How to modify child support or spousal support in Alaska

Sources last checked: 4 November 2026. Information only, not legal advice. The Cusp is not a law firm.

Alaska divorce kit How child support is calculated Alimony in Alaska Legal aid in Alaska After your divorce

The short version

In Alaska, AS 25.24.170(a) lets the court, “upon the motion of either party”, change the part of a divorce judgment that covers alimony, the children’s nurture and education, or the maintenance of either party, at any time after judgment. For child support, Civil Rule 90.3(h) says an award may be modified on a showing of a material change of circumstances, and that a change is presumed if guideline support is more than 15 percent above or below the current order. Unpaid support that has already built up cannot be changed retroactively, but a change that takes effect on or after the date your motion is served is not treated as retroactive. The Alaska Court System has a form for each: the Motion to Change Alaska Order about Parenting Plan or Child Support (DR-705) and the Request to Change Order or Decree Concerning Spousal Support or Property/Debt Division (DR-735).

What the motion can ask for

Child support: Rule 90.3(h)(1) says a final award may be modified “upon a showing of a material change of circumstances” as provided by state law. The rule says a material change “will be presumed” if support calculated under the rule is more than 15 percent greater or less than the outstanding order.
Income changes: the DR-705 form says a change in income must be “long-term and significant”, and that a minor or temporary change will not support a modification. It says a change is generally significant if it would raise or lower payments by 15 percent or more, or change which parent owes support.
Other reasons on the form: a change in the children’s schedule that changes the type of custody or the share of shared custody, a change in the availability or cost of the children’s medical insurance or a significant change in their medical expenses, or another change you describe.
Guideline changes: AS 25.24.170(b) says that for a motion to modify or terminate child support, a new or significantly amended set of guidelines “is a material change in circumstances” if the guidelines are relevant to the motion.
Spousal support: AS 25.24.170(a) lets the court “set aside, alter, or modify” the part of a judgment that provides for alimony or for the maintenance of either party. The statute does not state a test for doing so. The DR-735 form asks you to say how you want the order changed and the reason for the change.

What else you file

The Court System’s instructions for the child support motion are form DR-701 (6/25). They list these items.

Motion (DR-705): you check whether you want support increased, decreased or unchanged, and the reasons. The form says you must attach documents that support your request, such as pay stubs, tax returns and proof of benefits.
Notice of Motion (DR-710), Child Custody Jurisdiction Affidavit (DR-150) and Child Support Guidelines Affidavit (DR-305): all three are on the DR-705 list of required attachments, along with a copy of your most recent child support order. The DR-701 instructions say to attach to the DR-305 your most recent federal tax return, at least 3 recent pay stubs, and documentation for any deductions other than standard taxes.
Shared, divided or hybrid custody: the DR-705 form requires DR-306, DR-307 or DR-308 if one of those custody types has been ordered or requested.
Filing fee or waiver: the DR-705 list names the filing fee or a Request for Exemption from Payment of Fees (TF-920).
Notary: the DR-701 instructions say to sign the motion and the two affidavits in front of a notary public, that a court clerk can do this for free, and that a Self-Certification (TF-835) can be attached if no notary is available.
Income withholding: the DR-705 form says the modification order must require that support be immediately withheld from the payer’s income unless one of three listed exceptions applies.
Spousal support (DR-735): the form says to attach the required Notice of Motion (CIV-650), to pay the filing fee or file the TF-920, and to sign in front of a notary. We found no separate list of required financial attachments on this form.
Orders from another state: the DR-701 instructions say that if the support order was issued in another state or by a tribal court and registered in Alaska, you use the DR-360 packet instead.

What the statutes and rules say

The wording below is a plain-language summary of the Alaska Statutes as shown on the Legislature’s website and of the Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure as posted by the Alaska Court System, both read on 4 November 2026, with short quotations.

