Comparison Tool

Compare Child Support Across the 6 Percentage States

On $5,000 monthly income with two children, the Percentage-of-Income states range from about $700 per month in Mississippi (14%) to $1,250 in Texas (25%). Wisconsin and Nevada land near $1,250 and $1,250 as well, while North Dakota is about $1,020 and Alaska about $1,350. The same income produces very different orders depending only on the state, which is why state matters as much as income.

Results

Visualization

ChildSupportFig provides simplified estimates for educational purposes only. Child support is set by state courts under each state's guidelines and can deviate from any formula; these tools cover only the six Percentage-of-Income states (Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin). Income definitions differ by state (Texas uses net resources, Mississippi adjusted gross, others generally gross), and many states add health insurance and childcare on top. This is not legal advice. Confirm the exact amount and current rules with your state child support agency or a family law attorney before relying on any number.

How It Works

Each of the six Percentage-of-Income states applies a flat percentage of the paying parent's income based only on the number of children: Texas 20/25/30/35/40%, Wisconsin 17/25/29/31/34%, Alaska 20/27/33%, Mississippi 14/20/22/24/26%, Nevada 18/25/29/31/34%, North Dakota 14.35/20.4/22.4/24.35/26.35%. We multiply your income by the percentage for your children count. Note Texas uses net resources and Mississippi adjusted gross income, so applying gross income (as here) overstates Texas and understates none; verify the income basis with your state.

What Should You Do?

These six states ignore the receiving parent's income in the base formula, so the same paying-parent income yields the same order regardless of the other household. The biggest real-world adjustments are health insurance and work-related childcare, which most of these states add on top, and parenting-time deviations in some. Treat the number as a planning estimate and confirm with your state's child support calculator and agency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do states differ so much?

Because each sets its own statutory percentage, and they range from Mississippi's 14% (1 child) to Texas's 20% (1 child), with different schedules as children increase.

Does this include the other parent's income?

No. In the Percentage-of-Income model the receiving parent's income does not enter the base calculation. That is the key difference from Income Shares states.

Is Texas based on net or gross income?

Texas uses net resources (income after taxes, Social Security, and certain deductions). Using gross income here gives a higher estimate than Texas would actually assess.

Are health insurance and childcare included?

Often added separately on top of the percentage result. This tool shows the base percentage only, so actual orders are usually higher.

What about the other 44 states?

Most use the Income Shares model, which depends on both parents' incomes and a guideline table. Those are not covered here because they need official schedule data we do not simplify.