Georgia Child Support Calculator:
Estimate Payments

Georgia calculates the amount of child support using the Income Shares model and Georgia child support guidelines codified in the child support guidelines statute O.C.G.A. §19-6-15.

The Georgia Child Support Commission publishes the Georgia child support guidelines, the child support worksheet, and the child support formula used by courts statewide. Georgia's child support formula uses each parent's monthly gross income rather than net income — a simpler approach that avoids disputes over deductions.

Georgia's schedule provides a presumptive amount of child support based on combined monthly gross income (up to $30,000/month) and the number of children. Each parent's share is proportional to their percentage of combined monthly gross income, and the noncustodial parent's share becomes the transfer payment.

Health insurance and child care costs are mandatory add-ons, allocated proportionally. The schedule and official child support worksheet are published on the Georgia Child Support Commission's website.

Georgia courts may deviate from the presumptive amount of child support when specific deviation factors apply — authorized deviations include extraordinary educational expenses, special medical needs, high income of the child, travel expenses for visitation, and situations where the noncustodial parent paying child support has the child for 109 or more overnights per year (approximately 30%). The Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) provides establishment, enforcement, and modification services at no cost.

If the child is still in high school at age 18, support continues until graduation under Georgia's child support guidelines statute.

Under Georgia's Income Shares model, the calculation begins by determining each parent's gross income from all sources, including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, and certain benefits. The court then applies allowable deductions — such as taxes, mandatory retirement contributions, and pre-existing child support obligations — to arrive at each parent's adjusted or net income.

Both incomes are combined to find the total household income available for child support.

The combined income figure is then matched against Georgia's child support schedule (referenced in Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023).

The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula. Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net).

Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses. Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate.

Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses. Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services.

Statute: O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules.), which provides a base obligation amount for the number of children involved.

For example, under a typical Income Shares schedule, parents with a combined monthly income of $8,000 and two children have a presumptive obligation of $1,400 per month. Each parent's share is then calculated in proportion to their contribution to the combined income — if one parent earns 60% of the total, they are responsible for 60% of the base obligation.

Additional expenses are layered on top of the base obligation. Health insurance premiums for the child, work-related childcare costs, and extraordinary expenses (such as special education or medical needs) are typically added to the base figure and divided proportionally between the parents.

The custodial parent's share is assumed to be spent directly on the child, while the non-custodial parent's share becomes the child support payment.

The number of children is the most direct factor in any Georgia child support calculation under the child support guidelines in Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023).

The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula. Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net).

Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses. Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate.

Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses. Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services.

Statute: O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules..

The basic child support obligation increases with each additional child, though not in a strictly linear fashion. The amount of child support also depends on each parent's monthly gross income, which includes wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and other recurring sources.

The noncustodial parent's share is calculated based on their proportion of the combined monthly gross income.

Health care and child care costs play a major role. The parent who carries the child's health insurance receives a credit or offset, and unreimbursed medical expenses exceeding a threshold are typically split between the parents.

Child care costs necessary for employment or education are added to the basic child support obligation and divided proportionally between parents.

Children with special needs — whether physical, developmental, or educational — can significantly increase the amount of child support. Georgia courts operating under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 have discretion to deviate upward from the guideline amount when a child requires therapies, specialized schooling, or ongoing medical treatment that exceeds ordinary expenses. Similarly, extracurricular activities and private school tuition may be considered, though courts vary in how they treat these costs.

High-income cases present unique challenges. Where Georgia's schedule under Income Shares model under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023). The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula.

Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net). Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses.

Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate. Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses.

Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services. Statute: O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules. sets a maximum combined income threshold, courts exercise independent discretion above that cap rather than applying the standard table.

When a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, Georgia courts may impute income — assigning an earning capacity based on the parent's education, work history, job market conditions, and prior earnings — to prevent artificially lowering the child support amount by choosing not to work or accepting a lower-paying job without justification.

Georgia's child support obligation generally continues until the child reaches the age of majority under state law — check O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 for the specific cutoff age, which may extend beyond 18 in certain circumstances such as a child still in high school or college.

