Pennsylvania child support calculator
Enter both parents' monthly net income, the number of children and the overnights with you. See the estimate under Pennsylvania's support guidelines, step by step.
- The 2026 schedule: Pennsylvania's Basic Child Support Schedule in court Rule 1910.16-3, effective January 1, 2026.
- Shared by income: each parent's share follows their part of the combined net income.
- Shared custody counts once the paying parent has at least 40% of the overnights (146 a year).
How Pennsylvania calculates child support
Pennsylvania's guidelines are court rules, Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.16-1 to 1910.16-7, adopted by the state Supreme Court. They use an "income shares" model: a schedule says what intact families at each combined net income spend on their children, and each parent is responsible for the share that matches their part of the combined income. The amount the guidelines produce is presumed correct, but the presumption can be rebutted (Rule 1910.16-1(d)).
The current schedule and the $1,255 self-support reserve took effect on January 1, 2026 (Supreme Court order of August 11, 2025, 55 Pa.B. 5978). The calculator follows the lines of the worksheet in Rule 1910.16-4(a)(1), Parts C to E.
| 1. Net income | Each parent's monthly gross income minus income taxes, Social Security and Medicare, unemployment and local services taxes, non-voluntary retirement, mandatory union dues and alimony paid to the other parent. Nothing else comes off (Rule 1910.16-2(c)). |
|---|---|
| 2. Schedule amount | Look up the combined net income and the number of children in the Basic Child Support Schedule (Rule 1910.16-3). It runs from $1,300 to $30,000 a month in $50 steps, for 1 to 6 children. |
| 3. Split by income | The parent who pays owes their percentage of the combined income times the schedule amount (worksheet lines 21 and 22). Usually that is the parent with fewer overnights. |
| 4. Shared custody | If the paying parent has the children 40% or more of the overnights, their percentage drops by the time over 30%: 10 points at 40%, 20 points at 50% (Rule 1910.16-4(c)). |
| 5. Add-ons | Child care for work or school, health insurance premiums, and uncovered medical costs over $250 a year per person are shared by income (Rule 1910.16-6). |
| 6. Low income | The self-support reserve is $1,255 a month, and the schedule's shaded low-income rows are built around it. If the paying parent's own income is in the shaded area, they owe the lesser of two amounts; at or below $1,255 the court decides (Rule 1910.16-2(e)). |
Example: $5,000 and $2,300 net, two children
This is the example in the official Comment to Rule 1910.16-4(c), and the calculator's starting numbers: the paying parent earns $5,000 a month net, the other parent $2,300.
| Combined net income: $5,000 + $2,300 | $7,300 |
|---|---|
| Schedule amount for $7,300, two children (Rule 1910.16-3) | $1,960 |
| Paying parent's share: $5,000 ÷ $7,300 | 68% |
| Basic child support: 68% × $1,960 | $1,333 |
| With 40% of overnights: 68% − 10% = 58% × $1,960 | $1,137 |
| With 45%: 68% − 15% = 53% × $1,960 | $1,039 |
| With equal time: 68% − 20% = 48% × $1,960 | $941 |
Most of the rule's Comment examples round each percentage to a whole number and each amount to whole dollars, and the calculator does the same (the multiple-family example in Rule 1910.16-7(a) uses exact percentages). Child care, health insurance and uncovered medical costs would then be added, shared 68% and 32%.
Special rules: low income, equal time, high income and add-ons
Low income. The rule defines the self-support reserve, $1,255 a month, as "the minimum monthly net income reserved to the obligor to meet the obligor's basic needs". The schedule shades its lowest rows: up to $1,650 of income for one child, $2,000 for two, $2,300 for three, $2,550 for four, $2,800 for five and $3,000 for six. Each shaded amount is 90% to 95% of the row's income above $1,255. If the paying parent's own income falls in the shaded area, the court uses the lesser of the schedule amount at that parent's income alone and the usual income-shares amount. In the rule's own example, a parent earning $1,500 with two children and an other parent earning $2,500 owes $223 instead of $523. At or below $1,255, there is no formula amount: the court looks at both parents' actual resources and expenses (Rule 1910.16-2(e)(1)). Between rows, rounding up to the nearest row could leave the paying parent under $1,255 (at $1,260 with one child, the $1,300 row says $41); the calculator then caps the amount at income minus $1,255 and says so. With more than six children it uses the six-child shading.
Equal time. With an equal number of overnights, the parent with the higher income is the paying parent, the lower-income parent doesn't pay basic support, and the amount is capped so that the other home doesn't end up with more of the combined income. In the rule's example, parents earning $3,000 and $2,700 would get $566 from the formula, but the payment is capped at $150, half the difference in incomes (Rule 1910.16-4(c)(2)).
Over $30,000 combined. Above the schedule, the preliminary amount is the $30,000 amount plus a percentage of the income over $30,000, shared by income and adjusted for shared custody. The court then considers the children's reasonable needs and may go higher or lower, but not below the amount at $30,000 (Rule 1910.16-3.1).