Retroactivity, Rule 90.3(h)(2): “Child support arrearage may not be modified retroactively”, except as AS 25.27.166(d) allows. A modification effective on or after the date a motion is served on the other party “is not considered a retroactive modification”. The date that matters in this rule is service, not filing.
Guidelines, Rule 90.3(a): where one parent has primary physical custody, the award is the non-custodial parent’s adjusted annual income multiplied by 20 percent for one child, 27 percent for two and 33 percent for three, plus 3 percent for each additional child.
Departing from the guidelines, Rule 90.3(c)(1): the court may vary the award for good cause on proof by “clear and convincing evidence” that “manifest injustice would result” otherwise, and must give its reason in writing. Rule 90.3(c)(2) says paragraph (a) does not apply to the part of a parent’s adjusted annual income above $138,000, and the court may make an additional award only if it is just and proper.
Periodic review, AS 25.24.170(b): to comply with federal law, a periodic modification of child support may be made without showing a material change if the order “has not been modified or adjusted during the three years preceding” the modification.
Preclusion, Rule 90.3(h)(3): the court may find a parent is precluded from collecting arrears from a period of more than six consecutive months in which that parent agreed or acquiesced to the other parent having primary custody. The finding must rest on “clear and convincing evidence”.
Original spousal support award, AS 25.24.160(a)(2): maintenance may be for a limited or indefinite period, and its factors include the length of the marriage, the parties’ ages and health, earning capacity, financial condition and conduct. We did not find a statute that lists factors for a later change.

Notice, service and hearing

Where to file: the DR-701 instructions say to file the originals at the same court location that issued the order you want changed.
Service: you must give the other party a copy of everything you file. The instructions say that if a lawyer represented the other party and the case closed less than a year ago, you serve the lawyer, and otherwise you serve the other party directly. Methods listed include first-class mail, hand-delivery, email (if the other party uses TrueFiling or gave the court an email address) and fax (only if they agreed to it in the case).
Certificate of service: the instructions say your filed documents “will not be processed by the court until you file” one. TrueFiling can create it when you serve through that system.
Fee before service: the DR-701 instructions say not to give the motion to the other parent until the fee is paid or waived. The DR-735 form says to serve after you pay the fee or the court approves a waiver.
Response and reply (child support motion): the other parent has 10 days (13 if you mailed it) to respond. You then have 5 days to reply (8 days if the response was mailed), not counting weekends or holidays. Replying is optional and uses DR-730. The judge may schedule a hearing.
TrueFiling: the DR-701 instructions say that if TrueFiling is available for your case type and court you must use it unless you are exempt for a listed reason.

Before you file

Court staff cannot give legal advice. See legal aid in Alaska for free or low-cost help, or the Alaska divorce kit for the wider process.
Timing matters: under Rule 90.3(h)(2) a child support change can take effect from the date the motion is served without being retroactive, and the DR-701 and DR-735 instructions say not to serve until the fee is paid or waived. Ask the clerk how those steps fit together in your case.
The DR-701 instructions say there is no fee if you and the other parent agree and file together, or file the other parent’s written agreement. If you do not agree, they point to the court’s fee page. This page states no dollar amount because the sources we read state none.
Child support amounts follow Rule 90.3. See how child support is calculated in Alaska and alimony in Alaska. For other changes after a divorce, see After your divorce.

What we could not confirm

The filing fee. The forms point to Administrative Rule 9(b)(11) and the court’s fee page. We read neither, so we give no amount.
The test for changing spousal support. AS 25.24.170(a) names none, and we read no rule or court opinion on it, so we do not say what a judge will require.
Whether spousal support can change for the period before you file or serve. We read nothing on it. The retroactivity rule we read covers child support.
Response deadlines for the spousal support request. The DR-735 form states none. The 10-day and 13-day periods above come from the child support instructions.
Other forms. We did not read the Notice of Motion forms (CIV-650 and DR-710), the DR-310 child support booklet, or the Court System’s fee page.
The Child Support Services Division route. AS 25.27.190 lets the agency modify its own administrative decisions where no court order exists. We did not read agency pages, so this page does not describe that route.
Changes to custody or the parenting plan. The DR-705 form covers these too. This page covers money only.
Court opinions. We read none, so we do not say how judges apply the rules. The amendment history printed under Rule 90.3 ends at SCO 2004, effective October 16, 2023; later changes, if any, were not checked.
Local practice. We did not read any individual court location’s procedures.

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