How District of Columbia calculates child support
- D.C. works in yearly amounts. Each parent’s gross income is adjusted for alimony between the parents, alimony received, payments under other support orders and half of self-employment tax.
- The parents’ combined adjusted gross income and the number of children give the basic obligation from the schedule in Appendix I (applicable since April 1, 2007), rounding up to the next higher schedule amount. It is shared by income.
- The children’s health insurance premiums, recurring extraordinary medical expenses and child care are added and shared by income; the paying parent subtracts what they pay directly (Worksheet A).
- When the child spends 35% or more of the year with each parent, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 and shared by income and time, and expenses are shared separately (Worksheet B), but the result may not exceed what the paying parent would owe under sole custody.
- A low-income adjustment protects a paying parent’s self-support reserve of $20,815 a year (133% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, effective April 1, 2025 per D.C. Code’s April 1 update cycle; confirm in the D.C. Register): support is no more than their adjusted gross income above the reserve. Support also may not exceed 35% of the paying parent’s adjusted gross income.
What the calculator asks
- How many children is the support for?
- Where do the children live?
- How many days a year are the children with you?
- Your gross income per year
- Alimony you pay to the other parent each year
- Alimony you receive each year
- Payments you pay each year under other support orders
- Half of the self-employment Social Security and Medicare tax you pay each year
- The other parent’s gross income per year
- Alimony the other parent pays to the you each year
- Alimony the other parent receives each year
- Payments the other parent pays each year under other support orders
- Half of the self-employment Social Security and Medicare tax the other parent pays each year
- Does either parent have other children living with them whom they must support?
- Health insurance premium you pay for the children each year
- Recurring extraordinary medical expenses you pay each year
- Child care you pay each year for work or school
- Health insurance premium the other parent pays for the children each year
- Recurring extraordinary medical expenses the other parent pays each year
- Child care the other parent pays each year for work or school
- Do the children receive SSDI benefits through a parent?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- Combined adjusted gross income above $240,000 a year
- A paying parent whose income above the $20,815 self-support reserve is under $900 a year, where the court sets the amount (§ 16-916.01(g))
- The deduction for other children living in a parent’s home
- SSDI benefits the children receive through a parent
- Split custody, for which the guideline has no formula
- Deviations the court may make under § 16-916.01(p)
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- D.C. Code § 16-916.01, Child Support Guideline
- D.C. Code § 16-916.01a, Appendix I: Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations
- D.C. Law 16-138, Child Support Guideline Revision Act of 2006 (schedule and Worksheets A and B, applicable April 1, 2007)
- D.C. Law 21-107, Child Support Guideline Revision Amendment Act of 2016
- D.C. Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Guideline Calculator: self-support reserve $20,815 a year
- 2025 HHS poverty guidelines ($15,650 for one person), Federal Register, January 17, 2025
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the District of Columbia calculator →An estimate from the published guideline formula, not a prediction of a court order. The official court worksheet and the court’s decision control. General information, not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.