Child Support Case Registry Form
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File FL-191 with Ezel
Fill FL-191 with Ezel
AI-assisted intake, completeness review, and a court-ready PDF for FL-191 only. Print, sign in pen, file yourself.
What Ezel does with FL-191
Tell Ezel what's going on. The rest is automatic.
What is FL-191?
Confidential parent-information form filed alongside any California child support, family support, or spousal support order. Family Code section 4014. Both parents complete it. Information feeds the federal Case Registry used to locate absent parents and enforce orders across states.
What happens if you miss the deadline: Failing to file FL-191 does not stop the support order, but it leaves your contact info out of the federal Case Registry. The other parent's enforcement actions (wage assignment, license suspension) will still follow the order; without your address on file, paperwork may be served by publication or default.
How to file
- Filing fee
- No filing fee. FL-191 is held by the State of California Case Registry, not filed in the public court file.
- Filing method
- in-person, mail
- Filing deadline
- Family Code section 4014: deliver pages 1 and 2 of FL-191 to the court clerk along with the support order if you filed the order. If you did not file the order, deliver FL-191 within 10 days of receiving a copy of the support order. Any later change to your address, phone, employer, or other registry information must be reported on a new FL-191 within 10 days of the change.
- How to serve
- Not served on the other party. Delivered directly to the court clerk; the clerk forwards to the State Case Registry. The form is confidential and is not in the public court file.
- Wet signature
- Yes, sign in pen after printing.
- Notarization
- No
- Original and copies
- One original of pages 1 and 2 to the court clerk. Pages 3 and 4 are instructions only and are not delivered. Keep a copy for your records.
Common pitfalls
Three highest-leverage checks for the AI review on FL-191. (1) Mother / Father checkbox at top right must be checked (one or the other) so the State Case Registry knows which parent filed. (2) Item 1 amounts must reconcile with the underlying support order: at least one of (Current base CS / FS / SS) should be filled or marked as Reserved or $0; wage-withholding must be marked Ordered or Stayed-Until-Date. Mismatches between the order and FL-191 cause the registry to chase corrections. (3) Item 5 (Father) or item 6 (Mother) for the filer's own info should be filled fully (name, DOB, SSN, current address, phone, employment status). The other-parent block is optional but encouraged. Bonus check: if item 7 (DV restraining order) is checked, the protected party's address can be suppressed; the wizard should not warn about a missing address for the protected party.
Don't memorize the rules. Ezel walks you through FL-191 field by field, flags what the AI review treats as a blocker, and renders a court-ready PDF.
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Field-by-field guidance
We've mapped every field on FL-191: what it asks, what counts as a blocker, what trips most filers up. Ezel applies all of it as you fill. Plain-English questions in, court-ready PDF out.
103 fields handled for you. You don't have to read them all.
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Caption block. Required.
Caption phone.
Optional.
Optional.
Pro se filers write 'Self-represented'.
Same county as the support order.
Court street address.
Optional.
Court city and ZIP.
Branch name.
Match the support order caption.
Match the support order caption.
Optional; only when there is a separately joined other parent in a parentage case.
Case number from the support order.
Mark Mother OR Father at the top right of the form. The State Registry uses this flag to assign which parent is filing.
Mark Mother OR Father at the top right of the form.
First form completed OR Change to previous information. Required.
Date the support order was filed.
One of initial / modification must be checked.
One of initial / modification must be checked.
Item 1c(1) child support column. Required if order set base child support.
Mark when current_child_support_amount > 0.
Reserved order: court reserved jurisdiction without setting amount.
$0 (zero) order: court explicitly set support at $0.
Item 1c(1) family support column. Family support is a combined child + spousal order under Family Code section 4066.
Mark when current_family_support_amount > 0.
Optional.
Optional.
Item 1c(1) spousal support column.
Mark when current_spousal_support_amount > 0.
Optional.
Optional.
Add-on child support: uninsured medical (Family Code section 4063), child care, special needs.
Mark if additional_child_support_amount > 0.
Optional.
Mark if additional_family_support_amount > 0.
Past-due child support arrearages.
Mark if past_due_child_support > 0.
Past-due family support.
Mark if past_due_family_support > 0.
Past-due spousal support.
Mark if past_due_spousal_support > 0.
Monthly payment toward past-due child support.
Mark if payment_past_due_child > 0.
Monthly payment toward past-due family support.
Mark if payment_past_due_family > 0.
Monthly payment toward past-due spousal support.
Mark if payment_past_due_spousal > 0.
Wage withholding is the default for support orders. The court can stay it on good cause; if stayed, the date the stay ends is required.
Required when wage_withholding == stayed.
Item 2 payor name. Required.
Item 2 payor relationship to child. Required.
Item 3 payee name. Required.
Item 3 payee relationship. Required only when payee is a person (not a local child support agency).
Item 4 row 1 child name.
Item 4 row 1 DOB.
Item 4 row 1 SSN. Requested but not strictly required if unknown; the State Registry can match by name + DOB if SSN is missing.
Item 4 row 2. Optional.
Optional.
Optional.
Item 4 row 3. Optional.
Optional.
Optional.
Mark if more than 3 children. Continue on a plain-paper attachment.
Required for the father if filer_is_father. Encouraged but not required for the mother.
Required for father-filer.
Required for father-filer; the form is confidential.
Required for father-filer unless protected by item 7 DV order.
Required for father-filer unless DV-protected.
Optional unless different from street address.
Optional.
Required for father-filer unless DV-protected.
Required if father_dl_number is filled.
Required for father-filer.
Required for father-filer.
Required if father_employment == employed or self_employed.
Required if employed.
Required if employed.
Optional.
Required for mother-filer.
Required for mother-filer.
Required for mother-filer.
Required for mother-filer unless DV-protected.
Required for mother-filer unless DV-protected.
Optional.
Optional.
Required for mother-filer unless DV-protected.
Required if mother_dl_number is filled.
Required for mother-filer.
Required for mother-filer.
Required if employed.
Required if employed.
Required if employed.
Optional.
Mark if a DV-based protective order between the parents is in effect. Triggers address suppression for the protected party.
Required if ro_in_effect == true.
Required if ro_in_effect == true.
Optional.
Required if ro_in_effect == true.
Required if ro_in_effect == true.
Required if ro_in_effect == true.
Date the filer signs.
Type or print full legal name. Sign with a pen on the line below after printing.
Sources
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