WASHINGTON SUPPORT GUIDELINE
Washington child support calculator & worksheet
Washington RCW 26.19.020 uses a per-child economic table on combined monthly net income, then allocates the basic support obligation by income share.
Current module status
| State | Washington |
|---|---|
| Status | Active base worksheet module |
| Guideline model | income shares monthly table |
| Primary income field | Combined monthly net income |
How Washington child support law works
Legal starting point. Washington uses a child-support economic table and standardized worksheets under chapter 26.19 RCW. The table establishes the basic support obligation from the parents’ combined monthly net income, subject to statutory low-income and high-income rules. Read Washington RCW 26.19.071.
How the guideline is calculated
The worksheet finds the basic obligation, multiplies the per-child amount as needed, and allocates it by income share. Health care, day care, special expenses, self-support limits, residential schedules, tax treatment, and deviations are separate worksheet determinations.
What this site’s worksheet covers
Uses RCW 26.19.020 Washington child support economic table effective January 1, 2026. The economic table gives a monthly basic support obligation per child; this module multiplies the selected per-child amount by the number of children, then allocates the total between parents by each parent’s share of combined monthly net income under RCW 26.19.080. The table is presumptive through combined monthly net income of $50,000; above that, the court may exceed the $50,000 amount only with written findings. For ordinary low-income cases, RCW 26.19.065 supplies a $50-per-child minimum. The 2026 $2,394 self-support reserve and 45% net-income limit are applied; conflicting limits or requested exceptions require official review. Healthcare, daycare, special child-rearing costs, tax/debt income derivation, other-household obligations, deviations, split custody and shared residential schedules require the full Washington worksheet.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
Washington WSCSS worksheets and financial declaration. 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
Must Washington disclose income that the worksheet excludes?
Washington distinguishes income disclosed for review from income actually included in the support calculation. RCW 26.19.071 identifies both included income and excluded resources; disclosure does not mean every listed receipt is added to net income. The permitted deductions then have their own rules.
Prepare this: Bring the full income record and label any claimed exclusion or deduction with its reason. Do not silently omit a resource simply because you believe it is excluded from the calculation.
Read the relevant official instructions: Washington RCW 26.19.071.
These preparation notes explain one part of the state guideline. A new estimate does not change an existing order; a modification request does.
How Washington cases actually get to a number
Compute net income under the statute, combine, look up each child’s basic support from the economic table (not a single family-total cell copied from another state), and allocate. Health-care and day-care costs are additional RCW 26.19 components.
Washington RCW 26.19.020 uses a per-child economic table on combined monthly net income, then allocates the basic support obligation by income share. 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 Washington
Washington does not use a simple overnight-credit table like Indiana. Residential schedule can affect deviations and expense allocation. A 50/50 residential schedule does not automatically halve the economic-table amount.
Costs Washington usually treats separately
- Health-care costs
- Day-care and special-child-rearing expenses
- Long-distance transportation
- Post-secondary support when ordered
When Washington courts leave the guideline
RCW 26.19.075 lists deviation factors, including a child from another relationship and high residential time. High income and low income have statutory treatments.
Official Washington forms to keep beside this guide
Washington WSCSS worksheets and financial declaration. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute. The primary authority is the published Washington source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right Washington path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
Superior Court hears family cases; DCS handles IV-D. Use the current economic table, which the legislature updates.
Questions specific to Washington
Why per child?
Washington’s economic table states a basic obligation for each child, then combines those figures. It is not one cell for the whole family copied from an income-shares neighbor.
Net or gross?
The table uses combined monthly net income.
Does 50/50 housing wipe out support?
No. Income disparity still produces a transfer. Deviation may be considered.
Run the calculator
Open the free support calculator, select Washington, complete the state worksheet, and print or export the output for review.