SupportDecode

Updated for 2026 guidelines

The Washington Child Support Cap: $50,000 a Month

Washington rewrote its entire child support table for 2026, stretching it from a $12,000 ceiling to $50,000 in combined monthly net income. Above that, a court needs written findings to go higher.

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Washington cap facts

Guideline model
Income shares on combined monthly net incomesource
Statute
RCW 26.19.020; RCW 26.19.065source
Table ceiling
$50,000 a month combined net income, effective January 1, 2026source
Above the ceiling
Presumptive at the $50,000 row; more requires written findings (RCW 26.19.065(3))source
Prior ceiling
$12,000 a month, in effect 2019 through 2025source
Full state calculator
Washington child support calculatorsource

Why the Washington table just changed so much

Washington runs an income shares model on combined monthly net income, not gross: the economic table in RCW 26.19.020 gives a per-child dollar amount, and each parent pays their share based on their share of net income.

For orders entered on or after January 1, 2026, that table is brand new. EHB 1014, from the 2025 legislature, replaced the old $1,000 to $12,000 table with one running from $2,200 to $50,000 in combined monthly net income, more than quadrupling the top of the schedule. It also raised the self-support reserve from 125 percent to 180 percent of the federal poverty level.

The table is presumptive up to and including $50,000 combined net income. RCW 26.19.065(3) says that above $50,000, a court may exceed the table amount only on written findings of fact. The state Supreme Court’s McCausland decision already forbids courts from just extrapolating the table upward on their own; the 2026 rewrite makes that written-findings requirement explicit in the statute at the new, higher ceiling.

One quirk worth knowing: the $50,000 figure caps the size of the basic table obligation, not each parent’s dollar payment. A parent whose share of the real combined income is larger than the other parent’s can still pay more above the ceiling than at it, even though the underlying table amount does not move.

At the ceiling: combined net income of $50,000, 2 children

  1. Say the paying parent nets $30,000 a month and the other parent nets $20,000, for combined net income of exactly $50,000, with 2 children.
  2. At the $50,000 row, the 2026 table sets the per-child amount at $3,058. For 2 children, the basic obligation is $3,058 times 2, which is $6,116.
  3. The paying parent’s share of the $50,000 combined net income is $30,000, or 60 percent. Their share of the $6,116 basic obligation is $3,669.60 a month.
  4. That is the table’s ceiling number for this household, right at the new $50,000 top row.

The steps above follow the calculation method described on our methodology page.

Above the ceiling: combined net income of $60,000, same 2 children

  1. Now say the paying parent’s net income rises to $40,000 a month and the other parent still nets $20,000, for combined net income of $60,000, past the $50,000 table ceiling, still 2 children.
  2. The table itself does not extend past $50,000. RCW 26.19.065(3) uses the $50,000 row as the presumptive amount, so the basic obligation is still $6,116, the same figure as at the ceiling.
  3. But the paying parent’s real share of the $60,000 combined income is now $40,000, or 66.7 percent, higher than the 60 percent share at the ceiling. Their share of the same $6,116 obligation is $4,077.33 a month.
  4. The presumptive dollar amount rose even though the table number underneath it did not move, because the paying parent’s slice of real income grew. A court could order more than $4,077.33 only with written findings of fact; without those findings, the $50,000 row is where the table math stops.

The steps above follow the calculation method described on our methodology page.

Washington cap history

  1. Prior economic table took effect with a $12,000 combined monthly net income ceiling and a 125% self-support reserve.source
  2. EHB 1014 replaced the table with one running $2,200 to $50,000 combined monthly net income and raised the self-support reserve to 180% of the federal poverty level.source

Washington cap FAQs

What is the Washington child support cap in 2026?

The RCW 26.19.020 economic table runs presumptively up to $50,000 a month in combined net income, effective January 1, 2026 under EHB 1014. That is a large jump from the prior table, which topped out at $12,000.

Why did the Washington table change so much for 2026?

The 2023 child support schedule work group recommended the rewrite, and the legislature enacted it as EHB 1014. Along with extending the table to $50,000, the law raised the self-support reserve from 125 percent to 180 percent of the federal poverty level and added new deductions for paid family and medical leave and WA Cares premiums.

Can a Washington court order more than the $50,000 table amount?

Yes, but only on written findings of fact, per RCW 26.19.065(3). The state Supreme Court’s McCausland decision already barred courts from simply extending the table upward on their own; the statute now states the same rule explicitly at the new $50,000 ceiling.

Why did my support number change even though the table row stayed the same?

The $50,000 ceiling caps the size of the basic table obligation, not each parent’s dollar share of it. If the paying parent’s share of the two parents’ real combined income grows, their share of the same capped obligation grows too.

Does Washington adjust support for shared parenting time above the cap?

No, and this is true at every income level. Washington has no residential-credit formula; time with the paying parent is a discretionary deviation ground under RCW 26.19.075(1)(d), decided case by case with written findings, not a built-in adjustment.

Is a calculator still using the old $12,000 table accurate for a 2026 order?

No. Any tool still running the pre-2026 table, or the 125 percent self-support reserve, is out of date for orders entered on or after January 1, 2026. The state’s DSHS calculator and the AOC worksheets carry the current $50,000 table.

How to use the Washington ceiling number

This page explains one mechanic: how the rewritten 2026 economic table behaves once combined net income reaches $50,000 a month. For a full estimate, including the self-support reserve and the 45 percent whole-family limit, use the Washington child support calculator linked below.

Washington has no formula for parenting time credit; residential time is a discretionary deviation under RCW 26.19.075(1)(d), whether income sits above or below the table ceiling. This page does not model that deviation.

Above $50,000 combined, this tool shows the presumptive amount at the $50,000 row applied to real income shares. It does not predict what a court might order above that on written findings, since that depends on facts specific to the case.

What this estimate includes

  • The exact 2026 mechanic: the table amount is capped at the $50,000 row, but each parent still pays their real income share of it
  • A worked example at the ceiling and a second one above it, showing why the dollar total can still rise past $50,000
  • The EHB 1014 rewrite that replaced the old $12,000 table on January 1, 2026

What it leaves out

  • The 45 percent whole-family limit and the 180 percent self-support reserve (use the Washington calculator)
  • Any residential-time deviation, which has no formula under Washington law
  • Court-ordered amounts above $50,000 combined that rest on written findings specific to a case

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

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

Changelog: page first published with the $50,000 a month in combined net income cap. Material changes are dated in the update log.