SOUTH CAROLINA SUPPORT GUIDELINE
South Carolina child support calculator & worksheet
South Carolina DSS Booklet 2819 and the income-shares guidelines use combined gross income and a monthly table, with worksheets for different custody arrangements.
Current module status
| State | South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Status | Active base worksheet module |
| Guideline model | income shares monthly table |
| Primary income field | Combined monthly gross income |
How South Carolina child support law works
Legal starting point. South Carolina uses an income-shares guideline and a Schedule of Basic Support Obligations. The schedule establishes the baseline from combined gross income; the complete worksheet then determines whether expense, custody, reserve, or deviation rules change that baseline. Read South Carolina DSS Child Support Guidelines.
How the guideline is calculated
The basic amount is allocated between the parents by income share. When income falls between schedule rows, the official materials address the lookup method; child care, insurance, extraordinary medical costs, shared or split custody, and deviations need the full worksheet.
What this site’s worksheet covers
Uses the South Carolina DSS Booklet 2819 Schedule of Basic Support Obligations, NOV 2024 edition. The basic obligation is allocated between parents by income share. The full worksheet can also require gross-income adjustments, work-related child care, health insurance, extraordinary medical expenses, self-support reserve, shared custody, split custody and deviation handling. When combined gross income falls between rows, South Carolina encourages upward extrapolation; this module uses the next higher encoded schedule row for the base table amount.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
South Carolina sole, shared, or split custody worksheet and reserve treatment. Gather the records that support the income, parenting-time, insurance, child-care, and other adjustment entries that apply to the family. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute.
For a filing or agreement, complete the official court forms linked on this page. They use the same guideline structure explained here, and the court applies it to the facts of the case.
Before you enter your numbers
Does South Carolina shared custody mean any overnight visitation?
No. The guidelines describe shared physical custody using more than 109 court-ordered overnights annually and contributions by both parents to the children's expenses. The adjustment is evaluated annually. A summer visit or a custody label alone does not establish the required shared-custody calculation.
Prepare this: Count the ordered annual overnights and document expenses paid by each household. Keep the shared-custody calculation with the schedule lookup and any applicable reserve review.
Read the relevant official instructions: South Carolina DSS Child Support Guidelines.
These preparation notes explain one part of the state guideline. A new estimate does not change an existing order; a modification request does.
How South Carolina cases actually get to a number
Select the correct South Carolina worksheet (primary vs. shared/split), enter combined gross income, look up the table, and allocate. DSS 2819 is the practical handbook, not an optional pamphlet.
South Carolina DSS Booklet 2819 and the income-shares guidelines use combined gross income and a monthly table, with worksheets for different custody arrangements. That is a different path from neighboring states that use another model, so do not import a table, percentage, or overnight credit from somewhere else.
Parenting time in South Carolina
Shared-custody worksheets apply only when the custody arrangement matches the guidelines. A flexible visitation schedule is still usually a primary-custody worksheet plus specified overnights.
Costs South Carolina usually treats separately
- Work-related child-care costs
- Health-insurance premiums
- Extraordinary medical expenses
- Other Booklet 2819 add-ons
When South Carolina courts leave the guideline
Deviation factors are in the guidelines. High income, a child’s needs, and other dependents are typical. Imputed income is common when a parent leaves the workforce during a case.
Official South Carolina forms to keep beside this guide
South Carolina sole, shared, or split custody worksheet and reserve treatment. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute. The primary authority is the published South Carolina source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right South Carolina path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
Family Court hears cases; DSS Child Support Services handles IV-D. Use the current Booklet 2819 tables.
Questions specific to South Carolina
Is South Carolina net or gross?
The basic table uses combined gross income as the guidelines define it.
Which worksheet?
Primary custody versus shared/split custody. Pick based on the order, not on informal overnights.
Are alimony and child support calculated together?
They can interact in a family-court case, but they remain separate obligations.
Run the calculator
Open the free support calculator, select South Carolina, complete the state worksheet, and print or export the output for review.