Alabama Child Support Calculator

Alabama uses the income shares model under Alabama Rule 32 and the Alabama Child Support Guidelines. Both parents' monthly adjusted gross incomes are combined and looked up in the Schedule of Basic Child-Support Obligations to find a basic obligation for the number of children. Work-related childcare and health-care-coverage costs are added to that obligation, and the total is divided between the parents in proportion to their share of the combined income. The custodial parent is presumed to spend their share directly on the child, so the noncustodial parent pays their proportional share. A self-support reserve protects a low-income obligor by capping the order at 85% of their income above $981 per month.

Gross income in Alabama includes income from all sources including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, Social Security benefits, unemployment benefits, disability insurance, workers' compensation, and alimony received. Under Alabama Rule 32, courts may impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.

Unlike some states, Alabama does not use a sliding scale based on the number of parenting days. The Schedule of Basic Child-Support Obligations already assumes the noncustodial parent exercises customary visitation, so ordinary visitation does not change the guideline amount. The one built-in adjustment is for court-ordered shared 50% physical custody (where each parent has the child roughly half the time): under Rule 32(C)(7), the basic obligation is multiplied by 150% on Form CS-42-S, and each parent is then credited before the parent owing the larger amount pays the difference. Extraordinary visitation well beyond the customary amount can be a basis for the court to deviate.

Yes, either parent can petition to modify child support when there has been a material change in circumstances. Under Alabama Rule 32, a difference of 10% or more between the existing order and the recalculated guideline amount creates a rebuttable presumption that a material change has occurred. Common reasons include significant income changes, changes in parenting time, changes in childcare or medical costs, or a child aging out of the order.

In Alabama, child support generally continues until the child turns 19, which is the age of majority in Alabama. Support may continue past 19 for a child with a severe mental or physical disability that began before adulthood. Alabama courts generally cannot order parents to pay for college as part of child support.

Yes. Under Alabama Rule 32, work-related childcare costs and the cost of health insurance for the child are added to the basic child support obligation before it is divided between the parents. Each parent's share of these additional costs is proportional to their share of the combined gross income.

This calculator provides an estimate based on the Alabama child support guidelines. Actual court-ordered support may differ because judges may deviate from the guidelines under Alabama Rule 32 based on factors including the child's educational needs, extraordinary expenses, the financial resources of each parent, and the standard of living the child would have enjoyed. Consult an Alabama family law attorney for an accurate assessment.