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Title
Rules and Forms | Family Law: Certification, Review, and Use of Computer Software to Assist in Determining Support
(Action Required)
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Summary
Summary
The Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee recommends the Judicial Council amend the rule that provides standards for computer software that assists in determining child and spousal support to (1) ensure the availability and accuracy of support calculator software used by the public and courts, (2) ensure all certified support calculators continue to perform in a manner consistent with the Family Code and rules of court, (3) promote transparency in the certification and recertification procedures, and (4) update terminology. The committee also proposes minor technical and grammatical changes to the rule to improve readability.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee recommends that the Judicial Council amend rule 5.275 of the California Rules of Court, effective January 1, 2027, to
1. Require that guideline calculators display, as the basic guideline child support result, the lowest child support amount within the low-income adjustment range;
2. Require that the generated calculator results display both the amount ordered and the allocation percentage between parents for additional support;
3. Give Judicial Council staff the ability to grant a short extension of the certification expiration date in limited circumstances;
4. Clarify that the Judicial Council’s revocation authority applies when a calculator is not submitted for review and testing to ensure continued compliance with all standards under rule 5.275(b), not solely the 1 percent accuracy requirement;
5. Authorize staff to require developers to submit their calculators for review when staff become aware, after certification, that a calculator is producing results inconsistent with the standards;
6. Allow for the use of an alternate certified calculator in support actions involving the local child support agency when Judicial Council staff determines that review is necessary due to postcertification changes or discovered inaccuracies in the California Child Support Guideline Calculator (DCSS Calculator) developed by the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS);
7. Clearly identify actions that will be taken by council staff during the initial certification and recertification process; and
8. Replace the word “printout” in the rule with the phrase “generated calculator results” to reflect the move away from paper to electronic documents
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