How to Fill Out Form FL-191: Child Support Case Registry

The FL-191 form in California, formally the Child Support Case Registry form, is the Judicial Council attachment you file every time a court issues or changes a child support or family support order. It gives the state the identifying and employment information it needs to track the order and enforce payments. You can get it free from any court clerk, a family law facilitator, or the California Courts website, and you file it with your judgment, stipulation, or motion paperwork.

When You Have to File FL-191

California Rules of Court, Rule 5.330 requires a completed FL-191 whenever an initial child or family support order is filed, and again whenever one of those orders is modified.¹ That covers divorce judgments that include support, paternity actions, and motions to raise or lower an existing support amount.

If you arrive at the clerk’s window without the form, your filing is not rejected outright. The clerk must hand you a blank FL-191 to complete on the spot.¹ Easier to come prepared than to hunt for your employer’s address at the counter.

Family Code Section 4014 adds a separate deadline: each parent must file the required information within 10 days of the court order, and must update it within 10 days of any change.²

Where to Get the Form

FL-191 is available as a fillable PDF on the California Courts self-help site.³ Printed copies are free at the clerk’s office and the family law facilitator’s office at your courthouse.¹ There is no separate filing fee; the form rides along with whatever judgment or motion package you are submitting.

How to Fill It Out, Section by Section

The form runs two pages and is organized into numbered items. You fill in the parts that apply to you.

Item 1: Case Information

Item 1 asks for the county, court case number, and date of the order. If you are filing the form with a proposed judgment that no judge has signed yet, leave Item 1a (the order date) blank. The clerk fills that in after the judge signs.¹

Item 2: Type of Action

Check the box that matches your filing: a judgment, a stipulation, or an order after hearing.

Items 3 and 4: Petitioner and Respondent

Fill in the item that matches your role in the case. These items capture your name, address, and basic identifying details so the registry can link the filing to the right court file.

Items 5 and 6: Parent Information

These are the substance of the form. Item 5 is for the father, Item 6 for the mother. Each one asks for:⁴

Full legal name and date of birth.
Social Security number.
Current residential and mailing address.
Driver’s license or state ID number, plus the state that issued it.
Employment status: employed, self-employed, or not employed. If employed, the employer’s name, full street address, and phone number.

Family Code Section 4014 is explicit that this information is used to verify identities, locate parents, and set up wage assignments.² If you are self-employed or unemployed, note that in the employment field rather than leaving it empty.

Children Covered by the Order

A separate section lists every child covered by the order. For each child, provide the full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number.⁴ Make sure the spelling of each name matches the order itself. Mismatches between the two documents cause problems later.

What Counts as a Complete Form

You do not have to answer every field for the court to accept the form. Under Rule 5.330, FL-191 is considered complete when you have filled in Item 1b (county), Item 1c (case number), Item 2 (type of action), Item 5 (father), and Item 6 (mother), plus either Item 3 or Item 4 depending on whether you are the petitioner or respondent.¹ Even so, if you know an answer, write it in. Blank Social Security and employer fields weaken the enforcement value of the filing.

Filing the Form and What Happens Next

Hand the completed FL-191 to the clerk along with your judgment, stipulation, or motion. The clerk date- and time-stamps it on receipt. One point that catches people off guard: the form is not placed in your court case file. Rule 5.330 prohibits that, because the form contains Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and employer details. It is stored separately in a restricted area the public cannot access, or kept electronically with the same confidentiality protections.¹

At least once a month, the court forwards received FL-191 forms to the California Department of Social Services for inclusion in the State Case Registry.¹ Expect a short lag between filing and when your information appears in the statewide system.

Updating Your Information Later

Filing once does not end the obligation. Family Code Section 4014 requires you to update the court within 10 days of any change to the information you provided, including a new employer, new address, or new phone number.² File a new FL-191 with the updated details at the same clerk’s office that handled your original order. Keeping the registry current also protects you: if the other parent later claims you could not be located for service of a modification, your updated filing shows otherwise.

1
Judicial Branch of California. California Rules of Court 2026 – Rule 5.330 Procedures for Child Support Case Registry Form
2
California Legislative Information. California Code, Family Code – FAM 4014
3
California Courts. Child Support Case Registry Form (FL-191)
4
Judicial Council of California. Child Support Case Registry Form