Child Support Guides
Straightforward explainers for parents, payers, and anyone trying to understand the numbers.
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash.
What Is Child Support?
A plain-English primer on what child support is, who pays it, what it covers, and how it differs from other family-law obligations.
The mathHow Is Child Support Calculated?
The three U.S. guideline models explained — Income Shares, Percentage of Income, and the Melson Formula — and the inputs that move the number.
Model deep-diveWhat Is the Income Shares Model?
The most common U.S. child-support model, explained: combined income, the basic-obligation schedule, proportional splitting, and add-ons.
Model deep-diveWhat Is the Percentage of Income Model?
The simplest U.S. model: a flat or graduated percentage of the paying parent’s income. How the six states apply it.
Model deep-diveWhat Is the Melson Formula?
The most sophisticated U.S. model, used by Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana: a self-support reserve, primary support, and a standard-of-living adjustment.
How-toHow to Modify an Existing Child Support Order
When and how support can be changed: the “substantial change in circumstances” standard, the petition process, and what to prepare.
How-toChild Support When You’re Self-Employed
How self-employment income is calculated for support, why courts may “impute” income, and documents you’ll need.
FAQIs Child Support Taxable?
The federal tax treatment of child support, dependency exemptions, and how it differs from alimony.
FAQWhat Happens If Child Support Isn’t Paid?
The enforcement tools states and the federal government use: wage garnishment, tax-refund interception, license suspension, and contempt.
Step-by-stepHow to Estimate Your Own Child Support
A practical walkthrough: gather your numbers, pick the right state, enter inputs, and read the result responsibly.
Calculator guideHow Much Child Support Will I Pay? (2026 State-by-State Guide)
Real dollar examples for every percentage-of-income state, how Income Shares states change the math, and the inputs that move your number.
Parenting timeChild Support with 50/50 Custody: How Parenting Time Affects Payments
Equal parenting time doesn’t mean zero support in most states. How the offset method works, state thresholds, and what to expect at 50/50.
DeviationsChild Support Deviation Factors by State (2026)
The guideline amount is a presumption, not a ceiling. Which states allow judges to deviate, the written-findings requirement, and the most common deviation factors — special needs, extraordinary expenses, parenting time, and more.
Imputed incomeFighting an Imputed-Income Finding in Child Support (2026)
Courts can assign income you do not actually earn. When imputation is legal, the factors judges weigh, the minimum-wage floor, and how to rebut a finding — with documentation, medical evidence, and childcare-based defenses.
Military familiesMilitary Child Support: BAH, USFSPA & the 10/10 Rule (2026)
How service-member income is counted for child support (BAH and BAS included), how military retirement is divided under USFSPA (10 U.S.C. § 1408), the 10/10 rule, and the 2017 frozen-benefit change.
Disability incomeSSDI & Child Support: The Dependent-Benefit Credit (2026)
SSDI counts as income but the child’s auxiliary (dependent) benefit is credited against your obligation in most states — often dollar-for-dollar. SSI is different: excluded from income and not garnishable.
VeteransVA Disability & Child Support: What Can Be Counted or Garnished (2026)
VA disability compensation is income for child support in most states but is protected from garnishment — except the portion received in lieu of waived retirement pay (42 U.S.C. § 659). CRSC, CRDP, and the Howell rule explained.
Per-child mathHow Much Is Child Support Per Child? A 2026 State Comparison
Per-child percentages for the six percentage-of-income states, how Income Shares states price each additional child, and why the per-child cost falls as family size grows.
Life changesChild Support When You Lose Your Job
Job loss does not automatically lower your child support, but a documented income change can justify modification — here is the threshold math and the right order of steps.
Life changesChild Support While Incarcerated
Incarceration is not an automatic child support pause in most states, but it can support a modification — here is how arrears, imputed income, and state rules interact.
Life changesChild Support on Retirement Income
Pensions, Social Security, and retirement distributions count as income for child support in most states — with one important credit for Social Security benefits paid to the child.
DisabilitySSDI with Dependents: How It Affects Child Support
When the paying parent is on SSDI, the child’s dependent benefits can offset or replace the support obligation — the rules, the credit, and what to file.
High incomeHigh-Income Child Support: Caps, Deviation & Strategy
Above a state’s income cap, the formula stops being automatic and evidence decides the case. What high earners should know about caps, needs analysis, and 2025–2026 changes.
InterstateInterstate Child Support: Enforcing Across State Lines (UIFSA)
The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) gives one state continuing jurisdiction over an order — how enforcement works when the parents live in different states.
Life changesWhen Does Child Support End? Emancipation, 18, and College
Most orders end at 18 or high-school graduation; a few states extend to 21 or through college. What counts as emancipation, and what to file when support should stop.
Life changesChild Support When You Have Another Child
A new child from another relationship can lower (but not erase) an existing support obligation — how multi-family adjustments work in percentage and income-shares states.
Life changesHow a Parenting-Time Change Affects Child Support
Moving from 0 to 100 overnights — or to 50/50 — can change the obligation dramatically. When a custody change should trigger a support modification.
Legal pitfallsCan Parents Agree to Skip Child Support? (Waivers & What Courts Do)
A private “we agree to no support” deal is rarely enforceable — courts can override it. What waivers are valid, what voids them, and how arrears survive an agreement.
CalculationHow Child Support Is Calculated by State
Most states use one of three models — income shares, percentage of income, or the Melson formula. Here is what each does and the variables that move the number.
State Guide · CaliforniaChild Support in California: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to California child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · TexasChild Support in Texas: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Texas child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · FloridaChild Support in Florida: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Florida child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · New YorkChild Support in New York: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to New York child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · PennsylvaniaChild Support in Pennsylvania: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Pennsylvania child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · IllinoisChild Support in Illinois: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Illinois child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · OhioChild Support in Ohio: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Ohio child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · GeorgiaChild Support in Georgia: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Georgia child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · North CarolinaChild Support in North Carolina: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to North Carolina child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · MichiganChild Support in Michigan: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Michigan child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · New JerseyChild Support in New Jersey: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to New Jersey child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · VirginiaChild Support in Virginia: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Virginia child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · WashingtonChild Support in Washington: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Washington child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · ArizonaChild Support in Arizona: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Arizona child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · MassachusettsChild Support in Massachusetts: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Massachusetts child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · TennesseeChild Support in Tennessee: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Tennessee child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · IndianaChild Support in Indiana: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Indiana child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · MissouriChild Support in Missouri: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Missouri child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · MarylandChild Support in Maryland: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Maryland child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · WisconsinChild Support in Wisconsin: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Wisconsin child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · ColoradoChild Support in Colorado: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Colorado child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · MinnesotaChild Support in Minnesota: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Minnesota child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · South CarolinaChild Support in South Carolina: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to South Carolina child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · AlabamaChild Support in Alabama: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Alabama child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · LouisianaChild Support in Louisiana: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Louisiana child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · KentuckyChild Support in Kentucky: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Kentucky child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · OregonChild Support in Oregon: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Oregon child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · OklahomaChild Support in Oklahoma: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Oklahoma child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · ConnecticutChild Support in Connecticut: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Connecticut child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
State Guide · UtahChild Support in Utah: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Utah child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.