Child support in Hawaii
Hawaii uses a version of the Melson formula, which looks at both parents' incomes and the children's basic needs. To open a case, contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), Hawaii Department of the Attorney General at (808) 207-9915.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Hawaii?
Hawaii uses the Hawaii Child Support Guidelines set by the Family Court. The calculation starts with both parents' gross monthly income and the children's minimum (primary) support needs, adds the cost of the children's health insurance and work-related child care, and can add a standard-of-living share when income allows. The guideline amount must be used unless the court or hearings officer finds an exceptional circumstance.
Law: Hawaii Child Support Guidelines (Family Court); HRS 576D-7
We don't estimate Hawaii's amount here: its formula uses both parents' incomes and other facts, and a home-made number could mislead you. The official tool gives the real starting number:
Open a child support case in Hawaii
- Phone
- (808) 207-9915; toll-free from the mainland (888) 314-0037
- How to open a case
You can ask the Family Court for an order, or apply for CSEA services. CSEA uses an administrative process: it sends a proposed order by certified mail, and either parent has 30 days after service to ask for a hearing before a hearings officer. Write, visit or call a CSEA branch office to get an application. Parents on TANF are referred by the Department of Human Services.
- Yearly fee
If you have never received TANF, CSEA keeps a $35 fee each year for each case once it has collected at least $550 for you; the fee is not taken from the first $550.
Law: HRS 576D-5(b)
- Forms
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Unmarried parents can sign the Voluntary Establishment of Paternity by Parents form at the birthing hospital or the Department of Health. If not, CSEA's Family Support Division files a Complaint for Paternity and can order genetic testing in its cases.
Hawaii child support by topic
How support is calculated in Hawaii
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Hawaii
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Hawaii
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Hawaii
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Hawaii
- Model
- Melson formula
- How it works
Hawaii uses the Hawaii Child Support Guidelines set by the Family Court. The calculation starts with both parents' gross monthly income and the children's minimum (primary) support needs, adds the cost of the children's health insurance and work-related child care, and can add a standard-of-living share when income allows. The guideline amount must be used unless the court or hearings officer finds an exceptional circumstance.
- Low income
The Guidelines set a minimum child support amount of $91 per child per month (CSEA).
- Official calculator
- Official Hawaii child support guidelines
- Health insurance and medical costs
The cost of health insurance for the children is part of the guideline calculation, and CSEA establishes medical support along with child support.
Law: Hawaii Child Support Guidelines (Family Court); HRS 576D-7
Change a child support order in Hawaii
- When a change is allowed
You can ask the Family Court or CSEA for a review once every 3 years without showing a change in circumstances. You can ask sooner if there is a substantial or material change. A material change is presumed if the guideline amount is at least 10% higher or lower than the current order. A new version of the guidelines can also be a reason to ask for a review.
Law: HRS 576D-7(d)-(e)
- How to ask
Go to Family Court, or ask CSEA in writing (you must have applied for CSEA services, unless you get TANF) and send current pay stubs or tax returns. CSEA sends a Notice of Child Support Review, then a proposed order or a Notice of No Support Change; either parent can ask for a hearing. The old order stays in effect until the new one is filed.
Law: HRS 576D-7(d)-(e); HRS ch. 576E (administrative process)
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Hawaii
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding
- Driver's license suspension
- Professional and vocational license suspension
- Federal tax refund and administrative offset (federal refund offset when $500 or more is owed to you)
- Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed
- Credit bureau reporting
- Liens on real property (orders recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances)
- Payment agreements to avoid license suspension
- License suspension
Driver's licenses: unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. Professional and vocational licenses: unpaid support equal to 6 months of payments. You have 30 days after the notice to ask for a hearing or make a payment agreement, which stops the suspension. Hawaii law also covers recreational licenses, but CSEA reports that it does not currently suspend them.
Law: HRS 576D-1; HRS 576D-13
Source: OCSS IRG
- Interest on unpaid support
CSEA does not calculate or collect interest on unpaid support as it builds up (CSEA Rights and Responsibilities, FCS032).
Law: HRS 576D-13; HRS 576D-6
When child support ends in Hawaii
- Support ends
18. Orders usually continue support while the child is in high school, or until 23 while the child is a full-time student at a college, university or vocational school, as the order provides.
- Exceptions
Orders usually also end support on death, emancipation or other listed events. For an adult child in school, the custodial parent must send CSEA proof of full-time enrollment every term, or CSEA stops collecting current support.
Law: HRS 580-47(a); CSEA order termination page
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Hawaii
- Legal Aid Society of Hawaii · 808-536-4302
- Hawaii State Bar Association Lawyer Referral & Information Service · (808) 537-9140
- Find free legal help at LawHelp.org
Official self-help
Free letters and checklist
Ask the agency to review (change) your order
A letter to the child support agency asking for a review and adjustment.
Ask the agency to collect unpaid support
A letter asking the agency to enforce the order and collect what is past due.
Checklist: what to bring to open a case
IDs, birth certificates, the other parent's details and your papers, with Hawaii's agency contact.
