Tools to Estimate Income and Support Amounts

Below are tools that you may find helpful when trying to estimate income and child support amounts. Each child support order is unique and only the court can order child support or modify a current child support order.

Shared Placement Cases

The shared placement calculation is the primary method for calculating a child support amount. This calculation should be used when both parents have court-ordered periods of placement of at least 25% or 92 days a year. 

  • The court will order each parent to provide the child's basic support costs in proportion to the time that parent cares for the child.
  • The court must also assign responsibility for payment of the child's variable costs in proportion to each parent's share of placement.
  • Incomes of both parents are used to set the amount of support.
  • The parent's share of placement determines that parent's share of support.

Worksheet to estimate support

Calculator to estimate support

Example: Parents have two children

Parent A: Monthly gross income is $2,000. Cares for both children 219 days a year (60% of the time)

Parent B: Monthly gross income is $3,000. Cares for both children 146 days a year (40% of the time)

(This chart does not include payments for the children's variable costs.)

  Parent A Parent B
Monthly Income for Child Support $2,000 $3,000
Multiply the monthly income by 25% x 25%
#1 $500 $750
For each parent, multiply the amount in line #1 by 150% x 150%
#2 $750 $1,125
Multiply line #2 by the percent of time spent with the other parent x 40% x 60%
#3 $300 $675
Subtract the lower amount from the higher amount in line #3. In this example, Parent B will pay $375/month $675 - 300 = $375

Child Support Designated Percentage

Each of the percentages below are applied to the parent's income for child support:

  • 17% of income for 1 child
  • 25% of income for 2 children
  • 29% of income for 3 children
  • 31% of income for 4 children
  • 34% of income for 5 or more children

Percent Conversion Table

Guidelines for Special Circumstances

Serial Family Cases

If a parent supports more than one family, the court may adjust the parent's income for later child support amounts.

Order of legal obligation

The order of legal obligation is based on when the support order began. The legal obligation may include a parent's current, intact family. A support obligation begins on the date when:

  • The child is born, if the child was conceived or born during the parent's marriage
  • The child is adopted into an intact family
  • Legal fatherhood is established or the child is adopted. For a child born outside of marriage, the duty to support begins at the child's birth.

Worksheet to estimate support

Calculator to estimate support

Example
A parent has a support order for two older children and now has a new order for one younger child
Monthly Income for Child Support $2,500
Support order for the 2 older children - $625
Adjusted income for younger child = $1,875
Percentage standard for 1 child x 17%
Estimated support amount for 1 younger child $318.75

Split Placement Cases

Split placement is for families who have two or more children, and each parent has primary placement of one or more but not all the children. If the court orders the placement of one or more children with each parent, the court may use the split-placement guidelines. The court may prorate the Child Support Standard for each child in split-placement based on the total number of children.

Prorated percentages:

Each of the percentages below are applied to the parent's income for child support

  • Cases with 2 children, 12.5% of income for each child
  • Cases with 3 children, 9.67% of income for each child
  • Cases with 4 children, 7.75% of income for each child
  • Cases with 5 children, 6.8% of income for each child

Worksheet to estimate support

Calculator to estimate support

Example: Parents have three children

Parent A - Monthly income of $3,000 and has placement of 2 children

Parent B - Monthly income of $2,800 and has placement of 1 child

  Parent A Parent B
Monthly income for child support $3,000 $2,800
Multiply Multiply monthly income by prorated percentage, based on the number of children with other parent x 9.67% x 19.34%
The parent with the highest dollar amount in this line will be the parent who pays support = $290 = $542
Subtract the lower amount from the higher amount. In this example Parent B will pay $252 $542 - $290 = $252

High Income Payer Cases

If the paying parent's income for child support is more than $84,000/year, the court may use the high-income payer guidelines.

  • The Child Support Standard will determine support for the first $84,000 of income
  • A second set of guidelines are applied to the income between $84,000 and $150,000/year
  • A third set of guidelines are applied to income of more than $150,000/year
Paying Parent's Monthly Income 1 child 2 children 3 children 4 children 5 children
First $7,000 of income 17% 25% 29% 31% 34%
Income between $7,000 and $12,500 14% 20% 23% 25% 27%
Income above $12,500 10% 15% 17% 19% 20%
Example

A parent has an income of $14,000/month and supports two children

Income portions/month Income amount Percent Support for each portion of income
First $7,000 $7,000 x 25% = $1,750
Portion between $7,000 and $12,500 $5,500 x 20% = + $1,100
Portion greater than $12,500 $1,500 x 15% = + $225
Estimated support total = $3,075/month

Low Income Cases

If the paying parent's income for child support is less than $1,485/month the court may use the low-income payer guidelines. Support amounts vary with parent's monthly income and number of children.

Low-income payer guidelines are based on income between 75% and 150% of the federal poverty level. The federal government updates the poverty level each spring. The information in the example below will change yearly.

Combination of Split Placement and Shared Placement Cases

For more information, please see Administrative Rule DCF 150, Appendix B