Child Support Calculator
Last reviewed · Texas, Alaska and Delaware rules updated
Estimate child support payments using your state's official formula. Covers Income Shares (41 states), Percentage of Income (6 states), and the Melson Formula (3 states). Select your state for an instant calculation.
Census Bureau data show custodial parents received about $342 a month on average in 2022, against about $533 due. In Income Shares states (41 states), both parents' incomes determine the obligation. In Percentage of Income states (Texas, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota), only the paying parent's income matters. Texas applies 20% for one child, Wisconsin 17%, Mississippi 14%. Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana use the Melson Formula, which first reserves a subsistence allowance. Use the calculator below for your state's amount.
Filing in Texas? Use the Texas child support calculator for state specific fees and court costs.
This is an estimate only. Actual child support orders depend on state guidelines, judicial discretion, and case-specific factors. Consult a family law attorney in your state for legal advice.
This is an estimate built from the rule, schedule or survey named on this page, not legal advice and not a quote. Figures change when a legislature or a court changes them. Check the statute or the court’s own fee schedule, or ask a lawyer in your state, before you rely on a number here.
How Child Support Is Calculated Across the US
Child support in the United States is calculated using one of three models, depending on the state. The most common is the Income Shares model, used by 41 states. This approach combines both parents' gross incomes and references a schedule that estimates what the family would have spent on the children if the household remained intact. The total obligation is then divided proportionally between the parents based on their individual incomes.
Custody arrangements directly affect the child support amount. In sole custody situations, the non-custodial parent pays the full calculated share. Shared custody (92 to 128 overnights) typically reduces the obligation by approximately 25%, reflecting the increased direct spending by the non-custodial parent. Equal custody (129 to 182 overnights) can reduce the amount by roughly 40%. Courts may also adjust for health insurance premiums and childcare expenses paid by either parent.
Sources: state child support guidelines, including Texas Family Code sections 154.125 and 154.129, and the guideline schedules each state publishes. The Texas net resources cap rose to $11,700 on 1 September 2025. Reviewed September 2026.
These calculators provide educational estimates only. Child support determinations involve many factors not captured here, including special needs, extraordinary expenses, and existing support obligations. Always consult a licensed family law attorney in your state before making legal decisions.
What Counts as Income
Courts define income more broadly than most parents expect. The figure that goes into the calculation above is rarely the same as take-home pay, and knowing the difference changes what you should expect at a hearing.
- Wages and salary
- Overtime and bonuses
- Commissions and tips
- Self-employment income
- Rental income
- Dividends and interest
- Pensions and annuities
- Unemployment benefits
- Workers' compensation
- TANF
- SSI
- SNAP
- Foster care payments
- Other means-tested assistance
The logic behind the exclusions is that benefits designed to meet one household's subsistence needs should not be redirected to another.
Most states start from gross income before taxes. A minority use net income after specified deductions. Texas is the clearest example of the second group: net resources means gross income minus federal income tax at the single rate, Social Security and Medicare, union dues, and the cost of the child's health and dental insurance. Voluntary retirement contributions and car payments are not deductible there.
Courts do not simply accept the bottom line on a tax return. Expenses that reduce taxable income are frequently added back for support purposes when they carry a personal benefit. A vehicle, a home office, or a phone plan run through a business may be treated as income by a family court judge even though the IRS accepted the deduction. Courts also tend to average two or three years of returns rather than relying on a single year.
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or working below their demonstrated capacity, most states calculate support on what that parent could reasonably earn rather than what they actually report. Reducing your hours shortly before a hearing rarely produces the intended result.
Add-Ons That Sit on Top of the Base Amount
The guideline formula produces a base obligation. Several costs are then added separately and split between the parents in proportion to income, which means the final order is usually higher than the base figure alone.
| Add-on | How it is handled |
|---|---|
| Child's health insurance premium | Added to the base and divided proportionally by income. In some states it is folded into the schedule instead. |
| Work-related childcare | Added and divided proportionally. Must be necessary for a parent to work or attend school. |
| Extraordinary medical expenses | Uninsured costs above a stated threshold, shared in the same proportion. |
| Children from other relationships | Most states allow a deduction or credit. Some subtract an existing order from income before calculating the new one. Others apply a multiple-family adjustment inside the guideline. |
| Income caps | Nearly every state caps the income to which guideline percentages apply. Above the cap, the court needs evidence of the child's actual needs to order more. |
| Minimum obligation | Most states set a floor so an order exists even when the paying parent reports no income. |
Texas illustrates both the cap and the floor. As of 1 September 2025 the net resources cap rose from $9,200 to $11,700 per month, the first adjustment since 2019. That puts maximum guideline support at $2,340 for one child, $2,925 for two, and $3,510 for three. At the other end, when a parent reports no income, a Texas court presumes earnings of at least a full-time minimum wage job.
One point about scaling that surprises people: support rises with each additional child, but not proportionally. Guidelines account for economies of scale in a household, so two children typically cost around one and a half times what one child costs, not double. The Texas percentages show this clearly, rising from 20 percent for one child to 25 for two and 30 for three.
Sources: Texas Family Code sections 154.062, 154.068 and 154.125, National Conference of State Legislatures guideline surveys, state child support agency publications. Updated July 2026.
Changing an Existing Order
A child support order is not permanent, but it does not adjust on its own either. Either parent can petition to modify it, and the standard is a substantial change in circumstances.
A significant income change for either parent, commonly defined as 10 to 20 percent or a specific dollar threshold depending on the state. A change in the custody arrangement. A child aging out or becoming emancipated. A major shift in medical or insurance costs. Many states also permit a routine review every three years without requiring proof that anything changed.