More than one family, split custody. If a parent's basic support for all their children is more than half their net income, the court may reduce the orders in proportion, and the parent must keep $1,255 (Rule 1910.16-7). When each parent has at least one child living with them, each parent's amount is figured and the two are offset (Rule 1910.16-4(d)). The calculator handles one group of children with one schedule; for split custody, run it once for each group.
| Over $30,000 | One child: $3,749 + 4.0% of the combined income above $30,000. Two: $4,981 + 4.0%. Three: $5,803 + 4.7%. Four: $6,482 + 5.3%. Five: $7,130 + 5.8%. Six: $7,750 + 6.3%. |
|---|---|
| Child care | Shared by income, after the federal child care tax credit. In the rule's example, a father with 64% of the income owes 64% of $500 = $320, minus the $100 he pays himself: $220 on top of his $1,084 (Rule 1910.16-6(a)). |
| Health insurance | The premium for the children (and for a spouse still owed support) is shared by income. If the paying parent pays it, the other parent's share comes off; if the other parent pays it, the paying parent's share is added (Rule 1910.16-6(b)). |
| Medical costs | Uncovered costs over $250 a year per person, counted by calendar year, are shared by income (Rule 1910.16-6(c)). The calculator takes $250 per child off the children's total, so it shares less than the rule when one child's costs are under $250. |
| Children's benefit | A child's Social Security benefit from a parent's retirement or disability counts as income of the parent who receives it. If the other parent receives it and the paying parent's record created it, it comes off the paying parent's share. If the paying parent receives it, the rule asks for a second calculation as if the other household received it; the calculator shows both (Rule 1910.16-2(b)(2)). |
| More than 6 children | The six-child amount plus the difference between the five- and six-child amounts for each extra child (Rule 1910.16-4(b)). |
| Between two rows | The rules don't say what to do for an income between two $50 rows. Their examples use the nearest row ($1,795 → the $1,800 row), so the calculator does too and shows the other row's amount. |
| Two older examples | The Comment to Rule 1910.16-2(b) prints $694 and $705 for a paying parent earning $2,000 with two children. In the 2026 schedule, $2,000 with two children is in the shaded area, so the low-income rule gives the lesser amount, $678, and the calculator shows $678. The examples were written to show the benefit rule and don't apply the low-income rule. |
Questions people ask
How is child support calculated in Pennsylvania?
Add both parents' monthly net incomes and look up the combined amount and the number of children in the Basic Child Support Schedule in Rule 1910.16-3. The paying parent owes their percentage of the combined income times that amount. It is reduced if the paying parent has the children at least 40% of the overnights, and child care, health insurance and uncovered medical costs are added in the same proportion.
How much is child support for one child in Pennsylvania?
It depends on both parents' incomes. In the example in the Comment to Rule 1910.16-1, the parents earn $3,000 and $2,000 a month net. The 2026 schedule amount for one child at a combined $5,000 is $1,080, so the parent with 60% of the income owes $648 a month and the other parent $432, before add-ons and any shared custody adjustment.
What is the 40% custody rule in Pennsylvania?
If the children spend 40% or more of the year's overnights (146 or more) with the paying parent, the law presumes that parent's support is reduced. Their income percentage drops by the custody percentage over 30%: 10 points at 40%, 20 points at 50%. With equal time, the higher earner pays, and never more than it takes to even out the two households' incomes (Rule 1910.16-4(c)).
What if the paying parent earns very little?
The self-support reserve is $1,255 a month, defined as the minimum net income reserved to the paying parent for basic needs, and the schedule's shaded low-income rows are built around it. If the paying parent's own income is in the shaded area, they owe the lesser of the schedule amount at their own income and the usual income-shares amount. At or below $1,255, the court may order support only after looking at both parents' actual resources and living expenses (Rule 1910.16-2(e)(1)).
What if combined income is over $30,000 a month?
The schedule stops at $30,000. Above it, the preliminary amount is the $30,000 amount plus a percentage of the income over $30,000: 4.0% for one or two children, 4.7% for three, 5.3% for four, 5.8% for five and 6.3% for six. The court then weighs the children's reasonable needs and may adjust it, but not below the amount for $30,000 (Rule 1910.16-3.1).
Can the court order a different amount?
Yes. The guideline amount is presumed correct, but the court can find it unjust or inappropriate and deviate, stating its reasons. Rule 1910.16-5 lists the factors, such as unusual needs and fixed obligations, other support obligations, other household income, the child's age, assets and debts, uncovered medical costs, and the standard of living.
Did Pennsylvania's child support schedule change in 2026?
Yes. A new Basic Child Support Schedule took effect on January 1, 2026, replacing the schedule in force since January 1, 2022, and the self-support reserve rose from $1,063 to $1,255 a month (Supreme Court order of August 11, 2025, 55 Pa.B. 5978).
Updated November 8, 2026. Sources: Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.16-1 to 1910.16-7, including the Basic Child Support Schedule (Rule 1910.16-3) effective January 1, 2026 (231 Pa. Code chapter 1910); Supreme Court Order of August 11, 2025, 55 Pa.B. 5978; PA Child Support Program estimator help (default state and local tax rates, used only for the gross-pay estimate); IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets, gross-pay estimate only). An estimate, not legal advice: the court sets the actual amount, and guidelines allow deviations (Rule 1910.16-5). Not affiliated with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the PA Child Support Program or any Pennsylvania court.