Arizona child support calculator
Enter both parents' gross monthly income, the children and the parenting time. See the estimate under the Arizona Child Support Guidelines, step by step, the way the official court calculator works it out.
- Arizona's own schedule, from the guidelines the Arizona Supreme Court adopted, in effect since January 1, 2022 and last revised September 21, 2022.
- Shared by income: each parent pays their part of the total, in proportion to their adjusted gross income (gross income minus a few court-ordered payments).
- Parenting time counts from 20 days a year, rising to a 50% adjustment at 164 days or equal time.
How Arizona calculates child support
Arizona uses the "income shares" model. The guidelines' schedule shows what parents with a given combined income would spend on their children if they all lived together. Each parent is responsible for a share of that amount in proportion to their income, and the parenting time each parent has lowers the share of the parent with less time (Guidelines, Section I.A).
Courts use the amount the guidelines produce unless they find it unfair or unjust. The calculator follows the 12 steps in the guidelines and the official Arizona Child Support Calculator, and shows each one.
| 1. Gross income | Each parent's income from any source before taxes or deductions: wages, commissions, bonuses, self-employment profit, pensions, Social Security, unemployment, spousal maintenance received and more. Child support received and means-tested aid such as TANF and SSI don't count (Section II.A). |
|---|---|
| 2. Adjustments | Court-ordered spousal maintenance and court-ordered support for other children that a parent actually pays come off their income. So may the schedule amount for other children living with that parent (Section II.B). |
| 3. Schedule | Find the parents' combined adjusted income on the Schedule of Basic Support Obligations ($750 to $30,000 a month, 1 to 6 children), using the closest $50 row (Section III.A). |
| 4. Add-ons | Add 10% for each child over 12 (prorated), the children's health, dental and vision insurance, child care, and, if the court allows them, school and special-needs costs (Section III.B). |
| 5. Income shares | Each parent's share is their adjusted income ÷ the combined income × the total (Section IV). |
| 6. Parenting time | A percentage from the Parenting Time Table × the basic amount plus the over-12 adjustment comes off the share of the parent with less time (Section V). |
| 7. Costs paid | A parent who pays the insurance, child care or other added costs gets credit for them (Section VI). |
| 8. Low-income test | The self-support reserve test checks that the paying parent keeps at least 80% of full-time minimum-wage pay (Section VIII). The result is rounded to the nearest dollar (Section X.A.4). |
Example: Taylor and Kennedy, equal time
This is the guidelines' own example in Section V.E, and the calculator's starting numbers: Taylor earns $5,000 a month, Kennedy $3,000. They have 2 children and share essentially equal parenting time.
| Combined adjusted income: $5,000 + $3,000 | $8,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Schedule amount for $8,000, 2 children | $1,622.00 |
| Taylor's share: $5,000 ÷ $8,000 = 62.5% × $1,622 | $1,013.75 |
| Parenting time adjustment: $1,622 × .50 (equal time) | −$811.00 |
| Taylor pays Kennedy, rounded to the dollar | $203.00 |
Kennedy's share is $1,622 × 37.5% = $608.25, also minus $811. With the $203 from Taylor, each parent has half of the $1,622, matching the equal time. If Taylor also paid $400 a month for the children's health insurance (the guidelines' next example), the total would be $2,022, Taylor's share $1,263.75, minus $811 and minus the $400 Taylor already pays: $53 a month.
A few printed examples in the guidelines round each parent's share to a whole percentage, such as 67% instead of 66.67%. The official calculator keeps four decimals, and so does this one. In the Section V.D example (incomes of $4,000 and $2,000, two children, 110 days) that gives $703 a month instead of the printed $707. Two examples in Section X also apply the parenting time percentage to the basic amount only. The guidelines as revised in September 2022 and the official calculator apply it to the basic amount together with the over-12 adjustment, and so do we.
