Pennsylvania Child Support Calculator (2026)
This pennsylvania child support calculator estimates guideline child support for 2026 under Rule 1910.16-3.
Estimate monthly child support under Pennsylvania’s official support guidelines. Enter both parents’ incomes and this tool applies the Rule 1910.16-3 basic support schedule (effective January 1, 2026), splits the obligation by income share, and adds child care and health insurance costs.
Calculate Pennsylvania Child Support
Before taxes. Use the parent you expect to pay support, or either parent — the higher earner is treated as the paying parent.
Work- or school-related child care for these children.
The part of the premium that covers the children.
How to read this: the paying parent (the higher earner) owes their income share of the basic obligation plus the added costs. Net incomes are estimated from gross — see the assumptions below the calculator. Shared-custody and low-income adjustments a court may apply are explained further down and are not built into this estimate.
How Pennsylvania Calculates Child Support
Pennsylvania uses an income-shares model. The guidelines estimate what parents living together would spend on their children at their combined income level, then divide that amount between the parents in proportion to income. The paying parent (the obligor) pays their share to the other parent (the obligee). The steps, under Rules 1910.16-2 through 1910.16-6 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, are:
- Find each parent’s monthly net income (Rule 1910.16-2). Net income is gross income minus deductions such as federal, state and local taxes and FICA. This calculator estimates net income from the gross figures you enter.
- Add the two net incomes together to get the combined monthly net income.
- Look up the basic child support obligation on the Basic Child Support Schedule (Rule 1910.16-3), using the combined net income and the number of children.
- Split the obligation by income share (Rule 1910.16-4, Part C). A parent with 60% of the combined net income owes 60% of the basic obligation.
- Add the paying parent’s share of extra costs (Rule 1910.16-6): reasonable work-related child care and the children’s health insurance premium are allocated between the parents in the same income proportions.
Basic obligation = Rule 1910.16-3 schedule amount for combined net income and number of children
Monthly support = paying parent’s income share × (basic obligation + child care + health insurance premium)
Worked Example: $5,000 and $3,000 Gross Monthly Incomes, 2 Children
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Parent A net income (est.) | $60,000/yr gross minus est. federal tax $5,020, FICA $4,590, PA tax $1,842, local tax $600 | $3,995.67/mo |
| Parent B net income (est.) | $36,000/yr gross minus est. federal tax $2,140, FICA $2,754, PA tax $1,105, local tax $360 | $2,470.07/mo |
| Combined net income | $3,995.67 + $2,470.07 | $6,465.73/mo |
| Basic obligation (schedule, 2 children) | Schedule lookup at $6,465.73 combined net | $1,851.57/mo |
| Added costs | $600 child care + $250 health premium | $850.00/mo |
| Parent A income share | $3,995.67 ÷ $6,465.73 | 61.80% |
| Estimated support | 61.80% × ($1,851.57 + $850.00) | $1,669.51/mo |
Pennsylvania Basic Child Support Schedule (Excerpt)
The full Rule 1910.16-3 schedule covers combined monthly net incomes from $1,300 to $30,000 in $50 steps. This excerpt shows every $1,000 step plus the endpoints, exactly as published in the official schedule (2026 version, effective January 1, 2026). The calculator above uses the complete schedule.
| Combined Monthly Net Income | 1 Child | 2 Children | 3 Children | 4 Children | 5 Children | 6 Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $461 | $678 | $685 | $693 | $700 | $708 |
| $3,000 | $691 | $1,053 | $1,272 | $1,421 | $1,563 | $1,658 |
| $4,000 | $916 | $1,377 | $1,653 | $1,847 | $2,031 | $2,208 |
| $5,000 | $1,080 | $1,629 | $1,949 | $2,177 | $2,394 | $2,603 |
| $6,000 | $1,186 | $1,774 | $2,107 | $2,353 | $2,589 | $2,814 |
| $7,500 | $1,355 | $2,006 | $2,356 | $2,631 | $2,894 | $3,146 |
| $10,000 | $1,661 | $2,452 | $2,871 | $3,207 | $3,527 | $3,834 |
| $15,000 | $2,240 | $3,247 | $3,729 | $4,165 | $4,582 | $4,980 |
| $20,000 | $2,748 | $4,060 | $4,759 | $5,316 | $5,848 | $6,356 |
| $30,000 | $3,749 | $4,981 | $5,803 | $6,482 | $7,130 | $7,750 |
Above $30,000 combined monthly net income, Rule 1910.16-3.1 applies a formula instead of the table: the $30,000 amount plus a percentage of the excess (4.0% for one or two children, 4.7% for three, 5.3% for four, 5.8% for five, 6.3% for six), subject to a reasonable-needs review by the court. This calculator applies that formula.
Shared Custody: the 40% Overnights Adjustment
If the paying parent has the children for 40% or more of the annual overnights (146 or more nights a year), Rule 1910.16-4(c) presumes they are entitled to a reduction, because they are already paying more of the children’s day-to-day costs directly. Under the Part D formula, the paying parent’s percentage share is reduced by the amount their overnight percentage exceeds 30%. For example, a parent with a 68% income share and 40% of overnights would pay 58% of the basic obligation instead of 68%; at 45% of overnights, 53%; at exactly 50/50 custody, 48%. In a true 50/50 arrangement, the higher-income parent is always the one who pays, and the court will not order support that leaves the receiving parent with more than half of the combined net income.
This online estimate assumes the children live primarily with one parent and does not apply the shared-custody adjustment. If your children spend 40% or more of overnights with the paying parent, a court’s guideline calculation would normally come out lower than this estimate.
Low Incomes and the Self-Support Reserve
The guidelines protect a minimum amount of income for the paying parent: the Self-Support Reserve of $1,255 per month (Rule 1910.16-2(e)). The bottom of the schedule (the shaded area, roughly the first rows up to a combined net income of about $3,000, depending on the number of children) is built around this reserve. In that range, the court compares a calculation based on the paying parent’s income alone with the normal combined-income calculation and generally awards the lower amount. If the paying parent’s net income is at or below the reserve, the court looks at actual financial circumstances rather than applying the formula mechanically. This calculator uses the schedule’s lowest row ($1,300 combined net) for very low combined incomes, so treat results at the bottom of the range as rough estimates only.
How This Calculator Estimates Net Income
Courts work from each parent’s actual monthly net income (Rule 1910.16-2). Because most people know their gross pay, this tool estimates net income by annualizing the gross figure you enter and subtracting: federal income tax using the 2026 single-filer brackets and the $16,100 standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare (FICA) at 7.65% combined (Social Security capped at the $184,500 wage base), Pennsylvania’s flat 3.07% state income tax, and an assumed 1% local earned income tax. Your real net income will differ if you file jointly, claim other deductions, pay union dues or mandatory retirement contributions, or live somewhere with a higher local tax (for example, Philadelphia). For a result closer to a court’s, check your pay stub’s actual net pay and compare it with the estimated net incomes shown in the results.
Frequently Asked Questions
