Child support · IA
Iowa child support calculator
Iowa Court Rule 9.26 as amended for January 2026, with the low-income Areas A and B, the visitation credit and joint physical care.
Rules read on official Iowa pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Model
- Income shares
- Income counted
- Net income
- Shared parenting
- No fixed formula
- 1 child, $5,000 / $3,000
- $898
- a month, rules of January 1, 2026
Iowa replaced its schedule of basic support obligations on January 1, 2026, by a Supreme Court order of September 29, 2025, and the top of the table rose to $30,000 of combined adjusted net monthly income. A noncustodial parent with $4,000 of net income, facing $2,000, owes $1,185 a month for two children: a two-thirds share of the $1,778 printed for a combined $6,000. Iowa starts from net income after federal and state tax computed with the guidelines method, payroll taxes, union dues and a few other items. Time is credited in three steps from 128 overnights a year, worth 15%, 20% and 25%, and equally shared physical care follows its own offset method. Below $1,250 the paying parent's income is read alone. One detail of the new table: the row for $8,801 to $8,850 was never printed.
Guideline child support in Iowa, per month
$898
$10,770 a year
| Combined adjusted net income | $8,000 |
| Schedule amount, 1 child | $1,436 |
| Paying parent’s share of income | 62.5% |
Estimate under the Iowa guideline as published, from the incomes you enter. Deviations, imputed income, other children and the judge's findings can change the order. How this is calculated.
A missing line in the 2026 table
The rule 9.26 schedule climbs in $50 brackets. Between $8,751-$8,800 and $8,851-$8,900 there is nothing: the order's attachment and the consolidated chapter published by the Legislature both jump over $8,801 to $8,850. A family whose combined net income lands there has no printed amount. The calculator takes the line below ($2,288 for two children, against $2,308 on the next line); a court may well use the next one or average them, so treat any figure in that band as an estimate within about $20.
Areas A, B and C
The low-income adjustment is part of the table. In Area A, up to $1,250, only the noncustodial parent's own income counts and the amounts are small minimums ($50 for one child at the bottom line). Area B starts at $1,251 and ends at $1,800 for 1, $2,200 for 2, $2,550 for 3, $2,550 for 4 and $2,650 for 5 or more children; there, two calculations are made and the lower wins. Area C is ordinary income shares.
| Paying parent, net monthly | Other parent | Monthly support, one child |
|---|---|---|
| $1,250 | $3,000 | $143 |
| $1,251 | $3,000 | $149 |
Credits for visitation, and the 50/50 grid
Rule 9.9 has not moved with the 2026 update: court-ordered visitation over 127 overnights cuts the noncustodial parent's share by a flat percentage, never below $50, $75 and $100 for one, two and three or more children.
| Overnights a year | Monthly support, two children |
|---|---|
| 0 | $1,185 |
| 127 | $1,185 |
| 128 | $1,008 |
| 148 | $948 |
| 167 | $889 |
Equally shared physical care is a separate grid in rule 9.14(3): combined incomes are always used, even in the shaded areas, each parent's share is multiplied by 1.5 for the cost of two homes and by 0.5 for half the time, and the two amounts are offset. For the same family that leaves $444 a month. Child care is now an add-on rather than a reason to vary, capped at half of the noncustodial parent's disposable income; the calculator splits it by income without that cap. The official text is on legis.iowa.gov; see also Nebraska and Illinois.
