California Child Support Calculator
Enter both parents' incomes, number of children, and parenting time to estimate the California monthly child support obligation under the Income Shares model. Consult a family law attorney for a binding order.
- 20%
- 1-child base rate
- #4 of 51
- base-rate rank
- $30,000
- income ceiling
- 87.9%
- cases with a support order
$1,402/mo
One-child base rate at California's median income
20% of $84,097, the Census ACS 2022 median household income for California, divided across twelve months, 47% above the median state. An index for comparing states, not a case estimate: guidelines apply to the obligor's income, or to combined parental income under the Income Shares model, and a court sets the actual order. How this is derived.
The verdict
California carries one of the highest one-child base rates nationally.
According to California Title IV-D guideline publication, last checked 2023.
- 20%
- published 1-child starting rate
- 87.9%
- of cases have a support order
- $30,000
- income ceiling
Ranks describe published guideline starting rates across this portal's 51-jurisdiction table, not court outcomes or collection performance.
National context
Higher-band view: where California's one-child start sits
Each bar counts jurisdictions with a published one-child base rate in that 3-point guideline band. California is marked in its own band; counts are exact from the 51-jurisdiction dataset.
California's 20% published one-child starting rate is higher than 42 of 51 recorded state rates. This comparison describes the published starting percentage, not a complete child-support estimate.
Source: Published state child-support guideline records in PlainChildSupport's 51-jurisdiction dataset
Income Shares peers by one-child starting rate
Source: State Title IV-D guideline publications compiled in PlainChildSupport states.base_pct_1child filtered by formula_type · 2023 Peer board lists up to 10 Income Shares states sorted by published one-child starting rate. Counts match SELECT COUNT on the live states table.
Large Title IV-D caseload
California calculator in the heavy-caseload third
1,058,674 active cases put California in the heaviest third by OCSE P-52 volume (#2).
California applies the Income Shares model across a Title IV-D caseload of 1,058,674 active cases (heavy third nationally), with a published 20% one-child start. Parenting-time and add-on fields adjust the estimate; courts can still deviate.
Sources: California Child Support Guidelines · HHS OCSE Annual Report to Congress (Form 157) · estimate only; a court order requires the official worksheet.
Enter the details above to estimate California child support.
This calculator uses California's Income Shares guidelines.
California Guideline Summary
~20%
1 Child
~30%
2 Children
~38%
3 Children
$30,000/mo
Income Cap
Questions about this California estimate
Why does California's one-child start read high nationally?
California's 20% published one-child starting rate is higher than 42 of 51 recorded state rates. This comparison describes the published starting percentage, not a complete child-support estimate.
Does California cap the income used in this estimate?
Yes. This calculator applies the published $30,000 income ceiling before estimating the basic obligation. The official worksheet can apply additional rules or deviations.
Calculators nearest California's 20% start
Sorted by absolute gap in published one-child starting rate among states with a verified interactive calculator. Not a recommendation of which worksheet to file.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Source: U.S. Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) - HHS Child support enforcement caseload and collections · 2025