WISCONSIN SUPPORT GUIDELINE
Wisconsin child support calculator & worksheet
Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150 uses a percentage standard applied to the paying parent’s income, with entirely different formulas for shared placement, split placement, and serial-family cases.
Current module status
| State | Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Status | Active base worksheet module |
| Guideline model | percentage parent monthly income available |
| Primary income field | Monthly income available for child support |
How Wisconsin child support law works
Legal starting point. Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150 uses a percentage standard, with separate formulas for different placement and family situations. The standard is applied to the income defined by the rule; it is not a flat percentage of every dollar that appears on a pay stub. Read Wisconsin DCF 150.
How the guideline is calculated
The ordinary calculation applies the percentage standard to the paying parent’s income. Shared placement, split placement, serial-family, high-income, low-income, and other special situations require the corresponding DCF 150 calculation rather than the basic percentage alone.
What this site’s worksheet covers
Standard percentage model only. Shared placement, split placement, serial-family, high-income, low-income and other DCF 150 special circumstances require separate worksheets.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
Wisconsin standard percentage or the applicable special-circumstances worksheet. 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
Why is Wisconsin shared placement a different calculation?
DCF 150 separates ordinary percentage support from shared-placement, split-placement, serial-family, and other special methods. The applicable placement pattern and support duties determine which method to use. A base percentage should not be carried unchanged into a family arrangement governed by a different section.
Prepare this: Record placement time, the allocation of variable child costs, and support duties for other children. Match those facts to the applicable DCF 150 method before comparing amounts.
Read the relevant official instructions: Wisconsin DCF 150.
These preparation notes explain one part of the state guideline. A new estimate does not change an existing order; a modification request does.
How Wisconsin cases actually get to a number
The ordinary calculation applies the percentage standard to the payer’s income as DCF 150 defines income. Shared placement (generally 25 percent or more overnights with each parent) is a different formula, not a percentage haircut.
Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150 uses a percentage standard applied to the paying parent’s income, with entirely different formulas for shared placement, split placement, and serial-family cases. 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 Wisconsin
The 25 percent placement threshold is the Wisconsin fork. Below it, the percentage standard applies. At or above it, the shared-placement formula applies. Count overnights the DCF 150 way.
Costs Wisconsin usually treats separately
- Variable costs in shared placement
- Health-insurance costs
- Child-care costs
- High-income and low-income variants
When Wisconsin courts leave the guideline
High-income, low-income, and serial-family formulas are rule-based, not informal. Deviations still need findings. Do not apply the sole-placement percentage to a 50/50 family.
Official Wisconsin forms to keep beside this guide
Wisconsin standard percentage or the applicable special-circumstances worksheet. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute. The primary authority is the published Wisconsin source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right Wisconsin path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
Circuit Court hears family cases; CSA/CSS handles IV-D. Use the current DCF 150 percentage standard and worksheets.
Questions specific to Wisconsin
Is Wisconsin income-shares?
The basic standard is a percentage of the payer’s income. Shared placement uses a different DCF 150 formula.
What does 25 percent placement do?
It can switch the case from the percentage standard to the shared-placement formula.
Are both parents’ incomes used in shared placement?
Yes. Shared-placement math uses both incomes and variable costs. That is why the path change matters.
Run the calculator
Open the free support calculator, select Wisconsin, complete the state worksheet, and print or export the output for review.