Good to know in Hawaii
- Support can continue to age 23 for a full-time college or vocational student, but you must send CSEA proof of enrollment every term (CSEA).
- Most CSEA orders are set by administrative hearings officers, and those orders have the same force as Family Court orders (CSEA).
- Hawaii keeps a passport blocked until the support balance is paid down to $0 (CSEA).
Federal rules in every state
- Applying. If you don't get TANF, Medicaid or foster care help, a state may charge an application fee of up to $25 to open a child support case. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(i)
- Yearly fee. If you never got TANF and the agency collected at least $550 for you in a year, the state charges a $35 yearly fee. It can come out of your support, but never out of the first $550. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(ii)
- Review every 3 years. If your case is with the child support agency, either parent can ask it to review the order every 3 years and adjust it to the guidelines. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(10)(A); 45 CFR 303.8
- Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)
- Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- How long support lasts. How long support lasts follows the law of the state that made the order, even if you move. Law: 28 U.S.C. 1738B(h)(2)
Questions about child support in Hawaii
How is child support calculated in Hawaii?
Hawaii uses the Hawaii Child Support Guidelines set by the Family Court. The calculation starts with both parents' gross monthly income and the children's minimum (primary) support needs, adds the cost of the children's health insurance and work-related child care, and can add a standard-of-living share when income allows. The guideline amount must be used unless the court or hearings officer finds an exceptional circumstance.
What if the paying parent has a low income in Hawaii?
The Guidelines set a minimum child support amount of $91 per child per month (CSEA).
How do I apply for child support in Hawaii?
You can ask the Family Court for an order, or apply for CSEA services. CSEA uses an administrative process: it sends a proposed order by certified mail, and either parent has 30 days after service to ask for a hearing before a hearings officer. Write, visit or call a CSEA branch office to get an application. Parents on TANF are referred by the Department of Human Services.
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Hawaii?
If you have never received TANF, CSEA keeps a $35 fee each year for each case once it has collected at least $550 for you; the fee is not taken from the first $550.
When can child support be changed in Hawaii?
You can ask the Family Court or CSEA for a review once every 3 years without showing a change in circumstances. You can ask sooner if there is a substantial or material change. A material change is presumed if the guideline amount is at least 10% higher or lower than the current order. A new version of the guidelines can also be a reason to ask for a review.
How do I ask to change child support in Hawaii?
Go to Family Court, or ask CSEA in writing (you must have applied for CSEA services, unless you get TANF) and send current pay stubs or tax returns. CSEA sends a Notice of Child Support Review, then a proposed order or a Notice of No Support Change; either parent can ask for a hearing. The old order stays in effect until the new one is filed.
What happens if child support is not paid in Hawaii?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Driver's license suspension; Professional and vocational license suspension; Federal tax refund and administrative offset (federal refund offset when $500 or more is owed to you); Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed; Credit bureau reporting; Liens on real property (orders recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances); Payment agreements to avoid license suspension.
Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Hawaii?
Driver's licenses: unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. Professional and vocational licenses: unpaid support equal to 6 months of payments. You have 30 days after the notice to ask for a hearing or make a payment agreement, which stops the suspension. Hawaii law also covers recreational licenses, but CSEA reports that it does not currently suspend them.
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Hawaii?
CSEA does not calculate or collect interest on unpaid support as it builds up (CSEA Rights and Responsibilities, FCS032).
When does child support end in Hawaii?
18. Orders usually continue support while the child is in high school, or until 23 while the child is a full-time student at a college, university or vocational school, as the order provides.
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Hawaii?
Orders usually continue support while the child is in high school, or until 23 while the child is a full-time student at a college, university or vocational school, as the order provides.
Can child support continue past the usual age in Hawaii?
Orders usually also end support on death, emancipation or other listed events. For an adult child in school, the custodial parent must send CSEA proof of full-time enrollment every term, or CSEA stops collecting current support.
How is paternity established in Hawaii?
Unmarried parents can sign the Voluntary Establishment of Paternity by Parents form at the birthing hospital or the Department of Health. If not, CSEA's Family Support Division files a Complaint for Paternity and can order genetic testing in its cases.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Hawaii?
The cost of health insurance for the children is part of the guideline calculation, and CSEA establishes medical support along with child support.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- CSEA: Order processing (establishment, modification, termination)
- CSEA: Enforcement
- CSEA: Paternity
- CSEA: Contact
- CSEA: Proof of continuing education
- HRS 576D-1 (definitions: compliance thresholds)
- HRS 576D-5 (fees)
- HRS 576D-7 (guidelines; modification)
- HRS 576D-13 (license suspension)
- HRS 580-47 (support of adult child in school)
- CSEA Rights and Responsibilities (FCS032)
- OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide (IRG) - State Profile Query
Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.
- State plan requirements: application fee, annual fee, safeguards, 42 U.S.C. 654
- Required state laws: arrears as judgments, review every 3 years, UIFSA, 42 U.S.C. 666
- Federal tax refund offset, 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passport denial for child support arrears, 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Garnishment limits for support orders, 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- Full faith and credit for child support orders, 28 U.S.C. 1738B
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (federal)