Both children are now 18. The $400/mo current support should terminate. This page maps every verified legal aid, court portal and form needed — all free, all remote-capable.
Under UIFSA §604(a) and Fla. Stat. §88.6041, Florida law controls the duration of support even though Massachusetts is enforcing. In Florida, §61.13(1)(a)1.a. terminates support on a child's 18th birthday unless still in high school. Both children are past that — current support is terminable by court order.
Nonprofit law firm with a dedicated Pro Se Family Law Form Project — they help fill out child support forms remotely by video or phone. Free for income-qualified clients.
Runs a "Pro Bono on Demand" Virtual Clinic — phone/Zoom family law sessions with Florida Bar attorneys. Statewide rural coverage. Malpractice coverage included.
Remote Legal Advice Clinic — brief service + limited scope help on family law matters. Phone/Zoom based.
Virtual legal advice clinic: post your civil legal question online, get an email answer from a pro bono Florida attorney. No representation, but excellent for confirming your strategy.
Same idea, MA-licensed attorneys. Useful for understanding the MA DOR enforcement side of things. Post, wait for email reply.
Searchable database of every legal aid office in Florida by county. Find the office serving the county where the 2017 order was entered.
The core petition. Asks the FL court to terminate current support and set the arrears payment plan. File in the county where the 2017 order was entered. Sign in front of a notary or deputy clerk.
Required with any support modification. Use the short form if gross annual income is under $50,000 (long form 12.902(c) if over).
The motion requesting termination with a ready-to-sign proposed order for the judge. Includes the UIFSA §604(a) argument (FL law controls duration).
Under FL Rule 2.530(b)(1), the court must grant remote appearance for nonevidentiary hearings under 30 minutes. Lets her appear by Zoom/phone — no flight to Florida needed.
Waives the $55 filing fee. Approved if income ≤ 200% of federal poverty guidelines (§57.082, Fla. Stat.). Filed with the clerk at intake.
Official Application (PDF)Get the FL case number and county from the 2017 order. Have both children's birthdates ready (birth certificates or other proof of DOB). Pull the arrears statement from MA DOR (call 1-800-332-2733) or FL DOR.
The package in Documents/ChildSupportPackage/ has all four documents drafted. Fill in the blanks (names, case number, dates, county, amounts), convert to PDF, sign where notarized.
Register at myflcourtaccess.com as a "Self-Represented Litigant", upload the petition, affidavit, and both motions as PDF/A, pay the fee online, OR submit the indigency application if eligible.
The FL clerk coordinates service; the petition must go to the other parent AND MA DOR Child Support Enforcement, P.O. Box 55140, Boston, MA 02205-5140. Other parent has 20 days to answer.
Call the clerk's family law intake about a week after filing. Mention you filed a remote appearance motion. They'll email the Zoom link or a phone-in number.
Log in on hearing day, camera on. Bring the Proposed Order filled out. Judge signs → current support terminates that day; withholding drops from $400 → $100/mo for arrears only.
Clerk furnishes copies to MA DOR; ensure the employer gets the modified Income Deduction Order. Verify next paycheck shows $100 deduction, not $400.
Even with both kids past 18, unilaterally stopping gets treated as contempt and piles on more arrears. The court order is the only clean exit.
The enforcing agency. Cannot modify the order — only a court can.
State disbursement + case status. eServices portal for case info.
Where everything gets filed. Register as Self-Represented Litigant, upload PDF/A.
Child support orders must terminate on a child's 18th birthday, unless the child is still in high school performing in good faith with reasonable expectation of graduation before age 19, or the parties agreed otherwise.
Read the StatuteUpon emancipation, current support terminates; the obligor continues paying at the same rate toward arrears until paid in full — or the court sets a different payment plan. This is the hook for the $100/mo arrears plan.
The issuing state (Florida) controls the nature, extent, amount and duration of the support obligation. Massachusetts, as responding state, just enforces what FL orders.
Courts must grant remote-appearance motions for nonevidentiary hearings of 30 minutes or less, absent good cause. This is why she can appear from Massachusetts by Zoom/phone.
This hub is legal information, not legal advice. Confirm the filing county on the 2017 order, and verify current form versions on flcourts.gov before filing. If MA DOR or the other parent contests, consult an attorney from the resources above.