How to modify child support or spousal support in Hawaii

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

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

The short version

Hawaii’s divorce statute, HRS section 580-47, calls it “support and maintenance” for a spouse, and we use the plain term spousal support below. The same section lets the family court revise child support on a showing of a change in circumstances, and lets either party ask for a hearing on any support order by a motion backed by an affidavit. For child support, a material change is presumed when the guideline amount is ten per cent higher or lower than your current order, and either parent may ask for a review once every three years without showing any change. The Hawaii Judiciary’s Family Court forms page for Oʻahu (First Circuit) lists a child support modification set, forms 1F-P-580 to 1F-P-583. The Judiciary’s Court Filing Fees sheet lists “Motions” under divorce as “No Fee”; see the fees section below for what that does and does not tell you. We read no forms page for the other three circuits. The Child Support Enforcement Agency is also named in the statute as a place to ask for child support review.

The test for child support

The wording below is a plain-language summary of the Hawaii Revised Statutes as published on the Legislature’s website on 4 November 2026, with short quotations.

Change in circumstances, section 580-47(c): the court may revise its child support orders upon “a showing of a change in the circumstances of either party” or any child since the entry of the last order.
Guideline change or ten per cent gap, 580-47(c) and 576D-7(d): adopting or changing the guidelines “may constitute a change in circumstances” that permits review. Both sections also say that “A material change of circumstances will be presumed” if support calculated under the guidelines is ten per cent greater or less than the amount in the outstanding order.
Health care, 580-47(c): the need to provide for the child’s health care through health insurance or other means is a basis for petitioning for modification.
Review without a change, 580-47(e) and 576D-7(e): a parent may petition the family court or the child support enforcement agency “not more than once every three years” for review and adjustment without having to show a change. A second request inside three years needs proof of a substantial or material change.
Guidelines apply, 580-47(c) and 571-52.5: the court uses the most current guidelines to work out the amount, “except when exceptional circumstances warrant departure”. Section 576D-7(c) says the family court, in consultation with the agency, updates the guidelines at least once every four years.
Adult children, 580-47(a): support can continue for an adult child who is pursuing education. The agency must send notice at least three months before the child’s nineteenth birthday, and payments may be suspended if proof of full-time enrolment is not provided.

The test for spousal support

Motion and affidavit, 580-47(d): on a motion of either party “supported by an affidavit setting forth in particular a material change” in physical or financial circumstances, or on other good cause, the court may in its discretion grant a hearing. The subsection says “any order”, and is not limited to child support in its wording. We read no court decisions on how it is applied to spousal support.
What the court weighs, 580-47(d): after the hearing, for good cause shown, the court may amend or revise the order and “shall consider all proper circumstances” in setting the allowance going forward.
Factors for spousal support, 580-47(a): the statute lists thirteen factors the court considers in ordering spousal support, including the parties’ financial resources, the duration of the marriage, the standard of living during the marriage, age, health, and the probable duration of the need.
Duration, 580-47(a): the court may order support for an indefinite period or “until further order of the court”. Where it sets a specific duration based on time needed for training or education, it must allow a sufficient period to finish and to find work.
Arrears are not an automatic bar, 580-47(d): being in default or arrears “shall not necessarily constitute a bar to the granting of the hearing”.

Forms and where to file

These come from the Hawaii Judiciary’s Family Court forms page for Oʻahu (First Circuit), which we read on 4 November 2026. The page says the First Circuit is still revising its court forms, and says forms may contain filing fees that have changed, so check the court’s current fee statement.

Modification of child support (listed together on the page): Motion and Declaration to Modify Child Support (1F-P-580), Financial Information Sheet (1F-P-581), Hearing Scheduling Order (1F-P-582) and Order Regarding Motion to Modify Child Support (1F-P-583). Each is dated 10/28/2022 on the page. We did not open the forms, so we do not say what each asks for.
Post-decree relief (listed under Pre- and Post-Decree Forms): Motion and Declaration for Post-Decree Relief (1F-P-878) filed with a Proposed Scheduling Order for Post-Decree Relief (1F-P-987), both dated 09/08/2022. The page does not say whether this set is meant for support or alimony changes, so ask the clerk.
Fee waiver: the page lists an Ex Parte Motion and Declaration to Waive Filing Fees under HRS Chapter 607-3 (1F-P-3107, 08/26). It also lists a Schedule of Fees and Costs (1C-P-856). We did not open either.
Spousal support: the page has no form titled for changing spousal support. Ask the clerk whether the post-decree set applies.
Other circuits: the Judiciary’s forms index lists separate Family Court pages for the Second (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi), Third (Hawaiʻi island) and Fifth (Kauaʻi) Circuits. We did not read them, so check which forms your circuit uses.

Notice, hearing and fees

Notice: section 580-47(d) says the hearing may be granted “upon adequate notice to the other party”. It does not set a number of days or a method of service, and we did not read the family court rules.
Filing fee: the Judiciary’s Court Filing Fees sheet (form RG-AC-508, 7/22, fees effective 6/17/22) lists an initial filing fee for a divorce case, and lists “Motions” under that heading as “No Fee”. The sheet does not say whether a motion to modify support is counted as one of those motions, and it is dated 2022, so confirm with the clerk before you file.
Attorney’s fees, 580-47(f): on a motion to revise a support order, the court may order either party to pay or contribute to the other side’s attorney’s fees, costs and expenses, as appears just and equitable after considering the parties’ merits, relative abilities, economic condition, and the other listed circumstances.
Where to file: the statute speaks of the family court, and for child support review also the child support enforcement agency. We did not read an agency page that explains the steps.

Before you file

Court staff cannot give legal advice. See legal aid in Hawaii for free or low-cost help, or the Hawaii divorce kit for the wider process.
Timing: the statute we read does not say whether a change can reach back before you file, so do not assume it can. Ask the court, and file as soon as your circumstances change.
Child support amounts follow the state guidelines. See how child support is calculated in Hawaii and alimony in Hawaii. For other changes after a divorce, see After your divorce.

What we could not confirm

Whether a support modification motion is fee-free. The fee sheet says “No Fee” for divorce motions but is dated 2022 and does not name support modifications.
What the forms contain. We read only the forms listing, not the forms themselves or any instructions.
Forms for the other circuits and for a spousal support change.
The Legislature’s main site. The capitol.hawaii.gov site showed a bot-check page, which we did not bypass. We read the same statute text on the Legislature’s data.capitol.hawaii.gov host.
Retroactivity. Sections 580-47 and 576D-7 as we read them do not say whether a change can take effect before the date you file. We say nothing either way.
Arrears. Apart from the rule that arrears are not necessarily a bar to a hearing, we read no section on reducing or forgiving unpaid support.
The spousal support standard. The statute’s test for a hearing is a material change in physical or financial circumstances or other good cause. We read no court decisions, so we do not say how judges apply it.
Agency review process. We did not read the child support enforcement agency’s own pages or rules, the Hawaii Family Court Rules, or the child support guidelines document itself.
Agreements. We did not read whether a settlement agreement can limit later changes to spousal support.

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