Today, child support payments are collected and processed by a single entity, the California State Disbursement Unit (SDU). Required by federal law, the SDU processes 100% of child support payments that used to be handled at the Local Child Support Agencies.
Establishing parentage is the process of determining the legal father of a child. When parents are married, parentage is automatically established in most cases. If parents are unmarried, parentage establishment is not automatic and the process should be started by both parents as soon as possible for the benefit of the child.