Parenting time, low income and other special rules
Parenting time is counted in days a year for the parent with less time: 1 day for each 24 hours in a block, and a leftover of 12 hours or more as 1 day, 6 to 11 hours as half a day, 3 to 5 hours as a quarter day (Section V.C). The table turns the days into a percentage of the basic amount plus the over-12 adjustment.
| Days a year | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 0–19 | 0 |
| 20–34 | .025 |
| 35–49 | .05 |
| 50–69 | .075 |
| 70–84 | .10 |
| 85–99 | .15 |
| 100–114 | .175 |
| 115–129 | .20 |
| 130–142 | .25 |
| 143–152 | .325 |
| 153–163 | .40 |
| 164 or more | .50 |
| Equal time | The .50 adjustment comes off both parents' shares. The parent whose share is still larger pays the other: usually the higher earner, but the other parent can owe support if the higher earner pays more of the children's costs (Section X.A.2). |
|---|---|
| Low income | The self-support reserve is 80% of full-time pay at the state minimum wage. With the $15.15 Arizona minimum wage in the official calculator, that is 0.8 × $15.15 × 40 × 52 ÷ 12 = $2,100.80 a month. If the paying parent's adjusted income minus the reserve is less than their share, the court may lower support to that difference, or to nothing (Section VIII). |
| Very small amounts | No order is made when the amount is less than the monthly Support Clearinghouse fee, $8 in the official calculator (Section X.A.5). |
| Above the schedule | For combined income over $30,000 a month, the $30,000 amount applies unless a parent proves a higher amount is in the children's best interests. For more than 6 children, the 6-children amount applies (Section III.A.1). |
| Other children | Support actually paid under a court order for other children comes off income. For other children living with a parent, the schedule amount at that parent's own income may come off. If the low-income test would leave nothing for this case, that deduction should be reduced so all the children are treated equally (Section II.B.2). |
| Split custody | When each parent has more than half the time with at least one child, two worksheets are prepared and the amounts are netted. In the guidelines' example, Logan owes $635 for the child living with Parker and Parker owes $476 for the two living with Logan, so Logan pays $159 (Section V.F). This calculator doesn't do two worksheets. |
| Relative or other caregiver | Both parents pay their share to a third-party caregiver; the caregiver's costs count, the caregiver's income doesn't (Section XII.C). |
Questions people ask
How is child support calculated in Arizona?
Add both parents' gross monthly incomes after a few adjustments, find the combined amount and the number of children on the Schedule of Basic Support Obligations, and add 10% for children over 12 plus insurance, child care and some other costs. Each parent owes a share in proportion to their income. The parent with less time then gets a parenting time adjustment, credit for costs they pay directly, and the self-support reserve test.
Does Arizona use gross or net income for child support?
Gross. The guidelines count income "from any source before any deductions or withholdings" and say the effect of taxes is already built into the schedule (Section II.A.1). Court-ordered spousal maintenance and support for other children that a parent pays do come off.
How does parenting time change child support in Arizona?
The parent with less time counts their parenting time days a year and looks up a percentage on the Parenting Time Table: nothing under 20 days, 2.5% from 20 days, up to 40% at 153 to 163 days and 50% at 164 days or more. That percentage of the basic amount plus the over-12 adjustment comes off their share. With equal time, it comes off both shares.
Can a parent with more parenting time have to pay?
Yes. If the parent with less time pays more of the children's insurance, child care or other costs than their share, the result can be negative, and the parent with more time then pays the difference (Section X.A.2.b). The guidelines' example: Leslie, with 145 days and paying the insurance, receives support from Jamie.
What if the paying parent earns very little?
The self-support reserve test compares the paying parent's adjusted income with 80% of full-time pay at the state minimum wage, $2,100.80 a month with the $15.15 wage in the official calculator. If what is left is less than their share, the court may lower support to what is left, or order nothing or a nominal amount, after considering the other household too (Section VIII).
Can the court order a different amount?
Yes. The guideline amount is presumed correct, but the court must deviate if applying it would be inappropriate or unjust, after considering the children's best interests, and must show the amount with and without the deviation. Parents can also agree to a different amount with the court's approval (Section IX).
Updated November 8, 2026. Sources: Arizona Child Support Guidelines (effective January 1, 2022, revised September 21, 2022), Administrative Order 2022-116; Arizona Child Support Calculator v2.2.0 (the official Excel worksheet, also the source of the $15.15 minimum wage and the $8 Clearinghouse fee used here). An estimate, not legal advice: the court sets the actual amount. Not affiliated with the Arizona Supreme Court, any Arizona court or the Arizona Department of Economic Security.