Virginia · Income Shares Model · Va. Code § 20-108.2

Virginia Child Support Calculator

Estimate the guideline child support amount for a Virginia case under Va. Code § 20-108.2 — sole custody or shared custody — following the line order of the courts' own DC-637 and DC-640 worksheets, including the statutory 1.4 shared custody multiplier. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

How this calculator works

Virginia calculates child support using the income shares model set out in Va. Code § 20-108.2source verified 2026-07-23. The statute contains the schedule itself, so the figures below come from the law rather than from an agency manual. The guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption: a court may order a different amount after considering the factors in § 20-108.1.

Step by step

1. Take each parent's monthly gross income (§ 20-108.2 C), adjusting for any spousal support actually paid between them — subtracted from the payer, added to the recipient.

2. Add the two figures and read the basic child support obligation from the Schedule of Monthly Basic Child Support Obligations for that combined income and number of children (§ 20-108.2 B). The schedule runs to $42,500 per month in $50 steps; above that, a fixed percentage of the excess applies.

3. Add the children's health care coverage (subsection E) and employment-related child care (subsection F) to reach the total obligation.

4. Divide that total between the parents in proportion to their gross income.

5. Under sole custody (G 1), the noncustodial parent pays their share, reduced by any health coverage they pay directly. Under shared custody (G 3), the basic obligation is first multiplied by 1.4 to reflect two households, each parent's share of that need is weighted by the other parent's custody share, and the two resulting amounts are netted against each other.

Worked example — sole custody. Two children. Father's gross income $25,000/month, mother's $3,500, with $5,000/month spousal support paid by the father — so the adjusted figures are $20,000 and $8,500 ($28,500 combined). The father pays $350/month for the children's health coverage; the mother pays $600/month in work-related child care. The mother has sole custody.

The schedule gives a basic obligation of $3,639/month at $28,500 combined for two children. Adding $350 health coverage and $600 child care gives a total obligation of $4,589. The father's income share is 70.18%, so his share is $3,221. Subtracting the $350 he pays directly for coverage leaves an estimated order of $2,871/month — the figure published for this scenario by the Division of Child Support Enforcement.

Worked example — shared custody. Two children. Father $7,500/month, mother $3,500, with $500/month spousal support paid by the father (adjusted: $7,000 and $4,000, combined $11,000). The father has the children 130 days a year, the mother 235. The father pays $350/month in health coverage, the mother $600/month in child care.

Because the father's 130 days exceed 90, the shared custody formula applies. The schedule gives a basic obligation of $1,932; multiplied by 1.4 that is a shared support need of $2,705. The father's custody share is 130 ÷ 365 = 35.62%, the mother's the complement, 64.38%. Each parent's obligation is then the other parent's custody share of the $2,705 need, plus the costs that other parent pays, multiplied by this parent's own income share (63.64% father, 36.36% mother). That gives $1,490 owed by the father and $478 owed by the mother. Netting the two leaves the father paying $1,012/month — again the published figure for this scenario.

Three things Virginia does differently

Linear extrapolation between schedule steps. Subsection B directs courts to extrapolate between the schedule's $50 income steps rather than round to the nearest one. Several states — Indiana among them — do the opposite. A generic income-shares engine reused without this adjustment is wrong on any combined income that is not an exact multiple of $50.

A 1.4 shared custody multiplier, not 1.5. Subsection G 3 (a) (iii) is explicit. A calculator using 1.5 overstates the shared support need by about 7% before any other step.

The lesser parent's custody share governs. Subsection G 3 (a) (ii) defines the custody share of the parent with less time, and treats the other parent's share as the remainder. Calculating both shares independently produces a different answer whenever the days entered do not total exactly 365.

