This process usually takes 30-120 days.

1. A parent applies for child support or paternity establishment-only services.

2. The Oregon Child Support Program contacts the parents to sign the appropriate paperwork.

   This process takes 30-45 days, but can take longer if a parent must be located. Please see Locating a Parent for more information.

   • If the alleged father agrees he is the biological father, parents may sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity ». Once this form is signed by both parents, notarized, and filed with Oregon Vital Records, paternity is legally established.
   • If the parents are not in agreement that the alleged father is the biological father, the mother must complete and sub­mit a Paternity Affidavit (PDF) » to begin a legal process that usually includes genetic testing.

3. Once a Paternity Affidavit is received, the Child Support Program attempts to establish paternity or a child support order.

   If the child is not receiving public assistance from the state of Oregon, the custodial parent may choose paternity-only services. The length of time for this step varies, because it may take repeated attempts to obtain the affidavit and serve the proposed order.

4. Once served, the alleged father may deny he is the biological father and request genetic testing.

   If the alleged father takes no action within 30 days, the order is finalized 34 days after it was served. This means paternity is legally established for the child, and the father is provided with the same rights and responsibilities as if the child was born into a marriage. If genetic tests are requested, they will be scheduled as soon as possible, usually 15-45 days following the request.

5. The Child Support Program arranges genetic tests for the alleged father and the child.

   These tests are more than 99% accurate, and the results are usually available within 15-30 days.

   • If the test indicates that the alleged father has the genetic markers required to be the biological parent, paternity will be legally established.
   • If the test indicates that the alleged father is not the biological parent, then an order of non-paternity will be filed to court, and the alleged father is no longer involved. At this point, the mother will need to provide the name of another alleged father to continue.

This process usually takes 30-120 days, but may be longer or sooner depending on your family’s needs.

1. The Oregon Child Support Program receives a referral or an application.

   A referral comes from a state agency because a child is receiving public assistance from the state of Oregon. An application for child support services comes from a parent or caretaker.

2. The Child Support Program determines if the case needs an order.

   If so, the Child Support Program will confirm the parent’s contact and financial information. This information is used to generate a proposed order for child support using the Oregon Child Support Guidelines. This process generally takes 30 – 45 days, but can take longer if a parent must be located or if the child’s paternity must be legally established. Please see Locating a Parent or Establish Paternity for more information.

3. The Child Support Program serves the proposed order.

   Once a proposed order is created, the parents and any other parties receive copies. The time for this step can vary because it may take repeated attempts to serve the proposed order. The average time is 30-90 days.

4. Parents may correct information, request a hearing, or consent to the terms.

   • If neither parent contacts the Oregon Child Support Program within 30 days, the proposed order will be finalized 34 days after it was served.
   • If the Child Support Program receives information about corrections that are needed, there may be an additional 30 days for either parent to take action after the proposed order is amended.
   • If a hearing is requested, additional steps to take. Please see Administrative Hearings Process for information.

   The effective date of a child support order is the date the order is final. By law, past support may be included from the date the child or children began receiving public assistance from the state of Oregon.

The timeline below shows how long a typical administrative modification process may take to complete. It usually takes between 90-120 days, but it may be longer or resolved sooner depending on your family’s needs. A judicial modification requires additional steps and may take at least 30 days longer to complete. If you have questions about the modification process, please contact your case manager.

1. A parent submits a written request to modify a child support order.

2. The Oregon Child Support Program reviews the request and sends notice to the other parent.

   The Child Support Program will confirm parents’ contact and financial information and create a proposed modification to the child support order. This process usually takes about 30 days.

3. The Child Support Program serves the proposed modification.

   Once a proposed order is created, the parents and any other parties will receive copies. The time for this step varies because it may take repeated attempts to serve the proposed modification. The average time is 30-90 days.

4. Parents may correct information, request a hearing, or consent to the terms.

   • If neither parent contacts the Child Support Program within 30 days, the proposed order will be finalized 34 days after it was served.
   • If the Child Support Program receives information about corrections that are needed, there may be an additional 30 days for either parent to take action after the proposed order is amended.
   • If a hearing is requested, there are additional steps to take. Please see the administrative hearings process for more information.

The effective date of a modified child support order is the first of the month following the date the proposed order was served on the other (non-requesting) parent.

This process usually takes 90-180 days. However, it may take longer or resolve sooner depending on your family’s needs.

1. During the process to establish or enforce an order, the Oregon Child Support Program determines we do not have jurisdiction to proceed with actions on a case.

   This usually is because the parent who is to pay support lives outside of Oregon.

2. The Child Support Program collects information for an intergovernmental petition.

   If an intergovernmental petition is necessary, the Child Support Program requests information from the parents and the other state’s child support agency. We usually complete within 20 days the determination of what needs to be requested and making that request. Receiving the requested information may take an additional 30 days.

3. The Child Support Program sends the intergovernmental petition to the child support agency in the other state.

4. The other state acknowledges that it has received the intergovernmental petition.

   Responding states are required by law to confirm within 10 days that they have received the petition. The other state has 75 days to notify the Oregon Child Support Program if additional information is needed to take action based on the petition.

5. Establishment or enforcement of the child support order proceeds according to the other state’s legal timeframes.

   If the other state requests further information from the Oregon Child Support Program, establishment or enforcement may be delayed until the other state receives a response, usually within 30 days.

6. The Oregon Child Support Program and the other state's child support agency continue to work together.

   General status updates between child support agencies occur every 90 days or as appropriate based on the other state’s actions.

This process usually takes 90-180 days. However, it may take longer or resolve sooner depending on your family’s needs.

1. A parent talks to his or her case manager about requesting a hearing.

   If the proposed child support order cannot be amended, the parent may submit the hearing request form included in the proposed order packet. This form must be received by the Child Support Program within 30 days of the date the parent was served.

2. The case manager sends the parent’s hearing request to the Office of Administrative Hearings.

3. The Office of Administrative Hearings contacts the parents to schedule a hearing.

   Parents should receive a hearing date within 30-60 days.

4. A hearing occurs with an administrative law judge.

   • If the parent who requested the hearing fails to appear, their request for a hearing will be dismissed and the proposed order made final. See Pay Support for more information.
   • If the non-requesting parent fails to participate, the hearing will still happen but the administrative law judge will reach a decision with only one parent’s testimony.

5. The administrative law judge makes a final decision.

   The Office of Administrative Hearings mails the decision to the parents and their case manager in 30-45 days.

6. The Oregon Child Support Program begins enforcing the child support order.

   Unless the decision calls for a re-hearing, the Child Support Program files the child support order in court and begins enforcing it as appropriate. See Enforcement for more information.

7. A parent may file an appeal in Oregon Circuit Court.

   If a parent disagrees with the final decision, the parent may appeal the child support order by filing a petition for review in a circuit court within 60 days after the Child Support Program files the order in court. Parents may want to contact the court or consult with an attorney. See Get Legal Help for more information.