How to Modify Child Support in Ohio
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Ohio · Last updated September 21, 2026
In Ohio, a child support modification is a court or child support agency changing the amount of an existing support order after your circumstances change, and Ohio ties that change to a clear number: if the guideline amount recalculated today is more than 10 percent higher or lower than your current order, that counts as a substantial change of circumstances (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79). Child support in Ohio follows a statewide guideline based on both parents' income and the basic support schedule (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021), so a job loss, a raise, or a change in parenting time can push the current amount outside that 10 percent band. You can ask for a change in two ways. You can request an administrative review by your county Child Support Enforcement Agency using form JFS 01849, or you can file a motion to modify in the court that issued your order (the court of continuing jurisdiction). A change takes effect only for support that becomes due after notice of your petition reaches the other parent, not back to when your circumstances changed (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84), so support that already came due generally cannot be reduced. You can also ask for a review about every 36 months (Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1). Keep paying your current order until it is officially changed. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Find out where you stand in Ohio
Where are you with changing your child support order?
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How do I modify child support in Ohio?
You can request an administrative review through your county Child Support Enforcement Agency using form JFS 01849, or file a motion to modify in the court that issued your order. Ohio treats a recalculated guideline amount that is more than 10 percent higher or lower than your current order as a substantial change (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79).
How much does the amount have to change to modify child support in Ohio?
Ohio uses a 10 percent test. If the child support amount recalculated under the current guideline is more than 10 percent higher or more than 10 percent lower than your existing order, that difference counts as a substantial change of circumstances that justifies a modification (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79).
How far back can a child support change go in Ohio?
A modification reaches only support payments that become due after notice of your petition is given to the other parent, not back to when your circumstances changed (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84). Support that already came due generally cannot be reduced, so filing promptly protects you. Keep paying the current order until it changes.
Who handles child support modifications in Ohio?
Two bodies can act in Ohio. Your county Child Support Enforcement Agency can conduct an administrative review of the order, and the court of continuing jurisdiction that issued your order can decide a motion to modify. Both apply the same statewide guideline and basic support schedule (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021).
Ohio child support modification at a glance
In Ohio, a child support modification is a court or child support agency changing an existing support order after circumstances change, and Ohio measures that change with a 10 percent test (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79). Support follows a statewide guideline and basic support schedule tied to both parents' income (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021), so a recalculated amount more than 10 percent above or below your current order counts as a substantial change. You can request an administrative review through your county Child Support Enforcement Agency using form JFS 01849, or file a motion to modify in the court that issued your order. A change applies only to support that becomes due after notice of your petition, so support that already came due generally cannot be reduced (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84).
Lowering an Ohio order after a pay cut
Suppose your Ohio order was set two years ago and your hours were just cut, so the guideline recalculated on your lower income now comes out more than 10 percent below your current order, which is a substantial change under Ohio Revised Code 3119.79. You request an administrative review through your county Child Support Enforcement Agency using form JFS 01849, or file a motion in the court that issued your order. Because a change reaches only support due after notice of your petition (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84), you act promptly and keep paying the current amount while the review is pending. The agency or court recalculates support under the guideline and issues a lower order going forward. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Relevant Laws
Ohio Revised Code 3119.79 (substantial change of circumstances)
Provides that when the recalculated guideline amount is more than ten per cent greater than or more than ten per cent less than the amount required under the existing order, that deviation is considered a change of circumstance substantial enough to require a modification.
Ohio Revised Code 3119.84 (retroactive effect of a modification)
Provides that a court with jurisdiction over a support order may modify an obligor's duty to pay a support payment that becomes due after notice of the petition to modify has been given, so a change reaches support due after notice, not earlier.
Ohio Revised Code 3119.021 (basic child support schedule)
Directs the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to create the basic child support schedule and sets the methodology used to compute guideline support amounts from the parents' combined income.
Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1 (periodic administrative review)
Provides that every thirty-six months after the date of the most recent child support order the child support enforcement agency with administrative responsibility will initiate an administrative review of the order.
Regional Variances
Ohio child support modification rules at a glance
Qualifying threshold
Ohio uses a 10 percent test: a guideline amount recalculated today that is more than 10 percent higher or lower than your existing order counts as a substantial change of circumstances (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79).
Where to file
Request an administrative review through your county Child Support Enforcement Agency, or file a motion to modify in the court that issued your order, called the court of continuing jurisdiction (usually the domestic relations or juvenile division).
Modification form
The agency path uses form JFS 01849, the Request for an Administrative Review of the Child Support Order. The court path uses Ohio's statewide Uniform Domestic Relations Form 28, plus any local forms your county court requires.
Retroactivity
A modification reaches only support that becomes due after notice of your petition is given to the other parent, not back to when circumstances changed, so support already due generally cannot be reduced (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84).
