Satisfaction of a money judgment for support shall be credited as follows:
§ 695.221.Credit of Satisfaction of Judgment For Support
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 1. General Provisions · Article 2. Amount to Satisfy Money Judgment · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 695.221 sets a different crediting order for payments satisfying a support judgment -- current month's support first, then unpaid principal by matured installment order, then accrued interest -- and layers on separate distribution rules for lump-sum collections and for collections received during specified historical periods.
Full Text of § 695.221
(a) The money shall first be credited against the current month's support.
(b) Any remaining money shall next be credited against the principal amount of the judgment remaining unsatisfied. If the judgment is payable in installments, the remaining money shall be credited against the matured installments in the order in which they matured.
(c) Any remaining money shall be credited against the accrued interest that remains unsatisfied.
(d) In cases enforced pursuant to Part D (commencing with Section 651) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code, if a lump-sum payment is collected from a support obligor who has money judgments for support owing to more than one family, effective September 1, 2006, all support collected shall be distributed pursuant to guidelines developed by the Department of Child Support Services.
(e) Support collections received between January 1, 2009, and April 30, 2020, inclusive, shall be distributed by the Department of Child Support Services as follows:
(1) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a), (b), and (c), a collection received as a result of a federal tax refund offset shall first be credited against the principal amount of past due support that has been assigned to the state pursuant to Section 11477 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and federal law and then any interest due on that past due support, prior to the principal amount of any other past due support remaining unsatisfied and then any interest due on that past due support.
(2) The following shall be the order of distribution of child support collections through September 30, 2000, except for federal tax refund offset collections, for child support received for families and children who are former recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program benefits or former recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program benefits:
(A) The money shall first be credited against the current month's support.
(B) Any remaining money shall next be credited against interest that accrued on arrearages owed to the family or children since leaving the AFDC program or the TANF program and then the arrearages.
(C) Any remaining money shall next be credited against interest that accrued on arrearages owed during the time the family or children received benefits under the AFDC program or the TANF program and then the arrearages.
(D) Any remaining money shall next be credited against interest that accrued on arrearages owed to the family or children prior to receiving benefits from the AFDC program or the TANF program and then the arrearages.
(f) Support collections received on or after May 1, 2020, shall be distributed by the Department of Child Support Services in accordance with Section 657(a)(2)(B) of Title 42 of the United States Code, as amended by Section 7301(b)(1) of the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, in such a manner as to distribute all support collections to families first to the maximum extent permitted by federal law.
Plain-English Summary
Support judgments follow their own priority order, distinct from § 695.220's rule for other money judgments. Under § 695.221, payment goes first to the current month's support, then to the unpaid principal amount of the judgment -- applied against matured installments in the order they came due -- and only after that to accrued, unpaid interest.
The remaining subdivisions layer additional rules onto that basic order for particular situations. Subdivision (d) addresses lump-sum collections from an obligor who owes support to more than one family, directing distribution under Department of Child Support Services guidelines starting September 1, 2006. Subdivisions (e) and (f) set out different distribution schemes for collections received during two historical windows -- January 1, 2009 through April 30, 2020, and collections received on or after May 1, 2020 -- including special handling for federal tax refund offsets and, for the earlier period, distinctions tied to the former AFDC and TANF programs.
Together, these layered rules reflect how federal law shapes state child support collection and distribution, requiring California to route money differently depending on when it was collected and whether it passed through a federal offset program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a support payment credited, compared to an ordinary judgment payment?
Section 695.221 credits support payments first to the current month's support, then to unpaid principal by matured installment, then to accrued interest -- a different order than § 695.220 uses for other judgments.
Does this section address federal tax refund offsets?
Yes. Subdivision (e)(1) gives a federal tax refund offset collection special priority toward past-due support assigned to the state before other past-due support.
Do different rules apply depending on when the support money was collected?
Yes. Subdivisions (e) and (f) set separate distribution rules for collections received between January 1, 2009 and April 30, 2020, and for collections received on or after May 1, 2020.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2021 ch 85 (AB 135),s 1, eff. 7/16/2021. Added by Stats 2004 ch 305 (AB 2669),s 2, eff. 1/1/2009. Amended by Stats 2004 ch 305 (AB 2669),s 1, eff. 1/1/2005 Repealed by Stats 2004 ch 305 (AB 2669),s 1, eff. 1/1/2005, op. 1/1/2009. Amended by Stats 2000 ch 808 (AB 1358), s 11, 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: how child support payments credited californiasupport judgment payment priority california