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Updated for 2026 guidelines

Child Support Calculator & 2026 State Guidelines

Estimate child support with your state 2026 formula. Every number links to an official source, and every page shows the date we last checked it.

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Estimate your child support

Texas guidelines are shown here. 51 states now have their own calculators: choose yours from the map and table below for state-specific math, sources, and worked examples.

Paying parent's income
How do you want to enter income?

Employee pay before taxes. The 2026 OAG employee tax chart converts this to net; self-employment income is not supported here, enter net resources instead.

Children

Other children the paying parent has a legal duty to support (Sec. 154.129).

Monthly deductions (optional)

Rare. Texas has no state income tax; fill this in only if another state taxes this income.

Estimated monthly child support: $839.83

The paying parent pays this amount to the receiving parent each month.

How this estimate was computed
Line itemAmount
Monthly net resources (Sec. 154.062)Tex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (Child Support Guidelines; incl. 154.061, 154.062, 154.125, 154.126, 154.128-129) (Texas Legislature)$4,199.17
Guideline percentage (Sec. 154.125(b))1 child: 20% of net resourcesTex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (Child Support Guidelines; incl. 154.061, 154.062, 154.125, 154.126, 154.128-129) (Texas Legislature)20% of net resources
Presumptive monthly child supportTex. Fam. Code ch. 154 (Child Support Guidelines; incl. 154.061, 154.062, 154.125, 154.126, 154.128-129) (Texas Legislature)$839.83

Assumptions

  • Guideline amount only; medical and dental support are ordered in addition (Sec. 154.064) and are not included.
  • Texas has no formulaic parenting-time (overnight) adjustment and no childcare add-on; deviations are discretionary under Sec. 154.123.
  • Gross-to-net conversion uses the 2026 OAG employed-persons tax chart parameters: OASDI 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%, federal income tax for a single person with the standard deduction. OASDI is applied without the annual wage-base ceiling, which cannot change any result at or below the net-resources cap.

Continue with this income in the PayDecode take-home calculator

PayDecode is a separate site. The link may not carry your numbers over; if its form opens blank, enter the income there again.

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

Texas guidelines, effective 2026-01-01.

How states calculate child support

Every state has a written formula, called a guideline. Courts start from the guideline number. They can move away from it, but they have to explain why.

States use one of three basic models. Across the 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC), 39 use income shares, 7 use a percentage of income, and 3 use the Melson formula. California follows its own statewide formula, and the District of Columbia uses a hybrid of two approaches.

Income shares states add both parents’ incomes together. They look up the amount the guideline says the children need. Then they split that amount between the parents in proportion to income.

Percentage of income states apply a set percentage to the paying parent’s income. The percentage usually rises with the number of children. Some of these states look at net income, others at gross.

Melson formula states set aside a basic living amount for each parent first. Support comes out of what is left. Only a few states use this model.

Federal law requires every state to review its guideline at least once every four years. That is why numbers on this site carry effective dates and review dates.

Guideline review cycle
Every state must review its guideline at least every 4 yearssource
Federal withholding ceiling
50% to 65% of disposable earnings, depending on your situationsource
Interest on unpaid support
Charged in many states, at rates that differ by statesource

Guideline models across the country

Select your state to see its guideline model, key figures, and effective dates. Colored states have completed, source-backed research; muted states are in progress.

Skip the map to the state table
Alaska: Percentage of income modelAlabama: Income shares modelArkansas: Income shares modelArizona: Income shares modelCalifornia: Guideline formula (CA) modelColorado: Income shares modelConnecticut: Income shares modelDelaware: Melson formula modelFlorida: Income shares modelGeorgia: Income shares modelHawaii: Melson formula modelIowa: Income shares modelIdaho: Income shares modelIllinois: Income shares modelIndiana: Income shares modelKansas: Income shares modelKentucky: Income shares modelLouisiana: Income shares modelMassachusetts: Income shares modelMaryland: Income shares modelMaine: Income shares modelMichigan: Income shares modelMinnesota: Income shares modelMissouri: Income shares modelMississippi: Percentage of income modelMontana: Melson formula modelNorth Carolina: Income shares modelNorth Dakota: Percentage of income modelNebraska: Income shares modelNew Hampshire: Income shares modelNew Jersey: Income shares modelNew Mexico: Income shares modelNevada: Percentage of income modelNew York: Percentage of income modelOhio: Income shares modelOklahoma: Income shares modelOregon: Income shares modelPennsylvania: Income shares modelRhode Island: Income shares modelSouth Carolina: Income shares modelSouth Dakota: Income shares modelTennessee: Income shares modelTexas: Percentage of income modelUtah: Income shares modelVirginia: Income shares modelVermont: Income shares modelWashington: Income shares modelWisconsin: Percentage of income modelWest Virginia: Income shares modelWyoming: Income shares modelDistrict of Columbia: Hybrid (DC) model
Map shapes are simplified cartographic presentation geometry, not legal boundaries.
  • Income shares: 39 jurisdictions
  • Percentage of income: 7 jurisdictions
  • Melson formula: 3 jurisdictions
  • Guideline formula (CA): 1 jurisdiction
  • Hybrid (DC): 1 jurisdiction
  • Muted fill = state page in progress (0 of 51); colored fill = detailed coverage (51)

2026 guideline model and example by state

The example column applies one standardized scenario to each state formula:2 children, one parent earning$60,000.00 and $40,000.00 a year gross, and 50/50 custody.

