Virginia Child Support Guide 2026: How the Guidelines Calculate Your Amount

Parents facing a support case in Virginia usually want one number: how much will the court order? A statewide guideline formula turns both parents’ gross incomes, the number of children and the custody arrangement into a presumptive monthly amount. This guide explains how it works. Run your own figures in the free Virginia child support calculator.

How is child support calculated in Virginia?

Virginia adds both parents’ monthly gross incomes together, looks up the basic support obligation for that combined income and number of children on the schedule in Va. Code § 20-108.2, adds health coverage and work-related child care, then charges the paying parent their percentage share of the total.

The model is called “income shares”: it estimates what parents in one household would spend on their children, then divides that cost when they live apart. The guideline result is presumed to be the correct amount of support. Which custody formula applies — sole, shared or split — depends on how the children’s time is divided, as the sections below explain.

What is the Virginia child support schedule for 2026?

The schedule in § 20-108.2(B), revised effective July 1, 2025, lists a monthly basic obligation for combined gross incomes in $50 steps up to $42,500 and one to six children — for example, $1,760 for two children at $9,000 combined, and $4,792 at the $42,500 top.

The 2025 revision both raised the amounts and extended the table from $35,000 to $42,500, so older calculators using the pre-2025 schedule will be off. Amounts falling between the $50 steps are extrapolated, and above $42,500 the obligation is the top amount plus a percentage of the excess — 2.6% for one child rising to 5.0% for six. There is no income cap.

Does Virginia use gross or net income for child support?

Virginia uses monthly gross income — there is no conversion to net and no deduction for taxes. Gross income covers wages, commissions, bonuses, pensions, interest, capital gains, Social Security, disability and veterans’ benefits, spousal support received, rental income, gifts and prizes, with only a few statutory exclusions.

Excluded from gross income are public assistance benefits, federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and child support received. Before the formula starts, a parent can deduct support actually paid for other children under an order or agreement, a schedule-based amount for other children living in their household, half of any self-employment tax, and spousal support paid under an order or agreement. If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, a court can base support on potential income instead.

How much is child support in Virginia for two children?

With parents earning $6,000 and $3,000 gross a month, two children, $500 of child care and a $200 health premium, the combined income is $9,000, the schedule obligation is $1,760, and the lower earner’s 33.33% share of the $2,460 total, minus the premium credit, is $620 a month.

That example assumes sole custody — the paying parent has the children 73 days a year — and that the paying parent is the one covering the $200 premium, which is why it is credited back. Change any input and the number moves: more child care raises it, and once the paying parent’s time passes 90 days a year, the shared-custody formula takes over.

Does shared custody change Virginia child support?

Yes. Once a parent has the children for more than 90 days a year, the shared-custody formula in § 20-108.2(G)(3) applies: the schedule amount is multiplied by 1.4, each parent’s share is weighted by the other parent’s custody time, the amounts are offset, and any lower sole-custody figure wins.

A Virginia “day” is a 24-hour period, and an overnight shorter than 24 hours by the parent with fewer overnights counts as a half day to each parent. In practice the offset usually cuts the payment sharply compared with sole custody: parents earning $6,000 and $4,000 with two children and 120 days for the lower earner would pay about $312 a month under the shared formula, against about $920 under sole custody. And under the lesser-amount rule, if the sole figure is ever the smaller one, that is the amount paid.

How does split custody work in Virginia?

Split custody means each parent has physical custody of at least one child. Under § 20-108.2(G)(2), the court works out what each parent would owe as a noncustodial parent for the children in the other parent’s home, then offsets the two amounts so only the difference changes hands.

Families that mix arrangements — one child shared, another in sole custody, for example — are handled by subdivisions G 4 to G 6, which prorate the obligation child by child. Those mixed cases need a court worksheet rather than a simple calculator.

Are child care and health insurance added to Virginia child support?

Yes. The cost of health, vision and dental coverage for the children and work-related child care costs are added to the basic obligation and split in the same income proportions. A parent who pays the premium directly is credited for it, and unreimbursed medical expenses are shared separately as incurred.

Two details matter. Child care must be work-related and is capped at the cost of quality care from a licensed source, with any child care tax credit factored in. And health coverage is measured per child where possible: if one premium covers the whole family, the guideline method subtracts the cost of covering the policyholder alone and divides the rest among the other covered people.

What is the minimum child support in Virginia?

The presumptive minimum is $68 a month: if the sole-custody calculation comes out lower, $68 is the presumed order. Virginia has no self-support reserve table, and courts can go below $68 for parents who cannot pay, including obligors at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.

The minimum also does not apply at all to a parent who is institutionalized in a psychiatric facility, imprisoned for life without parole, medically verified as totally and permanently disabled (including SSI recipients), or otherwise involuntarily unable to produce income. One more low-income wrinkle: in shared-custody cases, if either parent earns at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, the shared result is not presumed correct and the court picks whichever of the sole or shared figures is more just.

Can a Virginia court order more or less than the guideline amount?

Yes. The guideline amount is presumed correct, but a court that finds it unjust or inappropriate may set a different amount using the factors in § 20-108.1 — such as a child’s special needs, other support obligations, or the parents’ agreement — and must put its written findings in the order.

Deviations are the exception — most orders land on the guideline figure, so a careful estimate is a realistic preview of the outcome.

How can you estimate your own Virginia child support?

Enter both parents’ gross monthly incomes, the number of children, the custody arrangement and days, and your child care and health coverage costs in the free Virginia child support calculator. It applies the full statutory schedule, the sole, shared or split formula, the premium credit and the $68 minimum.

See also our Virginia income tax calculator and the paycheck calculator to see how a gross salary breaks down — even though Virginia support is figured on gross pay, most parents budget from take-home pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as gross income for Virginia child support?

Almost everything: salary and wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, dividends, severance, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment, disability and veterans’ benefits, spousal support, rental income, gifts, prizes and awards. Public assistance, federal SSI and child support received are excluded, and reasonable business expenses can be deducted from self-employment income.

What happens if combined income is over $42,500 a month?

The schedule stops at $42,500 but support does not. The basic obligation is the amount at $42,500 plus a percentage of the income above it: 2.6% for one child, 3.4% for two, 3.8% for three, 4.2% for four, 4.6% for five and 5.0% for six children.

What is a “day” for Virginia shared custody?

A period of 24 hours. Where the parent with fewer overnights has an overnight that lasts less than 24 hours, that overnight counts as a half day credited to each parent. Shared custody begins once a parent passes 90 days a year counted this way.

Are unreimbursed medical expenses part of the monthly amount?

No. Under § 20-108.2(D), unreimbursed medical and dental expenses are not built into the guideline amount. They are calculated and shared between the parents in the same proportions as their incomes when the expenses are actually incurred.

Who pays if both parents earn the same amount?

Income shares are equal, but custody decides who writes the check. In sole custody the noncustodial parent pays their 50% share of the total obligation (their own share is treated as spent directly on the children only for the custodial parent). In shared custody with equal incomes and equal time, the offset can bring the payment close to zero, apart from how the parents split premiums and child care.

Disclaimer: This guide is general information and an estimate only — not legal advice. Support orders are set by the court or the Department of Social Services under Va. Code § 20-108.2 and may differ from any estimate here. For advice about your case, consult a Virginia family law attorney.