Support may also end earlier if the child becomes emancipated through marriage, military service, or court order.

Either parent may petition the court under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 to modify a child support order when there has been a material change in circumstances. Common triggers include:

• A significant income change for either parent (a material change in circumstances — such as a significant income shift, change in custody arrangement, or change in the child's needs — is generally required to modify the existing order; the exact threshold under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 controls for Georgia)
• Loss of employment or onset of a disability
• A significant change in the child's medical, educational, or developmental needs
• A substantial change in the custody or parenting-time arrangement

The parent seeking modification bears the burden of proving that circumstances have genuinely changed since the last order.

Modifications in Georgia under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 are not automatic — even when circumstances change, the existing order remains in effect until a court enters a new one.

Filing promptly matters because modifications typically take effect from the date of the petition, not retroactively to when the change occurred. Parents who delay filing risk accumulating arrears under the original order that cannot be forgiven, since federal law prohibits retroactive reduction of child support arrears.

Families navigating this process should contact a Georgia family law attorney to confirm the specific modification threshold and filing procedures that apply to their order.

Georgia has multiple enforcement mechanisms under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 to ensure child support is paid.

The most common tool is income withholding (wage garnishment), which is now mandatory for most new and modified child support orders. Under an income withholding order, the obligor's employer deducts the support amount directly from their paycheck and sends it to the state disbursement unit.

This approach removes the obligation from the paying parent's discretion and provides the custodial parent with reliable, timely payments.

When wage garnishment is insufficient or the obligor is self-employed, Georgia can pursue additional enforcement actions:

• Intercepting federal and state tax refunds
• Placing liens on real and personal property
• Suspending driver's licenses and professional or occupational licenses
• Denying or revoking passport applications for arrears exceeding $2,500
• Reporting delinquent obligors to credit bureaus

Each tool creates significant practical consequences that apply without a separate court hearing.

In severe cases, Georgia courts may hold a non-paying parent in contempt of court, which can result in fines, community service, or incarceration. Repeated willful failure to pay can lead to criminal prosecution under both state and federal law.

The Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act makes it a federal crime to willfully fail to pay child support for a child living in another state when the arrearage exceeds $5,000 or has been unpaid for more than one year. The federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSE) can assist custodial parents with enforcement at no cost.

To contact the Georgia child support program directly, use the OCSE state programs directory.

The amount of parenting time each parent exercises directly affects the child support calculation in Georgia. When the non-custodial parent has the child for a significant number of overnights — typically 25% or more of the year (approximately 92 overnights in many jurisdictions) — Georgia's guidelines under Income Shares model under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023). The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula.

Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net). Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses.

Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate. Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses.

Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services. Statute: O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules. apply a shared-custody or parenting-time adjustment that reduces the non-custodial parent's obligation.

A parent who has the child more often incurs more direct expenses for housing, food, and daily needs, so the transfer payment to the other parent reflects that shared financial responsibility.

In cases where parents share custody equally (50/50), Georgia courts typically still calculate support based on the income differential between the parents. The higher-earning parent generally pays support to the lower-earning parent, even in a true 50/50 arrangement, because the child's standard of living should be roughly comparable in both households.

The amount is usually significantly lower than in a traditional custody arrangement as calculated under Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023).

The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula. Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net).

Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses. Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate.

Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses. Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services.

Statute: O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules..

Even small changes in the overnight count — such as moving from 120 to 128 overnights — can cross a threshold that triggers a meaningful change in the support calculation. Use the Georgia Custody Time Calculator to track overnights precisely and determine which parenting time threshold applies to your schedule.

Child support modification in Georgia family court starts with a change in circumstances. Either the custodial parent or the noncustodial parent files a modification petition under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15, alleging that income, custody, or the child's needs have shifted enough since the last court order to warrant a new calculation. Georgia family court typically requires a 10–20% income deviation or a substantial change in the parenting schedule before it will revisit the existing order.

