The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) sets rules for handling child support and spousal support when more than one state is involved. It helps determine which court can establish, enforce, or change a support order. It also addresses certain international support cases.

In California Family Law

California’s version of UIFSA begins at Family Code section 5700.101. A central distinction is between enforcement, which means making someone comply with an order, and modification, which means changing it.

For example, a parent receives a child support order in another state and later needs to collect unpaid support from a parent living in California. The order may be registered in California for enforcement. Registration does not, by itself, give a California court authority to change the support amount.

For child support, authority to modify an order generally depends on where the parents and child live, whether the order is the controlling order, and whether the parties have given the consent required by UIFSA. Moving to another state does not automatically transfer that authority.

Spousal support follows a different rule: a California court that issued the order retains exclusive authority to modify it while the support obligation exists. Another state may help enforce the order.