Periodic review
You can ask your county agency for an administrative review about every 36 months from your most recent order, and sooner if a qualifying change occurs (Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1).
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Recalculate support under the Ohio guideline
Before you file days after startingEstimate what the guideline would order now using both parents' current income and the basic support schedule (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021), and check whether the result is more than 10 percent off your order (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79). Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Gather proof of your changed circumstances
Before you file days after startingCollect current pay stubs, tax returns, and documents showing the change, such as a layoff notice, a new pay rate, health insurance changes, or a revised parenting schedule, so the agency or court can recalculate support accurately.
Complete the correct request form
As soon as your circumstances change days after startingFor an agency review, complete form JFS 01849. For a court motion, use Ohio's Uniform Domestic Relations Form 28 and any local forms your county court requires. Describe the change and attach your income proof.
Submit to the agency or file with the court
Promptly (a change dates back only to notice) days after startingSubmit form JFS 01849 to your county Child Support Enforcement Agency, or file your motion with the court that issued your order. File promptly, because a change reaches only support due after notice of your petition (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84).
Make sure the other parent gets notice
Before the review or hearing days after startingConfirm that notice of your petition reaches the other parent, since the retroactivity date runs from that notice (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84). For a court motion, complete service and file proof so the court can act.
Attend the review or hearing and get the new order
On your review or hearing date days after startingTake part in the administrative review or court hearing with your income proof, let the agency or court recalculate support under the guideline, and get the new order going forward. Keep paying the current amount until it is officially changed.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recalculate support under the Ohio guideline | Estimate what the guideline would order now using both parents' current income and the basic support schedule (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021), and check whether the result is more than 10 percent off your order (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79). Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft. | - | Before you file |
| Gather proof of your changed circumstances | Collect current pay stubs, tax returns, and documents showing the change, such as a layoff notice, a new pay rate, health insurance changes, or a revised parenting schedule, so the agency or court can recalculate support accurately. | - | Before you file |
| Complete the correct request form | For an agency review, complete form JFS 01849. For a court motion, use Ohio's Uniform Domestic Relations Form 28 and any local forms your county court requires. Describe the change and attach your income proof. | - | As soon as your circumstances change |
| Submit to the agency or file with the court | Submit form JFS 01849 to your county Child Support Enforcement Agency, or file your motion with the court that issued your order. File promptly, because a change reaches only support due after notice of your petition (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84). | - | Promptly (a change dates back only to notice) |
| Make sure the other parent gets notice | Confirm that notice of your petition reaches the other parent, since the retroactivity date runs from that notice (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84). For a court motion, complete service and file proof so the court can act. | - | Before the review or hearing |
| Attend the review or hearing and get the new order | Take part in the administrative review or court hearing with your income proof, let the agency or court recalculate support under the guideline, and get the new order going forward. Keep paying the current amount until it is officially changed. | - | On your review or hearing date |
Frequently Asked Questions
A genuine, involuntary income drop can push the recalculated guideline more than 10 percent below your order, which supports a modification (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79). You must still file or request a review; support keeps accruing at the old rate until it is changed. Do not simply stop paying.
Submit form JFS 01849, the Request for an Administrative Review of the Child Support Order, to your county Child Support Enforcement Agency. The agency reviews your order, recalculates support under the guideline, and can adjust it administratively when the 10 percent threshold is met (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79).
File in the court that issued your order, called the court of continuing jurisdiction, usually the domestic relations or juvenile division in your county. Ohio offers a statewide Uniform Domestic Relations Form 28 for a motion to change support, but many counties also require local forms, so check that court.
You can request an administrative review about every 36 months from your most recent order, and sooner if a qualifying change in circumstances occurs (Ohio Administrative Code 5101:12-60-05.1). There is no limit on filing a court motion whenever a substantial change genuinely arises.
A modification changes only support that becomes due after notice of your petition (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84). Support that already came due, called arrears, generally cannot be reduced or erased and continues to be owed. Keep paying your current order to avoid building arrears while your request is pending.
No. Either parent can request an agency review or file a court motion alone, and the other parent receives notice and can respond. If both parents agree on a new amount, they can present it for approval, but the agency or court still checks it against the guideline (Ohio Revised Code 3119.021).
An administrative review by your county Child Support Enforcement Agency typically runs over several months from the date you submit form JFS 01849, and a court motion depends on the county's hearing schedule. Because a change dates back only to notice of your petition, filing promptly protects you (Ohio Revised Code 3119.84).
Yes. The same 10 percent test works both ways in Ohio. If the recalculated guideline amount is more than 10 percent higher than the current order, for example after the other parent's income rises, that is a substantial change supporting an increase (Ohio Revised Code 3119.79).
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