Vermont child support guide
Vermont uses available income and different worksheets for sole, split, and shared custody. Its self-support reserve can limit the ordinary guideline payment.
Sources checked .
Open Vermont’s official calculator and forms
Guideline at a glance
- Guideline model
- Available-income shares with custody-specific worksheets
- Income used
- Monthly available income under 15 V.S.A. § 653
- Current materials checked
- 2024 tables with OCS updates published for 2026
- Our calculator
- Financial intake; use the official calculator for the amount
How Vermont child support law works
Title 15, sections 653–657 define income, establish the guideline, and describe allocation and custody adjustments. Section 653 defines available income; section 654 establishes the support guideline. These are separate steps, not interchangeable descriptions of gross pay.
Sources: 15 V.S.A. § 653: income and other definitions.
How the guideline is calculated
- Determine available income under section 653, including the prescribed tax and other permitted adjustments.
- Use the appropriate support table, then include child care and extraordinary expenses in the total obligation.
- For sole custody, allocate according to available-income shares and check the self-support reserve. Use the separate shared or split calculation where required.
- Apply current OCS reference figures. Its 2026 page identifies a $1,596 monthly self-support reserve effective February 2, 2026.
Section 657 distinguishes 25%–under-30% overnight arrangements from cases where each parent has at least 30%. For the latter, the statute increases total support by 50% and applies income and time shares before offsetting obligations.
Sources: 15 V.S.A. § 653: income and other definitions; 15 V.S.A. § 654: support guideline; 15 V.S.A. § 656: allocation and reserve; 15 V.S.A. § 657: shared and split custody; OCS calculator, forms, and 2026 reference updates.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
- Income records, existing support paid, and the data needed for guideline tax treatment.
- An overnight calendar, child-care bills, insurance costs, and extraordinary-expense records.
- OCS Form 131A for sole/split custody or Form 131C for shared custody, with current tables and instructions.
Keep the source document beside each figure you enter. If a number is uncertain, note what still needs to be confirmed before relying on an estimate.
What this site’s worksheet covers
The educational guide and official resources are available now. Our Vermont workflow collects both parents’ financial information and produces a printable accounting. It does not calculate a child-support amount; the official state calculator linked on this page does.
How Vermont cases actually get to a number
This site’s Vermont module estimates the 2024 intact-family schedule using prepared available income, eligible expenses, the 2026 self-support reserve, and sole or shared custody in range. Use Vermont tax-conversion amounts rather than paycheck withholding.
Vermont uses a 2024 intact-family schedule, prepared available income, a self-support reserve, and sole or shared custody calculations within a supported overnight range. 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 Vermont
Shared custody in Vermont is an overnight-band calculation. The partial shared-cost band from 25 percent to under 30 percent, and split custody, remain on the official worksheet.
Costs Vermont usually treats separately
- Eligible child-care and medical expenses
- Self-support reserve
- Shared-cost allocations in range
- Maintenance supplements on the official form
When Vermont courts leave the guideline
Additional dependents, self-employment adjustments, asset imputation, and benefits need the official worksheet.
Official Vermont forms to keep beside this guide
Vermont child support worksheet, financial affidavit, and tax/allowance tables. The 588-row January 2024 intact-family schedule is implemented with the February 2026 $1,596 reserve, eligible expenses, ordinary-guideline cap and same-schedule sole/shared custody. Available income must be prepared using state tax-conversion figures. Partial shared costs at 25%–under-30%, split custody, minimum-order determinations, tax refunds exceeding tax, self-employment adjustments, additional dependents, asset imputation and maintenance supplements require the official worksheet. The primary authority is the published Vermont source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right Vermont path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
Family Division of Superior Court hears cases; OCS handles IV-D. Bring the current Vermont child-support worksheets.
Questions specific to Vermont
Why not use paycheck withholding for taxes?
Vermont’s guideline uses specified tax-conversion amounts, which can differ from actual withholding.
What overnight range is supported here?
Sole or shared custody within the module’s stated range. The 25–30 percent partial band is official-worksheet territory.
Is there a self-support reserve?
Yes. The 2026 reserve is part of the estimate.
Use the official worksheet
Open Vermont’s official calculator and forms. These resources are maintained by the state court or agency. Check the applicable version and instructions before preparing a filing.
To organize records first, open our Vermont financial intake. Its PDF is a record of your entries, not a calculated support order or a substitute for the state form.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find the latest Vermont reference amounts?
The Office of Child Support’s calculator page lists dated updates, forms, and tables. Check those updates with the worksheet instead of assuming a table’s original publication year covers every current figure.
Does this guide also calculate alimony?
No. These steps concern child support. A worksheet may consider an existing spousal-support payment when its rules allow, but it does not determine a new alimony award.
Can I file the financial intake as the state worksheet?
Our intake is a preparation aid. Use the official state forms and the instructions for your court when submitting a proposed support calculation.