Georgia Child Support Calculator

Georgia uses the income shares model under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 and the Georgia Child Support Guidelines. Both parents' monthly adjusted gross incomes are combined and matched to the Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO) table in O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(o) for the number of children. That obligation is divided proportionally based on each parent's share of the combined income. Effective January 1, 2026 (Senate Bill 454), Georgia applies a mandatory Parenting Time Adjustment that reduces the non-custodial parent's obligation based on each parent's court-ordered parenting days, and an automatic Low-Income Adjustment that caps the obligation for lower-income parents.

Gross income in Georgia includes income from all sources including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, overtime, self-employment income, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, Social Security benefits, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, and workers' compensation. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15, Georgia courts may impute income to a parent who is willfully or voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.

Effective January 1, 2026, Georgia replaced the old discretionary parenting time deviation with a mandatory Parenting Time Adjustment (Schedule C) under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15. The adjustment uses each parent's number of court-ordered parenting days, raising the days to the power of 2.5, to redistribute the basic obligation. Total parenting days must equal 365 and the non-custodial parent must have 182.5 days or fewer. The more parenting time the non-custodial parent has, the larger the reduction to their obligation.

Yes, either parent can petition to modify child support when there has been a substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or in the needs of the child. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15, a parent generally cannot file for modification more than once every two years from the date of the last order, except in limited circumstances such as involuntary loss of income. Common reasons include significant income changes, changes in parenting time, or changes in childcare or medical costs.

In Georgia, child support generally continues until the child turns 18. If the child is still enrolled in and attending secondary school (high school), support may continue until the child graduates or turns 20, whichever comes first. Support may continue past 18 for a child with a permanent disability. Georgia courts may also order parents to contribute to college expenses, though this is not automatic.

Yes. Under Georgia's guidelines, work-related childcare costs and the cost of health insurance premiums for the child are treated as additional expenses and added to the basic child support obligation. These costs are prorated between the parents in proportion to each parent's share of the combined adjusted gross income under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15.

This calculator provides an estimate based on the Georgia child support guidelines. Actual court-ordered support may differ because judges may apply deviations based on factors including high or low income, extraordinary educational or medical expenses, parenting time, and other special circumstances. Consult a Georgia family law attorney for an accurate assessment of your case.