support case. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my sister's experience - even though it feels frustrating that the county keeps most of the child support money, think about it this way: if your ex stops paying (which happens A LOT with inconsistent workers), you're not scrambling to figure out how to pay rent and buy groceries. Your CalWORKs benefits keep coming no matter what he does. My sister tried the "file independently and get full child support" route first, and it was a disaster. Her ex paid for about 3 months, then disappeared when work slowed down. She had to reapply for CalWORKs and it took almost 6 weeks to get benefits flowing again. Meanwhile she's trying to feed two kids with nothing coming in. The peace of mind knowing your basic needs are covered while LCSA does all the heavy lifting to chase down payments is worth way more than the extra money you might get if everything goes perfectly. And like others said, you can always reassess once you see how reliable he actually is with payments!

I've been working with CalWORKs families for several years and wanted to add some additional perspective that might help with your decision. One thing that often gets overlooked is the administrative burden. When CalWORKs/LCSA handles your case, they take care of ALL the paperwork, court filings, service of process, and ongoing modifications. If you file independently, you become responsible for all of that - and trust me, the family court system is complex and time-consuming even with an attorney. Also, regarding the $100 "disregard" amount - that's actually $100 that you get ON TOP OF your CalWORKs grant, not instead of it. So you're getting your full CalWORKs amount plus the first $100 of child support. Many people don't realize this distinction. Another consideration: LCSA has tools for enforcement that private individuals don't have easy access to, like automatic income withholding orders, asset seizure, and passport denial for high-dollar arrearages. These can be especially valuable when dealing with someone in construction who might work for different employers or get paid irregularly. Given what you've shared about your ex's inconsistent work history, I'd strongly recommend starting with the CalWORKs route. You can always reassess in 6-12 months once you have a clearer picture of his actual payment patterns.

I'm also navigating this exact situation with my 2-year-old! After reading through everyone's experiences, I'm leaning heavily toward letting CalWORKs handle it. One thing that really helped me understand the decision was talking to a friend who works at the courthouse - she said she sees so many parents struggle with enforcement when they file independently, especially when the other parent has irregular income like construction work. She told me that even when people get orders for higher amounts, actually collecting the money is a whole different battle. The stability factor everyone mentioned really resonates with me. My daughter's father also works construction and can go from making $4,000 one month to nothing for the next two months. Having that guaranteed CalWORKs income while LCSA handles all the collection headaches seems way less stressful than gambling on whether he'll actually pay consistently. Plus like Amara mentioned, I didn't realize the $100 is ON TOP of your CalWORKs grant - that definitely changes the math in a positive way! Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences here. It's so much more helpful than trying to figure this out from the confusing pamphlets they give you at the CalWORKs office!

I'm going through this same situation right now with my 6-year-old son! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - way more informative than anything my CalWORKs worker explained to me. One thing I learned recently that might be useful: if your ex works construction and gets paid through different companies or sometimes under the table, LCSA has access to databases that can track employment history and income that you wouldn't be able to access on your own. They can also set up automatic wage garnishments that follow him from job to job, which is super important in construction where people move between employers a lot. My case worker also mentioned that even if he tries to hide income or work off the books, LCSA can use things like his lifestyle and spending patterns to establish what he's actually capable of paying. So if he claims he's only making minimum wage but he's posting pictures of new tools or truck payments on social media, they can factor that into the support calculation. The more I learn about what LCSA can do versus what I'd have to handle myself, the more convinced I am that letting CalWORKs manage everything is the right choice - at least initially while we see how reliable he actually is with payments. Plus having that guaranteed income every month while they handle all the enforcement stuff just seems so much less stressful than trying to chase him down myself!