Child support calculator for every state

Three families of guidelines

Every state must have a child support guideline that judges apply unless they explain in writing why it would be unjust in a particular case (42 U.S.C. § 667). Federal rules require each state to review its guideline at least once every four years, to consider the economic data on the cost of raising children, and to take the paying parent's ability to pay into account (45 CFR § 302.56). Within those limits, states chose their own models.

Income shares. The guideline assumes children should receive the share of income they would have received if the parents lived together. A table gives the amount for each level of combined income and each number of children; each parent owes a share proportional to his or her income, and the parent with less time pays that share to the other. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida and Georgia are among the states that use it.

Percentage of income. A fixed share of the paying parent's income, rising with the number of children, sometimes with a cap on the income counted. Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin work this way, with their own definitions of income.

Formulas. California, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana and Wyoming use an equation or a multi-step formula: California's builds parenting time into its K factor, and the Melson formula first protects a minimum for each parent's own needs.

Parenting time changes the amount

In most income-shares states, the basic amount is used as is until the paying parent reaches a set number of overnights a year. Past that point a shared-parenting formula applies: the table amount is multiplied (often by 1.5, because two homes cost more than one), each parent's share is computed, and the two obligations are offset according to the time each parent has. The thresholds we apply range from 73 to 180 overnights a year depending on the state. Other states reduce the amount by a percentage that grows with parenting time, and a few, such as Texas and New York, have no parenting-time formula at all and leave it to the judge as a reason to deviate.

What counts as income

The single most important input is the definition of income, and states disagree. Some start from gross income before taxes, others from net income after federal and state income taxes, Social Security and Medicare, and some from an adjusted figure (gross minus support paid for other children, union dues or health insurance premiums). Under each income field, the calculator states the definition used by the state you picked. Income a court may add, such as overtime, bonuses, rental income or income imputed to a parent who works less than he or she could, is up to you to include.

What the guideline adds to the basic amount

Most guidelines add two costs to the basic obligation and share them by income: child care needed so a parent can work or study, and the children's portion of health insurance premiums. Uninsured medical costs, school fees and travel for visits are usually handled separately. A few states treat health insurance differently, as a deduction from income rather than an add-on; the state page tells you which.

When the court departs from the guideline

The guideline result is presumed correct, not mandatory. Judges may deviate for reasons listed in each state's law: very high income, a child's special needs, extraordinary travel costs for parenting time, or other children the paying parent supports. Parents can also agree to a different amount, which the court must usually review against the guideline. That is why the calculator shows the guideline figure and the steps behind it rather than a promise of what an order will say.

For the time support lasts, how it is enforced and how to request a review, see how much child support is, case by case.