How Oregon calculates child support
- Each parent’s monthly gross income is adjusted for spousal support paid or received, mandatory union dues, the parent’s own health insurance and a deduction for other children they support.
- The parents’ combined adjusted income and the number of children give the basic support obligation from the scale, shared by income. A parent’s share may not exceed their income above the $1,729 self-support reserve.
- Child care for work or job training is shared by income, up to the Table 1 maximums. Health insurance for the children is shared if reasonable in cost (4% of adjusted income); otherwise cash medical support applies.
- Each parent gets a parenting time credit from the rule’s formula based on average overnights, plus credit for child care and insurance they pay. The parent with the larger net obligation pays.
- A paying parent is presumed able to pay at least $100 a month in total support, with exceptions.
What the calculator asks
- How many children of you and the other parent is the support for?
- On average, how many overnights a year are the children with you?
- Is support also sought for a child age 18 to 20 who is attending school?
- Your gross monthly income
- Court-ordered spousal support you are owed each month
- Spousal support you owe each month
- Mandatory union dues you pay each month
- What you pay each month for your own health insurance
- How many other children are you legally responsible for?
- The other parent’s gross monthly income
- Court-ordered spousal support the other parent is owed each month
- Spousal support the other parent owes each month
- Mandatory union dues the other parent pays each month
- What the other parent pays each month for their own health insurance
- How many other children is the other parent legally responsible for?
- Child care you pay each month so you can work, look for work or train
- Child care the other parent pays each month for work, job search or training
- How many of the children are in that paid child care?
- How old is the child in paid child care?
- Where is the child care provider?
- Who will provide private health insurance for the children?
- What you pay each month to cover the children
- What the other parent pays each month to cover the children
- Does a child receive Social Security or veterans benefits because of a parent’s disability, retirement or service?
- Does either parent receive public assistance (such as TANF or SSI), have disability benefits as their only income, or is either parent incarcerated?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- Children Attending School (ages 18 to 20) and children living with a caretaker or in state care
- Social Security or veterans benefits paid to a child because of a parent (OAR 137-050-0740)
- Child care for more than one child, or above the Table 1 maximums
- Both parents providing health coverage, and coverage above the reasonable-cost limit
- Rebuttals (OAR 137-050-0760) and agreed support amounts within 15% (OAR 137-050-0765)
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- Oregon Child Support Guidelines, OAR 137-050-0700 to 137-050-0765 (self-support reserve eff. July 1, 2026)
- Obligation scale, appendix to OAR 137-050-0725 (eff. July 1, 2013)
- Child Support Guideline Rules with Commentary (DOJ compilation, July 1, 2026)
- Child Support Worksheet Instructions, CSF 02 0910I (Rev. 07/01/2026)
- Oregon minimum wage, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (BOLI)
Oregon Child Support Worksheet (CSF 02 0910) and its instructions →
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the Oregon 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.