Child Support Calculator by State (2026)
Select your state below to use our free child support calculator. Each calculator is based on the official state guidelines and provides an instant estimate of monthly child support payments.
How Child Support Is Calculated in the United States
Each state uses one of three models to calculate child support: the Income Shares model (used by most states), the Percentage of Income model (used by Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and a few others), or the Melson Formula (used by Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana).
The Income Shares model bases the obligation on both parents' combined incomes. The Percentage of Income model uses only the non-custodial parent's income. All models consider the number of children and may adjust for factors like health insurance, child care costs, and custody arrangements.
Understanding Child Support in the US
Child support is a court-ordered payment made by a non-custodial parent to the custodial parent to help cover the costs of raising their children. Every US state has its own guidelines for calculating child support, though they all follow one of three basic models.
The Three Child Support Models
Income Shares Model: Used by the majority of states, this model estimates the total amount both parents would have spent on the child if they lived together, based on their combined incomes. The obligation is then divided proportionally between the parents based on each one's share of the combined income.
Percentage of Income Model: Used by a handful of states including Texas, this simpler model applies a fixed percentage to the non-custodial parent's income. The percentage increases with the number of children.
Melson Formula: Used by Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana, this model is a variation of Income Shares that first ensures each parent retains enough income for their own basic needs before calculating the child support obligation.