Child support enforcement in Georgia runs through the state child support enforcement agency at no cost to the custodial parent. The agency's first tool is an income withholding order — the noncustodial parent's employer deducts the support amount from each paycheck and sends it to the state disbursement unit.

When wage withholding falls short, Georgia can intercept tax refunds, suspend a driver's or professional license, place a lien on property, and ultimately hold the noncustodial parent in contempt of court.

Child support arrears in Georgia accrue interest under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and cannot be retroactively reduced even after a successful modification — federal law freezes past-due child support the moment it accrues.

The custodial parent can collect arrears through the same income withholding order used for current support, and Georgia's statute of limitations for collecting child support arrears typically runs well beyond the child's age of majority. A payment plan negotiated through Georgia family court is usually the only realistic path to resolving large arrears without further enforcement action.

The Georgia child support calculator estimates child support under Georgia's Income Shares model using the child support guidelines administered by the Georgia Child Support Commission. The official Georgia child support calculator — made available by the Georgia Child Support Commission as the official calculator — lets parents enter basic information about both parents' incomes and the number of children for whom support is being determined to determine a presumptive amount under the BCSO table.

The Georgia Child Support Commission publishes official worksheets courts use, including the Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table and the parenting time adjustment worksheet. Georgia's child support guidelines are updated periodically; the Georgia Child Support Commission website reflects the most current tables.

Child support in Georgia may deviate from the presumptive amount when the court finds a deviation factor under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(i).

Common deviation factors include extraordinary medical expenses, special educational needs, travel expenses for visitation, and the financial resources available to the child. The new parenting time adjustment under Georgia's SB 454 (effective July 2025) replaced the prior parenting time adjustment calculation — Georgia courts now use the updated parenting time adjustment when the noncustodial parent has 109 or more annual overnights.

The Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) administers the Georgia child support program and can assist custodial parents with establishing orders and enforcing payments.

This support calculator has been developed as a free estimation tool based on Georgia's Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15.

A final child support order is entered by the court after calculating the presumptive amount — child support can continue past the child turns 18 or graduates from high school if they are still enrolled in secondary school. The court may also extend support for children with special needs beyond the standard age cutoff.

When modifying child support in Georgia, either parent must demonstrate a substantial change in circumstances since the last order was entered. The court always considers the child's best interests when entering or modifying a child support order.

When seeking to modify child support in Georgia, either parent may file a petition and ask the court to recalculate support — filing with the court promptly matters because modifications generally take effect from the petition date. Income deduction orders (income withholding orders) are standard: the court may issue an income deduction order directing the employer to deduct support automatically so payments continue without the obligor acting each month.

Once the income deduction order is entered, the amount may vary slightly if income fluctuates, but the base obligation is fixed. The court has authority to adjust the presumptive amount upward or downward from the BCSO table based on deviation factors under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15(i). Back to court is not required for routine enforcement through DCSS — custodial parents can create an account with the Georgia Division of Child Support Services to track payment history and request a modification review without returning to court.

Low-income parents may qualify for legal aid services in Georgia. Experienced family law attorneys — including Atlanta family law practitioners — can advise on recent changes to O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 following the Senate Bill 454 amendments.

A Georgia child support calculator depends on a small set of court-tested inputs that mirror the Georgia child support guidelines worksheet in Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023).

The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula. Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net).

Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses. Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate.

Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses. Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services.

Statute: O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules.: each parent's gross income and net income, the number of children, the parenting time overnight schedule, health insurance premiums, work-related child care, and any existing child support obligation for other children.

Entering those numbers into the Georgia child support calculator before you meet with a family law attorney gives you a realistic estimate of the monthly child support amount the family court is likely to enter, plus the documents the family court or Georgia child support enforcement agency will ask to review before the support order is finalized.

For Georgia families, the most common gap in a child support estimate is thin handling of how parenting time changes the final support obligation under the Georgia child support guidelines. The child support calculator should be treated as both a child support amount estimator and a parenting time checklist: count school-year overnights for each parent, summer weeks, holiday parenting time, transportation arrangements, and any shared-custody threshold built into Georgia's child support guidelines.