The Iowa guideline this calculator applies
| Rule | Iowa |
|---|---|
| Model | Income shares, combined adjusted net monthly income schedule (Iowa Ct. R. 9.26) |
| Income counted | Net income: after income taxes and mandatory deductions, as the state defines it. |
| Official schedule | $0 to $30,000 of combined income a month, 591 rows |
| Shared parenting | No overnight formula in the calculator (see the rule below) |
| In force since | January 1, 2026 |
Monthly support for one paying parent, the other parent without income
| Paying parent’s monthly income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $455 | $636 | $708 | $737 |
| $3,000 | $686 | $1,044 | $1,262 | $1,279 |
| $4,000 | $913 | $1,369 | $1,644 | $1,709 |
| $5,000 | $1,089 | $1,643 | $1,967 | $2,131 |
| $6,000 | $1,191 | $1,778 | $2,107 | $2,353 |
| $8,000 | $1,436 | $2,122 | $2,487 | $2,778 |
| $10,000 | $1,667 | $2,465 | $2,892 | $3,230 |
| $12,500 | $1,940 | $2,838 | $3,291 | $3,676 |
| $15,000 | $2,248 | $3,264 | $3,754 | $4,194 |
| $20,000 | $2,759 | $4,079 | $4,784 | $5,344 |
How the amount is set. Find the bracket containing the adjusted net monthly income (combined, or the noncustodial parent's alone in low-income Area A; lower of both in Area B) (Iowa Ct. R. 9.3(2), 9.26 notes 1-2). Brackets are $100 wide up to $800 and $50 wide above. source
Income. Gross monthly income = reasonably expected income from all sources (Iowa Ct. R. 9.5(1)). Net monthly income = gross minus federal and state income tax (guidelines method, rule 9.6), Social Security and Medicare tax or mandatory pension, mandatory occupational license fees, union dues, health insurance premiums for other children under order, cash medical support in this matter, prior support actually paid for other children, and qualified additional dependent deductions (rule 9.5(2)). Voluntary savings, pensions, etc. are not deducted (rule 9.5(3)).
Above the table. Above $30,000 combined net monthly income the basic obligation is within the court's or agency's discretion but not less than the amount at $30,000 (Iowa Ct. R. 9.26 note 3).
Parenting time. Extraordinary visitation credit: if the noncustodial parent's court-ordered visitation exceeds 127 overnights a year, the NCP's share of the basic obligation is reduced 15% (128-147), 20% (148-166) or 25% (167 or more but less than equally shared care), not below $50/$75/$100 for 1/2/3+ children (Iowa Ct. R. 9.9). Joint (equally shared) physical care: combined incomes on the schedule, each parent's share x 1.5 x 0.5, then offset; the higher obligation pays the difference (Iowa Ct. R. 9.14(3) grid).
Child care and health care. Child care expense add-on: the lesser of (1) NCP's share of net child care costs (after an estimated 25% tax credit unless the custodial parent is below the rule 9.11A(1)(b) income thresholds), computed on modified incomes, and (2) 50% of NCP's disposable income minus health insurance, cash medical and support; presumed to end at the child's 13th birthday (Iowa Ct. R. 9.11A). Reasonable cost and cash medical support are set with the Medical Support Table (Iowa Ct. R. 9.12(2)-(4)); uncovered medical expenses: custodial parent pays the first $250 per child per year (max $800 for all children), the rest by net income shares; in joint physical care all are shared by net income (rule 9.12(5)). Child care and health insurance are added to the guideline amount (Iowa Ct. R. 9.11A, 9.12, 9.14(5)).
Low incomes. Low-income adjustment built into the shaded Areas A and B of the schedule (Iowa Ct. R. 9.3(2), 9.26); support is zero if the NCP's only income is SSI (rule 9.4).
When support ends. Support covers a child between 18 and 19 engaged full-time in completing high school graduation or equivalency requirements expected to finish before 19, and may cover a child of any age dependent because of disability (Iowa Code § 598.1(9)). source
Worth knowing in Iowa
- Iowa's new schedule took effect January 1, 2026 (Iowa Supreme Court order of September 29, 2025, after the April 2025 Guidelines Review Committee report), raising the top of the schedule from $25,000 to $30,000 combined net monthly income. source
- Iowa counts five columns only: the last column is 'five or more children' (Iowa Ct. R. 9.26). source
- The extraordinary visitation credit starts above 127 overnights (15%, 20%, 25% tiers) (Iowa Ct. R. 9.9). source
- Support is zero when the noncustodial parent's only income is Supplemental Security Income (Iowa Ct. R. 9.4). source
- Orders for several children must include a step-down provision that adjusts support automatically as children age out (Iowa Ct. R. 9.14(6)). source