Estimation limits

This tool covers sole custody (G 1) and shared custody (G 3). It does not cover split custody (G 2), where each parent has primary custody of at least one child, or the mixed arrangements in G 4, G 5 and G 6.
The statute refers to a presumptive minimum order but never states a figure, and none of the three official worksheets carries a minimum line. This calculator flags results below $68/month — the lowest amount on the schedule itself — rather than silently substituting it. Treat that flag as a prompt to check with counsel, not as a statutory floor.
Under G 3 (a), a shared custody amount can be capped at the sole custody amount, but only where a party affirmatively shows the latter is lower, and DC-640 has no line for it. This tool therefore flags that situation rather than applying the cap automatically.
Three points reflect our reading rather than explicit text, and are flagged where they bite: which direction payment runs when G 3 (f) reverses it; the rounding convention for the mixed regimes; and how costs are allocated between family units. The worksheets round every dollar line to the nearest dollar (0.50 rounds up) and this tool does the same, but the number of decimals on percentage lines is not specified — two decimals is the only convention consistent with both published Division of Child Support Enforcement examples.
Not modeled: imputed or potential income for a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent, the presumptive deduction for other children in a parent's household, support for a child with a disability, unreimbursed medical expenses (subsection D), pregnancy expenses (D 1), or any of the discretionary deviations in § 20-108.1.
The federal poverty guidelines used for the G 3 (d) presumption are re-indexed every January. This tool uses the 2026 figures ($15,960/year for one person; 150% = $1,995/month), published in the Federal Register on 2026-01-15. Note that the official DC-640 form still prints a table dated February 1, 2021 — a parent earning between $1,610 and $1,995 a month is below the threshold on current figures and above it on the form's own table.

Frequently asked questions

How is child support calculated in Virginia?

Virginia uses an income shares model under § 20-108.2. Add both parents' monthly gross incomes, read the basic obligation from the statutory schedule for that combined income and number of children, add the children's health care coverage and work-related child care, then divide the total in proportion to each parent's gross income.

How many days do you need for shared custody in Virginia?

More than 90 days of custody in the year for the parent with less time. The statute says "more than 90 days" — so 91 days triggers the shared custody formula and exactly 90 days does not. A partial period of custody counts as a half day for the parent with less time (G 3 (c)).

What is the shared custody multiplier in Virginia?

1.4. Subsection G 3 (a) (iii) multiplies the basic obligation by 1.4 to reach the shared support need, reflecting the cost of maintaining two households. Calculators that use 1.5 overstate the obligation by roughly 7%.

Does Virginia use gross or net income for child support?

Gross monthly income, before taxes. The main adjustment is spousal support: what is actually paid between the parents is subtracted from the payer's income and added to the recipient's (§ 20-108.2 C).

What happens between the schedule's income steps?

Virginia extrapolates linearly between the schedule's $50 steps under subsection B, rather than rounding to the nearest bracket as some other states do. On any combined income that is not an exact multiple of $50, a calculator that snaps to a bracket gives a different answer.

Does Virginia child support include health insurance and child care?

Yes. The children's portion of health care coverage (subsection E) and employment-related child care (subsection F) are added to the basic obligation before it is divided in proportion to income. Under sole custody, a noncustodial parent paying coverage directly then has their own obligation reduced by that amount.

How do I work out the children's share of a health insurance premium?

Not by entering the family premium. The worksheets impute a per-person cost — total policy cost minus individual coverage for the subscriber, divided by persons covered minus one — then multiply by the number of children in the order. The calculator above has a helper for this; entering the gross family premium instead is the most common way an estimate ends up too high.

Is there a minimum child support order in Virginia?

The statute mentions a presumptive minimum but does not state a figure, and none of the official worksheets carries a minimum line. The lowest amount on the schedule itself is $68/month for one child, and that is the figure this calculator flags rather than imposes.

Can a Virginia judge order a different amount?

Yes. The guideline figure is a rebuttable presumption. A court may deviate after considering the factors in § 20-108.1 — the age and condition of the children, imputed income, extraordinary medical needs, independent financial resources of the child, and others — with written findings explaining why.

Is this an official Virginia child support calculation?

No. It is an educational estimate that follows the statutory method and reproduces the line order of the official worksheets. The binding figure comes from the worksheet filed with the court — form DC-637 for sole custody or DC-640 for shared custody — and from the judge who reviews it.