(a) Every money judgment or order for child support shall provide notice that interest on arrearages accrues at the legal rate.
§ 695.211.Notice of Interest On Arrearages In Judgment Or Order For Child Support
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 1. General Provisions · Article 2. Amount to Satisfy Money Judgment · Last amended 2000 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 695.211 requires every money judgment or order for child support to include notice that interest accrues on arrearages at the legal rate, requires the Judicial Council forms to carry that notice, and requires statements of account from the automated child support system to break out current support, arrears, and interest separately once that system is certified.
Full Text of § 695.211
(b) The notice provisions required by this section shall be incorporated in the appropriate Judicial Council forms.
(c) Upon implementation of the California Child Support Automation System prescribed in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 10080) of Part 1 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and certification of the California Child Support Automation System by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, whenever a statement of account is issued by the local child support agency in any child support action, the statement shall include a statement of an amount of current support, arrears, and interest due.
Plain-English Summary
Child support orders come with a financial consequence that isn't always obvious from the order itself: unpaid amounts accrue interest. Section 695.211(a) makes sure that fact isn't hidden -- every money judgment or order for child support must give notice that interest on arrearages accrues at the legal rate, and subdivision (b) requires the Judicial Council's own forms to build that notice in.
Subdivision (c) looks ahead to how support balances get reported once California's child support automation system is running and certified by the federal government. At that point, any statement of account issued by a local child support agency in a support action has to break the numbers apart -- showing current support, arrears, and interest due as separate figures rather than one lump sum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a child support order have to mention interest on unpaid amounts?
Yes. Section 695.211(a) requires every money judgment or order for child support to give notice that interest accrues on arrearages at the legal rate.
Do the standard Judicial Council forms include this notice?
Yes, subdivision (b) requires it to be built into the appropriate Judicial Council forms.
Will a support statement of account show interest separately from principal?
Once the California Child Support Automation System is certified, subdivision (c) requires local child support agency statements to itemize current support, arrears, and interest separately.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2000 ch 808 (AB 1358), s 10, eff. 9/28/2000.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: interest on child support arrears californiachild support judgment interest notice california