Will closing my child support case affect my CalWORKs benefits?

Be VERY careful about this! If you close your child support case while on CalWORKs, you could lose 25% of your cash aid amount as a penalty for non-cooperation. The county requires cooperation with child support as a condition of eligibility unless you have a good cause exemption (like domestic violence). If your ex pays you directly, you'd have to report that income on your SAR7 anyway, and it would count against your grant. Plus there's no official record of payment which could cause problems for both of you later.

my cousin tried to do this last year and ended up with so many headaches. the county reduced her grant and then when her ex stopped paying directly (which OF COURSE he did eventually) she had to restart the whole child support process from scratch. not worth it imo

I work with CalWORKs recipients, and this is a common question. Here are the facts: 1. You must cooperate with child support while receiving CalWORKs unless you have a "good cause" exemption 2. Closing your case voluntarily is considered non-cooperation 3. The penalty is 25% of your cash aid amount 4. Any direct payments from your ex must be reported as income on your SAR7 5. If you report the income correctly, you'd likely see a similar reduction in benefits anyway (dollar for dollar after the first $225 of income) The advantage of keeping child support open is enforcement - if he stops paying, the county can help collect. With private payments, you have no recourse except going back to square one. If you're concerned about his willingness to pay through the system, remember that consistent payments through child support can actually help him build credit in some cases.

hey, wanted to jump in - if ur ex is suddenly being nice about paying support directly, be suspicious! my ex tried this exact thing and it was just so he could control when/if he paid. then when we had a disagreement he stopped completely and i had no proof he ever paid me anything. keep the case open with the county!!

Another option: you could apply for a good cause exemption from child support cooperation if there's any history of threats, violence, or if cooperating would somehow endanger you or your children. This would let you keep your full CalWORKs grant without the child support requirement. But it doesn't sound like that applies to your situation if you're on good terms now.

Have you tried calling your eligibility worker to ask about this? I had a question about my case last month and spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on the county line. kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. So frustrating!! I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person in like 15 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Your worker should be able to tell you exactly how closing the child support case would affect your specific CalWORKs amount.

One more thing I forgot to mention - if you decide to keep the child support case open (which I strongly recommend), your ex can still give extra help beyond his court-ordered amount. Things like buying clothes, paying for extracurriculars, or other direct expenses for the children don't count as income you need to report as long as the money never comes to you directly. This might be a good compromise - he can feel good about helping extra while you maintain the security of an enforceable order.

Just wanted to add - I went through something similar a few years ago. My ex also wanted to pay directly and promised it would be "easier for everyone." I'm so glad I didn't fall for it! The county child support system might seem slow sometimes, but it's designed to protect you. They keep records of every payment, they can garnish wages if he stops paying, and they can even intercept tax refunds if needed. When you're a single mom trying to make ends meet, you need that security. Your ex might have good intentions now, but situations change - people lose jobs, get remarried, move away, or just decide they don't want to pay anymore. With an official order, you have legal backing. Without it, you're completely dependent on his goodwill. Keep that case open and protect yourself and your kids!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation where my ex wants to pay me directly to "avoid the county fees" but after reading everyone's experiences, I'm realizing this is probably not a good idea. The 25% penalty alone would be devastating to my budget. One question though - does anyone know if there's a way to request that the county reduce the processing fees they charge? My ex claims they're taking too much out of his payments, which is why he wants to go around the system. I'd rather find a way to work within the official process than risk losing my benefits and protection. Also, @Mateo Perez mentioned that consistent child support payments can help build credit - do you know if that applies to both the payer and recipient, or just the person making payments?

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - please keep that child support case open! I made the mistake of closing mine about 3 years ago when my ex promised he'd "do better" paying directly. Spoiler alert: he didn't. Within 6 months he was making excuses, then paying late, then not at all. Meanwhile I was stuck with the 25% CalWORKs penalty the whole time. It took me almost a year to get the child support case reopened and by then I was so far behind on everything. The county had to start collection efforts from scratch and my ex had basically disappeared. I know it's tempting when things are going well between you two, but protect yourself first. The official system exists for a reason - enforcement, documentation, and consistency. Your kids deserve that security, and so do you. Trust me, the small processing fees are nothing compared to the financial chaos you'll face if he changes his mind about paying later.

I went through this exact situation about two years ago and I'm so glad I found this thread because everyone's advice here is spot on! My ex also tried to convince me to close the child support case so he could pay me directly, saying we'd both save money on fees and it would be "simpler." Thank God I talked to my CalWORKs worker first. She explained that not only would I lose 25% of my cash aid for non-cooperation, but I'd also lose the legal protections that come with having an official order. She told me horror stories of other recipients who trusted their exes to pay directly and got burned when circumstances changed. What really sealed it for me was when she pointed out that even if he pays me directly, I'd still have to report it as income on my SAR7 anyway, so my grant would be reduced dollar-for-dollar after the first $225. So I'd end up with the same amount of money but NONE of the security. My advice? Keep that case open no matter what he says. The county system might not be perfect, but it's there to protect you and your kids. Two years later, my ex is still paying consistently through the county and I sleep better at night knowing there's enforcement behind that order if anything changes.

