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Florida Child Support Calculator
Florida uses the income shares model under Fla. Stat. § 61.30. Estimate your guideline amount, including the shared time-sharing adjustment and health insurance/childcare credits — calculated entirely in your browser.
Open the calculator →Texas Child Support Calculator
Texas uses the percentage-of-income model under Tex. Fam. Code § 154.125, applying a set percentage to the paying parent's net resources only — including the $11,700 net-resources cap and the low-income schedule. Calculated entirely in your browser.
Open the calculator →Ohio Child Support Calculator
Ohio uses the income shares model under R.C. 3119.021, applying the current JFS 07767 (Rev. 6/2023) schedule — including the 90-overnight parenting-time reduction and cash medical support. Calculated entirely in your browser.
Open the calculator →Indiana Child Support Calculator
Indiana uses the income shares model based on weekly gross income, applying the official Guideline Schedules for Weekly Support Payments — including the full Parenting Time Credit table (52 to 183 overnights). Calculated entirely in your browser.
Open the calculator →Virginia Child Support Calculator
Virginia uses the income shares model on monthly gross income under Va. Code § 20-108.2, with a separate shared custody formula once the parent with less time passes 90 days a year. Covers both formulas, following the line order of forms DC-637 and DC-640.
Open the calculator →How states calculate child support
Every state is required by federal law to maintain child support guidelines, but the formula itself is set at the state level. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which tracks each state's guideline model, states fall into three groups:
| Model | How it works | States |
|---|---|---|
| Income shares | Combines both parents' incomes, estimates what the child would receive in an intact household, and splits that amount proportionally. | 41 states + Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Percentage of income | Applies a set percentage to the noncustodial parent's income only. A flat version uses one rate; a varying version changes the rate by income level. | 6 states |
| Melson formula | A more complex version of income shares that first reserves enough of each parent's income for their own basic needs before calculating support. | 3 states |
Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia — four of our calculators — use the income shares model, the most common approach nationally. A handful of states, including Texas and Wisconsin, use the percentage of income model instead, which only looks at the paying parent's income. Only three states (Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana) use the Melson formula.
What most guidelines have in common
Regardless of which model a state uses, federal rules require every state's guidelines to share a few features:
A self-support reserve. Most guidelines protect a baseline amount of each parent's income for their own basic needs before calculating support.
Rules for imputed income. Every guideline addresses what happens when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, typically by assigning an earning capacity instead of using actual reported income.
Health care coverage. By federal regulation, every state's guideline must account for the child's health care costs, whether through insurance or another mechanism.
Add-ons for child care and shared custody. Most guidelines add work-related child care costs to the base obligation and include separate formulas or adjustments for shared custody, split custody, or extraordinary parenting-time expenses.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, "Child Support Guideline Models by State" (ncsl.org), and 45 CFR § 302.56 — both verified directly on 2026-07-18. State-specific figures always come from that state's own statute, not from this general overview.
States in development
We publish one state and one topic at a time, and only after the formula has been sourced from the official statute and tested against known worked examples. Nothing goes live half-verified.
More states
Additional child support states are in development. Each one will follow the same sourcing and testing process as the Florida calculator before it publishes — see our methodology for details.
Frequently asked questions
Is child support calculated the same way in every U.S. state?
No. States use one of three guideline models tracked by the National Conference of State Legislatures: income shares (41 states plus Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands), percentage of income (6 states), and the Melson formula (3 states). The model changes whose income counts and how the amount is calculated.
What is the income shares model?
It combines both parents' incomes, estimates what the child would have received if the household had stayed intact, and divides that amount between the parents in proportion to their share of the combined income. It's the model Florida uses, and the most common one nationally.
What is the percentage of income model?
It applies a set percentage to the noncustodial parent's income only — the custodial parent's income isn't part of the formula. A flat-percentage version uses one rate regardless of income; a varying-percentage version changes the rate at different income levels.
What is the Melson formula?
A more complex version of the income shares model. It first sets aside enough of each parent's income to cover their own basic needs, then calculates a base support amount. Only Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana use it.
Does shared or split custody change the amount?
In most states, yes. Guideline formulas commonly include adjustments for shared custody, split custody, or extraordinary parenting-time costs, though the exact mechanism is set by each state's own statute.
Is income ever assigned to a parent who isn't working?
Most state guidelines include a provision for imputed income, which can assign an earning capacity to a parent found to be voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, rather than using their actual reported income.
Are health insurance and child care costs included?
Federal regulation requires every state's guidelines to address the child's health care costs in some way. Most states also add work-related child care costs to the base support obligation before splitting it between the parents.
How often are state guidelines updated?
Federal regulation (45 CFR § 302.56) requires every state to review its guidelines at least once every four years and revise them if appropriate, considering current economic data on the cost of raising children. Some states review more often.
Is a guideline calculator result the same as a court order?
No. A guideline calculator estimates the presumptive amount under a state's formula. Courts generally treat that amount as a rebuttable presumption — a judge can order a different amount for reasons the state's law recognizes, such as extraordinary expenses or a child's special needs.
Which states does Family Support Calc cover right now?
Florida, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia are live today, each built from that state's own official statute or guideline. Additional states are in development and will publish only once their formula is sourced and tested the same way.