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State Guide · South Carolina
Child 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.
Direct answer
Gross monthly income from all sources — wages, bonuses, overtime, self-employment, rents, dividends, pensions, Social Security, workers\' comp, unemployment, and veterans\' benefits. Means-tested benefits (TANF, SSI, SNAP) are excluded.
South Carolina uses the Income Shares model under S.C. Code § 63-17-470 and the SC DSS Child Support Guidelines (2024 Edition, effective Jan. 1, 2024), based on each parent's GROSS monthly income. The Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations covers combined gross income up to $40,000/month ($480,000/year); below $750/month the court sets at least $100, and above the cap it decides case-by-case. Three worksheets apply: A (sole/primary), B (split custody), and C (shared custody, each parent ≥109 overnights, which multiplies the base by 1.5). Health insurance and work-related childcare are added and split proportionally. Statute: 15 V.S.A. §§ 650-670.
Open the South Carolina child support calculator to see your own number under the current guideline: South Carolina calculator.
How a support order is established in South Carolina
Apply for Child Support Services through the SC Department of Social Services (DSS) — online at dss.sc.gov, by phone, or at a local DSS office.
Establish paternity if unmarried (voluntary Declaration of Paternity or court-ordered DNA testing).
Both parents disclose income; DSS or the court determines gross monthly income and imputes income if a parent is voluntarily unemployed/underemployed.
Choose the correct worksheet (A, B, or C) by custody arrangement and compute the base obligation from the schedule, adding health insurance and childcare.
Obtain a support order from Family Court; the guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption and deviations require specific written findings.
Request a review/modification when the new guidelines or a material change would alter the amount by roughly 20% or more.
Worked examples
Illustrative example — base plus add-ons (Worksheet A) — Parents\' combined gross monthly income is $5,000 with two children. Parent A earns $3,500 (70%) and Parent B earns $1,500 (30%). Parent A pays the child\'s health insurance ($200/month) and Parent B pays work-related childcare ($400/month). From the 2024 schedule, $5,000 combined with two children = $1,226 base. Add $200 insurance + $400 childcare = $1,826 total. Parent A\'s 70% share = $1,278, less the $200 insurance credit = $1,078 paid to Parent B. Parent B\'s 30% share = $548, less the $400 childcare credit = $148. The base is split by income percentage, and each parent is credited for child-related costs they pay directly.
Illustrative example — shared custody threshold (Worksheet C) — The same two parents, but each has at least 109 overnights per year with the children (shared custody). At 109+ overnights the case moves from Worksheet A to Worksheet C, which multiplies the basic obligation by 1.5 to reflect two households\' duplicate costs, then allocates by income. Crossing the 108/109-overnight line changes the worksheet and the math. The 109-overnight threshold is a sharp line: at or above it, the shared-custody worksheet applies.
Modifying or enforcing an order
Orders in South Carolina can be modified when there is a substantial change in income, custody, or circumstances. Use the modification eligibility check and the cross-state comparison tool to see how a move would change the outcome. Enforcement runs through the state agency and can include income withholding and contempt proceedings.
Official sources
South Carolina Child Support Services (DSS) — https://dss.sc.gov/
SC Child Support Guidelines Booklet (DSS) — https://dss.sc.gov/resource-library/forms_brochures/files/1-csg.pdf
What is South Carolina\'s income basis?
Gross monthly income from all sources — wages, bonuses, overtime, self-employment, rents, dividends, pensions, Social Security, workers\' comp, unemployment, and veterans\' benefits. Means-tested benefits (TANF, SSI, SNAP) are excluded.
Which worksheet applies?
Worksheet A for sole/primary custody; Worksheet B for split custody (each parent has primary custody of at least one child); Worksheet C for shared custody (each parent 109+ overnights/year, about 30%).
When can the court deviate?
Deviation is the exception, not the rule, and requires written findings. Recognized factors include extraordinary medical/educational expenses, travel for visitation, and agreed settlements (with counsel or a documented waiver).
At what age does support end?
Age 18, or high school graduation (whichever is later, up to age 19); courts may extend support for a disabled child.
Is there a minimum or low-income rule?
For combined gross income below $750/month the court generally sets at least $100, taking care not to drop the paying parent below a minimal subsistence level; a self-support reserve also protects low-income obligors.
South Carolina child support calculator
Estimate for South Carolina
South Carolina uses the Income Shares model.
Enter the paying parent’s gross (pre-tax) monthly income.
South Carolina Child Support Worksheet — Planning Estimate
Generated September 22, 2026 · Model: Income Shares · Income basis: gross · Statute: S.C. Code Ann. § 20-7-891
This is an informal planning estimate, not a court worksheet and not legal advice. Confirm the current guideline with the state child-support agency or a licensed family-law attorney.
Estimated monthly support$899.44per month
Official schedule: South Carolina Child Support Guidelines Booklet, Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations (FORM 2819, UPDATED 1/2024). Income basis = Monthly Combined Gross Income. (2024)
Annual estimate$10,793.28
Effective rate18%
MethodIncome Shares: combined income → official South Carolina schedule → split by income share (+ add-ons, parenting-time credit)
View calculation breakdown
Combined parental income
$9,000
Total basic obligation (schedule)
$1,619
Obligor income share
55.6%
Obligor basic obligation
$899
Estimated monthly support
$899
How the basic obligation splits between parents
56%
44%
Paying parent: $899 Other parent: $720
Each parent pays their proportional share of the combined basic obligation.
Estimated monthly support by number of children
At the incomes you entered, for 2 children.
This article is general education, not legal or tax advice. For your exact number, open your state calculator.
Not legal or financial advice. This estimate follows the state’s statutory guideline formula but cannot capture every factor a court considers (health insurance, childcare, prior orders, deviations, imputed income).
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