I'm really glad I found this thread because I'm in almost the exact same situation! My ex has been saying the same things about county fees and wanting to pay directly, but after reading all these experiences, I can see this is actually a pretty common tactic. What really opened my eyes was learning about that 25% penalty - that would be devastating for my family's budget. And the point about having to report direct payments as income anyway means you're basically giving up all the legal protection for no financial benefit. I think I'm going to stick with the official system too. It's scary how many people shared stories about their exes starting out cooperative and then changing their minds later. At least with the county case, there's documentation and enforcement if things go wrong. Thanks everyone for being so honest about your experiences - it's helping me make a much more informed decision!

I'm new to CalWORKs and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I had no idea there was a 25% penalty for not cooperating with child support - that's a huge amount to lose from an already tight budget. What really stands out to me from everyone's stories is how many exes seem to start with good intentions about paying directly, but then circumstances change and they stop paying. It makes perfect sense that keeping the official case open provides that safety net and enforcement power. I'm curious though - for those who kept their cases open, did you find that your exes eventually understood why the official system was better? Or did it cause ongoing conflict? I want to be prepared for how to handle those conversations while staying firm about protecting my family's financial security. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly - it's helping newcomers like me avoid some really costly mistakes!

I'm just getting started with CalWORKs and had no idea about any of these requirements around child support cooperation! This thread has been such an eye-opener. The 25% penalty for non-cooperation sounds absolutely terrifying when you're already trying to make ends meet on a tight budget. What really hits home is hearing so many similar stories about exes who start out well-intentioned but then change their minds about paying directly. It makes total sense that keeping the official case open protects you from that risk, even if everything seems good between you right now. I'm curious - when you report to your eligibility worker, do they regularly ask about your child support case status? I want to make sure I understand all the reporting requirements so I don't accidentally mess up my benefits. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is such a lifesaver for newcomers like me trying to navigate this system!

This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who just started receiving CalWORKs benefits, I had no idea about the 25% penalty for not cooperating with child support - that's a massive reduction that could really hurt families who are already struggling financially. Reading everyone's experiences really drives home why the official system exists. It seems like so many people go through this same situation where their ex wants to pay directly to "save money on fees," but then things fall apart when circumstances change. The consistency and enforcement power of having an official order seems worth way more than saving those small processing fees. What strikes me most is how this decision affects not just current income, but long-term financial security. If someone stops paying privately, you're back to square one with no payment history or enforcement mechanism. But with the county system, you have documentation, wage garnishment options, and other collection tools if needed. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - it's clear that keeping the official child support case open is the safest choice for protecting our families, even when relationships with our exes seem good at the moment.

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm also pretty new to CalWORKs and had my ex approach me about the same thing just last week. He was complaining about the county fees and saying we could "cut out the middleman" by having him pay me directly. After reading all these experiences, I'm so glad I didn't agree to it right away! The 25% penalty alone would be a huge hit to our budget, and hearing how many people had their exes start cooperative but then stop paying is really concerning. It sounds like this is a super common situation that a lot of us face. I think what really convinced me was the point about having to report direct payments as income anyway - so you get all the risk with none of the protection. The county system might have fees, but at least there's enforcement if something goes wrong later. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories so honestly. It's helping those of us who are new to this avoid some really expensive mistakes!

Wow, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! As someone who's been on CalWORKs for about 6 months now, I had no idea about the 25% penalty for not cooperating with child support. My ex has been making similar comments about "saving money on county fees" and I was actually starting to consider it. Reading all these real experiences has completely changed my perspective. It's scary how many people shared almost identical stories - ex starts out cooperative with direct payments, then life happens and they stop paying, leaving you with reduced benefits AND no enforcement options. What really sealed it for me was learning that I'd have to report his direct payments as income on my SAR7 anyway, so I'd lose money either way but only get legal protection with the official system. The county fees he's complaining about are probably way less than the financial chaos I'd face if he changed his mind later. I'm definitely keeping the child support case open. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories so openly - you've probably saved me and my kids from a really difficult situation down the road!

I'm really grateful for all the detailed experiences shared here! As someone who's new to CalWORKs, I had no clue about the 25% penalty for non-cooperation with child support - that's absolutely huge when you're already on a tight budget. What really stands out to me is how many people have gone through this exact same situation where their ex wants to pay directly to "avoid county fees," but then things eventually fall apart. The pattern is so consistent across everyone's stories that it seems like keeping the official case open is really the only safe choice. I'm curious - for those who decided to keep their cases open, how did your exes react when you explained the financial and legal reasons? Did any of them come to understand why the official system actually protects everyone involved, or did most remain focused on avoiding the processing fees? This thread has definitely convinced me that the security and enforcement power of the county system is worth way more than any small savings on fees. Thank you all for being so honest about your experiences - it's helping newcomers like me avoid some really costly mistakes!