Parents who agree privately to reduce payments create arrears, not a modification. The existing order stays enforceable until a court issues a new one.
Not from the date your circumstances changed. This is the most expensive and most avoidable mistake in child support administration. A parent who loses their job in January and files in June owes the full amount for those five months, with no retroactive adjustment.
If you and the other parent or spouse can agree, putting it in writing costs a fraction of a lawyer. Customizable templates from LawDepot.
Affiliate links: LegalCost.us earns a commission if you buy through LawDepot, at no extra cost to you. A template is not legal advice. For a contested case, speak with a licensed attorney in your state.
Which Model Each State Uses
What you pay depends first on which of the three models your state follows, and that is not a detail: the same two incomes produce different numbers under each. Six states charge a percentage of the paying parent’s income alone. Three use the Melson formula, which keeps a living allowance back for the parent before anything else. The rest combine both incomes and read the figure off a published schedule.
| State | Model | What the guideline applies |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Alaska | Percentage of income | 20% of the paying parent’s adjusted income for one child, 27% for two, on the first $11,500 a month |
| Arizona | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Arkansas | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| California | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Colorado | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Connecticut | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Delaware | Melson formula | $1,600 a month kept for the parent first, then $420 per child plus $380 |
| Florida | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Georgia | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Hawaii | Melson formula | $840 a month kept for the parent first, then 10% of what is left per child, up to 30% |
| Idaho | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Illinois | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Indiana | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Iowa | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Kansas | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Kentucky | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Louisiana | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Maine | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Maryland | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Massachusetts | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Michigan | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Minnesota | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Mississippi | Percentage of income | 14% of the paying parent’s gross income for one child, 20% for two |
| Missouri | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Montana | Melson formula | $1,729 a month kept for the parent first, then $400 per child plus $350 |
| Nebraska | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Nevada | Percentage of income | A percentage of the paying parent’s gross income, set by the state guideline |
| New Hampshire | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| New Jersey | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| New Mexico | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| New York | Income shares (CSSA) | 17% of combined income for one child, 25% for two, on the first $16,083 a month of combined income |
| North Carolina | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| North Dakota | Percentage of income | 17% of the paying parent’s net income for one child, 24% for two |
| Ohio | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Oklahoma | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Oregon | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Pennsylvania | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Rhode Island | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| South Carolina | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| South Dakota | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Tennessee | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Texas | Percentage of income | 20% of the paying parent’s net income for one child, 25% for two, on the first $11,700 a month |
| Utah | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Vermont | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Virginia | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Washington | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| West Virginia | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
| Wisconsin | Percentage of income | 17% of the paying parent’s gross income for one child, 25% for two |
| Wyoming | Income shares | Both incomes combined, then the obligation read off the state schedule |
50 states, the same figures the calculator uses. These are guideline numbers: a court can order above or below them, and the schedules used by the income shares states are long tables of combined income that are not reproduced here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is child support calculated?
Child support is calculated using one of three models depending on your state. Income Shares, used in 41 states, combines both parents' incomes and looks up the obligation in a schedule, then splits it proportionally. Percentage of Income, used in Texas, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alaska, Nevada, and North Dakota, applies a percentage to the paying parent's income only. Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana use the Melson Formula.
How much is child support for one child?
Child support for one child varies by state and income. In Texas, it is 20% of net resources, capped at $11,700/month net. In Wisconsin, 17% of gross income. In Mississippi, 14% of adjusted gross income. In Income Shares states, the amount depends on both parents' combined income. At $5,000 combined monthly income, the base obligation is approximately $671.
What is the Income Shares model?
Income Shares is the most common model, used in 41 states. Both parents' gross incomes are combined and looked up in a schedule that estimates spending on children. The total obligation is divided proportionally by income. The non-custodial parent pays their share to the custodial parent.
Which states use Percentage of Income?
Six states use this model: Texas, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alaska, North Dakota, and Nevada. Only the paying parent's income is used. Texas applies 20% for one child, Wisconsin 17%, Mississippi 14%, Alaska 20% of adjusted income, and North Dakota a graduated schedule. Nevada uses a tiered bracket system.
What is the Melson Formula?
The Melson Formula is used in Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana. It first reserves a self-support allowance (about $1,600 a month in Delaware and $1,729 in Montana in 2026; Hawaii sets its own reserve). Then a primary support amount is calculated. Finally, a Standard of Living Adjustment is applied to remaining income.
Does custody affect child support?
Yes. Sole custody results in no reduction. Shared custody (92-128 overnights) typically reduces support by about 25%. Equal custody (129-182 overnights) can reduce it by approximately 40%. The parent with more overnights incurs more direct expenses.
What is the Texas child support cap?
Texas caps child support at $11,700/month in net resources as of September 2025 (previously $9,200). For one child, the maximum is $2,340/month (20% of $11,700). For two children, $2,925 (25%).
Can child support be modified?
Yes, when there is a substantial change in circumstances. Common reasons include income changes, custody changes, and special needs. Most states require a minimum 10-20% change in the calculated amount. Modifications require a court filing.
Is child support tax deductible?
No. Child support is not tax deductible for the paying parent and not taxable income for the receiving parent. This differs from alimony, which had its tax rules changed for post-2018 agreements.
How does health insurance affect support?
Health insurance premiums paid by the paying parent for the child are typically credited against the support amount. Some states split costs proportionally. Unreimbursed medical expenses are often divided separately.