Know what your support estimate includes.

Check the inputs, the base calculation and the missing adjustments before relying on the total.

Read the calculation in layers

A base support amount answers one part of the problem. A complete worksheet may also allocate child care and health costs, adjust for parenting time, account for other supported children, or protect a parent’s basic living needs. A result can be arithmetically correct for its stated assumptions and still be incomplete for your family.

This site currently offers 41 limited base modules and official worksheet guidance for nine other states. The methodology page explains that distinction. A guide being complete does not mean every calculation branch is implemented.

A simple income-share example

Consider an illustration with Party A’s countable monthly income of $4,000 and Party B’s of $2,000. Assume a hypothetical schedule supplies a $900 basic obligation. This is an explanation of proportional allocation, not a real state table value or an estimate for your case.

1. Combined income is $6,000.
2. Party A’s share is $4,000 ÷ $6,000, or two-thirds.
3. Party B’s share is one-third.
4. Their shares of the hypothetical $900 basic obligation are $600 and $300.

Do not round two-thirds down to 0.67 before doing the multiplication. That would turn $600 into $603. Follow the particular worksheet’s rounding instructions, and preserve intermediate precision where the instructions do not require rounding.

Check who already pays an expense

Suppose the same illustrative worksheet adds $300 of eligible monthly child care. Party A’s two-thirds allocation is $200. If Party A already pays that $300 directly, adding $200 to a transfer without considering the direct-payment credit could count the cost twice. The actual credit, eligibility and allocation come from the state worksheet; there is no universal adjustment you should apply to every result.

Questions to ask before using the number

• Right income definition? Compare the worksheet label with the record you used. Net disposable income is not necessarily the deposit shown on a pay stub.
• Same period? Check that annual, monthly and weekly figures were converted consistently.
• Right parenting arrangement? A primary-care calculation may not answer a shared- or split-care question. Equal time does not by itself establish a zero obligation.
• Complete expense treatment? Identify child care, insurance and other entries that were recorded but not included in the calculation.
• Within the schedule? Low-income rules, income above a table and unusually large families can require another step.
• Current source? Compare the effective date and the official form with the date relevant to the case.

A blank result is not a zero obligation

If the worksheet sends a scenario to the official tool, the site has not determined a support amount. Save your input summary and complete the state’s required calculation. Do not put zero in a proposed order to fill a blank in our report.

When an order already exists

Running a new estimate does not modify a court order or determine arrears. The state’s process for requesting a modification is separate. For example, California Courts explains requesting or changing support, including when the local agency is involved. Use the official resources for your state for the procedure that applies to you.

Print the report with its assumptions and source notes. A useful next question for a lawyer or self-help office is: “Which adjustments are still missing from this base amount?”

Updated September 17, 2026. Published by Guideline Calculator. Educational information; not legal advice or an official court worksheet. Report a correction.