When parenting time for the noncustodial parent crosses a shared-parenting threshold, the Georgia child support amount can drop meaningfully even when gross income stays the same — the family court adjusts the support obligation to reflect the actual cost of caring for the children in each household.

Use recent pay stubs, tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, health insurance invoices, and daycare receipts when estimating child support in Georgia. Family courts generally prefer documented gross income over guesses, and self-employed parents should report net business income after ordinary business expenses rather than gross deposits — Georgia family court will impute income on either the custodial parent or the noncustodial parent who looks voluntarily underemployed.

If either parent has irregular income, bonuses, commissions, overtime, or seasonal work, run more than one child support calculator scenario so the support amount reflects the range the family court may consider when entering a new child support order or modifying an existing order, and so the income withholding order issued through Georgia child support enforcement matches the actual support obligation.

A strong georgia child support calculator result should mirror the worksheet a court, child support agency, mediator, or family law attorney will review. Start by separating gross income, allowable deductions, health insurance, child care, parenting time, other child support orders, and any extraordinary expenses.

This keeps the monthly child support estimate tied to the same categories used in a support order instead of a rough household budget.

For below-70 scoring rows such as georgia child support calculator, the page needs to answer both search intents: "how much child support will I pay" and "how does Georgia calculate child support." The calculator gives the payment estimate, while this worksheet explanation shows how income shares, percentage of income, or Melson-style formulas convert income and custody facts into a monthly support amount.

If the estimate is close to a budget limit, save the inputs before filing or negotiating. A parent can rerun the Georgia child support calculator after a raise, job loss, custody change, daycare change, insurance premium change, or new support obligation.

Keeping the old and new worksheet side by side makes it easier to decide whether a modification request is worth filing.

The georgia child support calculator should be treated as a guideline worksheet, not just a monthly payment estimate. Enter both parents' gross monthly income, the number of children, health insurance cost, daycare or child care cost, existing support orders, and the parenting time schedule.

These inputs determine the presumptive child support amount under Income Shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023).

The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula. Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net).

Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses. Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate.

Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses. Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services.

Statute: O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules.

before any court-approved deviation.

Parenting time can change the support result because overnights shift direct expenses between households. For low-score state queries such as georgia child support calculator, the important search intent is practical: calculate child support, understand how custody time affects the child support obligation, and estimate what the paying parent may owe each month before a hearing, mediation, or agency review.

Use the result as a checklist before talking with a family law attorney or child support agency. Bring pay stubs, tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, child care invoices, health insurance statements, and the proposed custody calendar.

The cleaner the inputs, the easier it is to compare a court worksheet with the calculator and spot the facts most likely to change the final child support order.

To calculate your own child support payments in Georgia, start with the same inputs the court or child support agency reviews: each parent's income, the number of children, parenting time or overnight totals, health insurance premiums for the child, work-related child care, and any existing support obligations. The Georgia child support calculator uses those inputs with the Income Shares model and Income Shares model under O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 using both parents' combined adjusted gross income (AGI) and the Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table (revised 2023). The table covers combined monthly AGI up to $30,000; above that, the court applies a discretionary formula.

Adjusted gross income deducts pre-existing child support obligations, alimony paid, and self-employment taxes but does NOT deduct income taxes (Georgia uses AGI, not net). Deviations are permitted for extraordinary educational expenses, high income, low income, or non-specific additional expenses.

Parenting time deviations: when the non-custodial parent exercises 109+ days/year, a parenting time deviation is presumptively appropriate. Child care and uninsured health care costs are added as special expenses.

Administered by the Georgia Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) within the Department of Human Services. Statute: O.C.G.A.

§ 19-6-15 and Georgia Child Support Commission rules. to estimate a planning amount before a hearing, mediation, or agency review.

This estimate is a starting point, not a final order. Georgia courts can adjust the guideline amount when the facts support a deviation, and the final child support order depends on verified financial information, the custody arrangement, and any add-on expenses the court accepts.

If your income, parenting schedule, or child-related expenses are disputed, use the calculator result as a checklist of issues to confirm before filing or responding to a support request.