About PlainChildSupport — 50-State Child Support Calculator & Guidelines

Our Mission

We believe every parent deserves access to clear, understandable information about child support — without needing a lawyer just to read the guidelines. PlainChildSupport exists because child support law is notoriously opaque: state guidelines are buried in statutes, official calculators are hard to find, and the three different formula models work very differently from each other.

Our mission is to make the child support calculation process transparent and accessible for all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. We built this resource so parents, family law professionals, mediators, and advocates can quickly understand what to expect before entering the court system. No sign-ups, no upsells — just the data presented plainly.

Whether you are estimating potential obligations, preparing for a modification hearing, or researching how different states handle custody-related adjustments, PlainChildSupport gives you the starting point you need with real numbers from official sources.

Our Data Sources

All guideline data on PlainChildSupport comes from official state and federal sources. We do not generate estimates from proprietary models — every number traces back to a published government document.

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) — Child support model comparisons, state-by-state summaries of formula types (Income Shares, Percentage of Income, and Melson), and legislative updates. ncsl.org
State court statutes and regulations — Direct links to each state's child support statute, published income schedule tables, and official guideline worksheets. We reference the actual legal text rather than summaries.
State child support enforcement agencies — Official calculator links, guideline documents, enforcement statistics including caseload counts, collections totals, and paternity establishment rates from the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS).
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) — Median household income data by state, used to contextualize support obligation levels relative to local economic conditions. data.census.gov

How We Process the Data

Our methodology involves collecting, standardizing, and presenting child support data from 51 jurisdictions (50 states plus D.C.), each of which uses its own formula model and published guidelines.

Formula classification: Each state is categorized by its child support model — Income Shares (used by the majority of states), Percentage of Income (used by states like Texas, Illinois, and Wisconsin), or the Melson Formula (used by Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana). The formula type determines how combined or individual parental income translates into a support obligation.

Schedule extraction: For states that publish income-based schedule tables, we extract the percentage breakdowns at each income bracket. These percentages represent what portion of combined (or obligor) income the guidelines allocate to child support based on the number of children. Where states use algebraic formulas (such as California's CSSA formula), we document the formula parameters.

Enforcement statistics: We compile state-level enforcement data including total caseload, annual collections (in millions), collection rates, percentage of cases with support orders established, and paternity establishment rates. These figures come from the federal OCSS annual statistical reports.

Interactive calculators use each state's published guidelines and income schedule percentages to generate estimates. Results are intentionally labeled as estimates because real calculations involve precise line items, allowable deductions, and judicial discretion that no online tool can fully replicate.

Data Currency

The child support guidelines and formula data on PlainChildSupport reflect the most recently published versions from each state's legislature or court administration. Most state data ranges from 2020 to 2024, with the specific vintage noted on each state page. States that updated their guidelines most recently (such as Texas and Illinois in 2024) have the newest data, while others may reflect guidelines last revised in 2020 or 2021.

Census ACS median household income data is from the 2022 1-Year estimates. Enforcement statistics reflect the most recent federal OCSS annual report.

We review and update state data as new guidelines are published or legislative changes take effect, typically checking for updates on a quarterly basis. Each state page indicates the year of the guideline data shown so users can confirm whether they are viewing the most current version for their jurisdiction.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainChildSupport is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from federal and state regulatory agencies is transformed into readable profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, validated against the source before publication. The PlainChildSupport editorial team, operating under Kiznis Studio, is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from licensed providers, operators, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense — advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations and Disclaimers

This site is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. There are several important limitations users should understand:

Estimates, not official calculations: Our calculators produce approximate figures based on published schedule percentages. Actual court-ordered support may differ significantly based on specific deductions, credits, deviations, and judicial discretion.
Not all states covered equally: Interactive calculators are available for the 10 largest states in Phase 1. For remaining states, we provide guideline summaries, formula types, and links to official calculators where available.
Guidelines change: State legislatures and courts periodically revise child support guidelines, income tables, and deviation factors. There may be a lag between when a state publishes new guidelines and when we update our data.
No substitute for legal counsel: Child support calculations are complex and vary significantly by jurisdiction. Factors like imputed income, extraordinary expenses, shared custody time, health insurance costs, and prior support obligations can substantially change the outcome. Always consult a licensed family law attorney in your state.
Not affiliated with government: PlainChildSupport is not affiliated with any state court, child support enforcement agency, or government entity. We are an independent information resource presenting publicly available data in an accessible format.

Contact

For questions, corrections, or feedback about PlainChildSupport, reach out to us at hello@plainchildsupport.com. We welcome reports of outdated data, broken calculator links, or suggestions for additional features.

PlainChildSupport is a free resource and will remain free. If you find an error in our state data or know of a guideline update we have not yet incorporated, please let us know so we can keep this resource accurate for all users.