Child Support Percentage by State

Introduction

Child Support is a type of recurrent payment that a parent makes in order to financially support their child after the end of a marriage or a similar, less formal romantic relationship. The payment of child support is initiated by the parent who the child lives with, and if the initiation of payment isn’t sought, then in many cases the payment is not received. 

In the U.S., states primarily use three different models to determine the amount of money that the non-custodial parent has to pay to the custodial parent whom the child lives with. The most common model implemented is called the Income Shares Model. More than forty states use this model. The income that the non-custodial parent is asked to provide is determined based on the income that the child would receive from both parents if they lived in the same home together.

The remaining states in the U.S. use the Percentage of Income Model and the Melson Formula to determine how much child support is owed to the parent who has custody of the child. Using the Percentage of Income Model, a percentage of the non-custodial parents’ income is required to be paid to the custodial parent. Certain states use a flat-percentage model, and others use a varying percentage model. 

The Melson Formula is a more complex version of the Income Shares Model that incorporates public policy judgments in order to ensure that both parents’ basic needs are met. 

Learn more about the child support percentage by state by looking at the data in the charts.