Iowa Child Support
Estimate for Iowa
Iowa uses the Income Shares model.
Official schedule: Iowa Court Rule 9.26, Schedule of Basic Support Obligations (combined adjusted NET monthly income). Representative figures below are published points from the schedule; the full table should be verified against the official Iowa Courts guideline schedule. (2026)
View calculation breakdown
| Combined parental income | $9,000 |
|---|---|
| Total basic obligation (schedule) | $1,635 |
| Obligor income share | 55.6% |
| Obligor basic obligation | $908 |
| Estimated monthly support | $908 |
How the basic obligation splits between parents
Estimated monthly support by number of children
§ How Iowa calculates support
Iowa uses the Income Shares Model on combined ADJUSTED NET monthly income, with the basic obligation read from the Court Rule 9.26 Schedule of Basic Support Obligations. Low-income shaded Areas A and B apply reduced calculations; above $25,000 combined the court has discretion (not below the $25,000 amount). Extraordinary-visitation and shared-physical-care adjustments apply.
Content verified against official sources on 2026-08-09.
✦ How to open or modify a case in Iowa
- Compute each parent's gross income and subtract allowed deductions to get adjusted monthly income.
- Add both adjusted incomes to get combined adjusted net monthly income.
- Apply low-income rules (Area A uses noncustodial income only; Area B uses the lower of two calculations).
- Look up the basic support obligation in the Rule 9.26 schedule by combined income and number of children.
- Add the child's health insurance premium (prorated) and apply any visitation credit (starts at 128 overnights/yr).
- Split the obligation by each parent's percentage share; include step-down provisions for multiple children.
◈ Illustrative examples
Scenario: Combined adjusted net monthly income $6,000, one child. Schedule basic obligation ~$864/month.
Walk-through: Obligor earns $4,000 of the $6,000 (66.7%), so pays 66.7% x $864 = about $576/month. For two children the schedule amount is ~$1,090, so the obligor pays about $727/month.
Takeaway: The schedule gives the total basic obligation; the paying parent covers only their income-share percentage.
? Frequently asked questions
↗ Official policy & agency links
Sources verified: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ACO/CR/LINC/12-29-2023.chapter.9.pdf · https://www.iowacourts.gov/ · https://legalclarity.org/average-child-support-in-iowa-amounts-and-how-its-calculated