Child support guideline model and standardized example amount for all 50 states and DC
State2026 modelStandardized example (monthly)State page
AlabamaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
AlaskaPercentage of incomeIn progressDetails
ArizonaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
ArkansasIncome sharesIn progressDetails
CaliforniaGuideline formulaSee state pageCalifornia Fam. Code 4055 runs on net monthly disposable incomes (Fam. Code 4059); the data pack defines no gross-to-net conversion, so no honest estimate can be made from the scenario gross incomes.Details
ColoradoIncome sharesIn progressDetails
ConnecticutIncome sharesIn progressDetails
DelawareMelson formulaIn progressDetails
District of ColumbiaHybridIn progressDetails
FloridaIncome sharesSee state pageFlorida guidelines run on statutory NET incomes (Fla. Stat. 61.30(3)-(5)); the data pack defines no gross-to-net conversion, so no honest estimate can be made from the scenario gross incomes.Details
GeorgiaIncome shares$170.84Details
HawaiiMelson formulaIn progressDetails
IdahoIncome sharesIn progressDetails
IllinoisIncome shares$279.67Details
IndianaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
IowaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
KansasIncome sharesIn progressDetails
KentuckyIncome sharesIn progressDetails
LouisianaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MaineIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MarylandIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MassachusettsIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MichiganIncome sharesSee state pageThe 2025 Michigan Child Support Formula runs on NET incomes (MCSF ch. 2); the data pack defines no gross-to-net conversion, so no honest estimate can be made from the scenario gross incomes.Details
MinnesotaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MississippiPercentage of incomeIn progressDetails
MissouriIncome sharesIn progressDetails
MontanaMelson formulaIn progressDetails
NebraskaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
NevadaPercentage of incomeIn progressDetails
New HampshireIncome sharesIn progressDetails
New JerseyIncome sharesIn progressDetails
New MexicoIncome sharesIn progressDetails
New YorkPercentage of income$1,154.38Details
North CarolinaIncome shares$259.20Details
North DakotaPercentage of incomeIn progressDetails
OhioIncome shares$886.28Details
OklahomaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
OregonIncome sharesIn progressDetails
PennsylvaniaIncome sharesSee state pagePennsylvania guidelines run on monthly NET incomes (Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.16-2); the data pack defines no gross-to-net conversion, so no honest estimate can be made from the scenario gross incomes.Details
Rhode IslandIncome sharesIn progressDetails
South CarolinaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
South DakotaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
TennesseeIncome sharesIn progressDetails
TexasPercentage of income$1,049.79Details
UtahIncome sharesIn progressDetails
VermontIncome sharesIn progressDetails
VirginiaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
WashingtonIncome sharesIn progressDetails
West VirginiaIncome sharesIn progressDetails
WisconsinPercentage of incomeIn progressDetails
WyomingIncome sharesIn progressDetails

Model classifications for all 50 states and DC were reviewed against official sources. Detailed, source-backed state pages are rolling out state by state, starting with Texas; rows marked "In progress" gain a page once their research pack passes review. Where the example column says "See state page", that state formula needs inputs the standardized scenario does not define, so we do not guess a number.

Deep-dive guides

Guides for more states are added as each state research pack passes review.

How to use this estimate

This tool applies your state’s published guideline formula to the numbers you enter. It is a starting point, not a court order. Judges can adjust the guideline amount for reasons the formula does not capture.

Your inputs stay in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored by us.

For state detail, open your state’s page. Each one explains the formula in plain English, shows a worked example, and links the official statute and the official state calculator where one exists.

What this estimate includes

  • Your state’s current guideline percentages or tables
  • State caps and low-income rules where they apply
  • Effective dates for every figure used

What it leaves out

  • Judge discretion and case-specific deviations
  • Retroactive support and past-due balances
  • Fees, interest, and enforcement actions

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Child support FAQs

How accurate is this calculator?

It follows each state’s published guideline formula and we test it against official worksheets and calculators. It is still an estimate. The court or state agency calculation controls, and judges can order a different amount than the guideline.

Which parent pays child support?

It depends on your state’s model and your custody arrangement. In many states the parent with less parenting time pays the other parent. In income shares states, both incomes shape the number. Your state page explains how your state decides.

Does 50/50 custody mean no child support?

Not automatically. Many states still order support in equal-time arrangements when one parent earns more. Some states have a specific offset formula for shared custody, and others leave it to the judge. Check your state page for the exact rule.

What income counts for child support?

Most states count wages, salaries, self-employment income, bonuses, and many benefits. States differ on items like overtime, gifts, and new-spouse income. Each state page lists what that state’s statute includes and excludes.

How often do child support guidelines change?

Federal rules require each state to review its guideline at least once every four years. Caps, tables, and percentages also change between reviews. We record the effective date for every figure and note when we last verified it.

Can child support be taken straight from a paycheck?

Yes. Income withholding is the standard collection method. Federal law caps withholding at 50 to 65 percent of disposable earnings depending on your situation, and some states set lower caps. Our garnishment tool covers the limits.

Does unpaid child support grow with interest?

In many states, yes. Rates and compounding rules differ widely by state, and some states charge no interest at all. Our arrears tool applies your state’s rate and cites the statute behind it.

Is this legal advice?

No. This site provides estimates and citations to official sources. It does not give legal advice, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. A family law attorney or your state’s child support agency can advise on your specific case.

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