How Georgia calculates child support
- Each parent’s monthly gross income is reduced by court-ordered child support they actually pay for other children. The parents’ combined adjusted income and the number of children give the basic obligation from the table that took effect July 1, 2024.
- The basic obligation is shared by income percentage. Since January 1, 2026, the noncustodial parent’s share is reduced by a parenting time adjustment based on court-ordered parenting days.
- Work-related child care and the children’s health insurance premiums are added and shared by income percentage, and each parent is credited for what they pay.
- Since January 1, 2026, a low-income adjustment limits the amount for a parent with low adjusted income (19% to 28% of income at $1,500 a month or less, or the table amount above that).
What the calculator asks
- How many children is the support for?
- Who do the children live with more than half the time?
- Under the court order, how many days a year are the children with the parent who has them less?
- Your gross income per month
- Court-ordered child support you actually pay each month for other children
- The other parent’s gross income per month
- Court-ordered child support the other parent actually pays each month for other children
- Does either parent have self-employment income?
- Work-related child care you pay each month for these children
- Work-related child care the other parent pays each month
- Health insurance premiums you pay each month for these children
- Health insurance premiums the other parent pays each month for these children
- Does a child receive Social Security or VA disability benefits because of a parent?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- The self-employment tax adjustment (Schedule B)
- Theoretical support for other children living in a parent’s home, which the court may allow
- Credits for Social Security or veterans disability benefits paid to the child
- Deviations the court may make, including for high income above $40,000 a month combined
- Uninsured health care costs, which are divided by percentage outside the monthly amount
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- O.C.G.A. 19-6-15 (current through the 2025 session), as published by the Georgia Child Support Commission
- Basic Child Support Obligation Table, effective July 1, 2024 (Georgia Child Support Commission)
- Changes to the Georgia Child Support Calculator effective January 1, 2026: parenting time and low-income adjustments
- SB 454 (2024), signed version
Georgia Child Support Commission (official child support calculator and worksheet) →
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the Georgia 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.