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Child Support Calculator

Estimate child support using an income shares approach with parenting time.

About Child Support Calculator

Income shares models compute what both parents together would spend on the children, then apportion it by income. Substantial parenting time reduces the transfer because that parent already meets costs directly. Actual formulas vary greatly by jurisdiction and many apply thresholds, caps and shared-care cliffs that change the result sharply at particular parenting time percentages.

Formula

Child Support

Obligation = combined income × rate for the child count, apportioned by income share

income shares
The most common model, apportioning a combined obligation by income
parenting time credit
Reduces the obligation to reflect direct costs during care

Worked example

With the default values below, Child Support Calculator returns Monthly Support Payable by Parent A of $1,131.11. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Parent A monthly incomeminimum 0
4,500
Parent B monthly incomeminimum 0
2,800
Number of childrenaccepts 1–8
2
Share of nights with parent Aaccepts 0–100 %
30 %
Monthly childcare and health costminimum 0
600

Results

Monthly Support Payable by Parent A
$1,131.11
Combined Monthly Income
$7,300.00
Basic Child Support Obligation
$2,425.00
Parent A Share of Combined Income
61.64%
Parenting Time Adjustment
$363.75

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Child Support
  3. 3Monthly Support Payable by Parent A= 1,131.11
  4. 4Combined Monthly Income= 7,300.00
  5. 5Basic Child Support Obligation= 2,425.00
  6. 6Parent A Share of Combined Income= 61.64
  7. 7Parenting Time Adjustment= 363.75

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • This is a general illustrative estimate and is not legal advice. Laws, formulas and guidelines vary substantially by jurisdiction and change over time, and courts retain discretion. Consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction before relying on any figure here.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

This is a general illustrative estimate and is not legal advice. Laws, formulas and guidelines vary substantially by jurisdiction and change over time, and courts retain discretion. Consult a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction before relying on any figure here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Child Support calculated?

Obligation = combined income × rate for the child count, apportioned by income share Income shares models compute what both parents together would spend on the children, then apportion it by income. Substantial parenting time reduces the transfer because that parent already meets costs directly.

Why does Child Support matter?

Actual formulas vary greatly by jurisdiction and many apply thresholds, caps and shared-care cliffs that change the result sharply at particular parenting time percentages.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Parent A monthly income, Parent B monthly income, Number of children, Share of nights with parent A, Monthly childcare and health cost. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.

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