Rule 54.1.Periodic Payments.
Current through July 1, 2026 · Last verified September 11, 2026
Full Text of Rule 54.1
Amendment History
The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary’s compiled text of this rule carries no amendment order for this rule. For the adopting orders and any later amendments, see the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary’s rules page.
Committee Comment
This rule sets forth the requirements in child support orders. At the time it was promulgated, the statute required that all such orders be paid through the Child Support Enforcement Agency. Subsequently, Haw. Rev. Stat. § 576D-10(b) through (i) was amended to allow direct payments subject to certain conditions. This rule was amended to be consistent with statutory amendments.
Plain-English Summary
Provisions for periodic payments of alimony or child support must be set out specifically in the judgment or order that provides for them. A general direction to pay support does not satisfy this rule; the terms belong on the face of the document.
Alimony provisions must also state the route. The order says whether payments go directly to the recipient, through the chief clerk of a circuit court, or through the Child Support Enforcement Agency where a concurrent child support order exists.
Specificity here is what makes an order enforceable later. Rule 69 supplies the enforcement machinery for a judgment or order for the payment of support, and Rule 62(a) puts a child support order, whether paid directly or by income assignment, outside the ordinary stay that follows entry of a judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a Hawaii support order contain?
Provisions for periodic payments of alimony or child support must be set forth specifically in the judgment or order providing for them.
How are alimony payments routed?
The provision must state whether payments go directly to the recipient, through the chief clerk of a circuit court, or through the Child Support Enforcement Agency where there is a concurrent child support order.
Why does the routing matter?
It determines who records and enforces the payments, and it is the detail an enforcement proceeding under Rule 69 depends on.
Is a support order stayed while a post-trial motion is pending?
Not automatically. Rule 62(a) excepts an order for the payment of child support, directly or by income assignment, from the ordinary stay.
How is a support order changed?
Through Rule 54.2, which governs modification of judgments, including support for a child who reaches the age of majority.