How Wisconsin calculates child support
- Support is a percentage of the paying parent’s gross monthly income: 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four and 34% for five or more.
- When each parent has the children at least 92 overnights a year, each parent’s percentage amount is multiplied by 150% and by the other parent’s share of time, the two are offset, and the payer pays the lower of that or the plain percentage amount.
- When the children are split between the homes, each parent pays a share for the children living with the other parent, and the two amounts are offset.
- For a paying parent with income of $7,000 a month or more, the court may apply lower percentages to the income above $7,000 and $12,500.
- For a paying parent with low income, the court may use the lower amounts in the Appendix C schedule (updated each March).
What the calculator asks
- How many children is the support for?
- How are the children’s overnights split?
- How many overnights a year are the children with you?
- How many overnights a year are the children with the other parent?
- How many of the children live with you?
- Your gross income per month
- The other parent’s gross income per month
- Does either parent already support children from another relationship (under an order or in their home)?
- Does a child receive Social Security benefits because of a parent’s disability or retirement?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- Variable costs (such as child care and activities) that the court divides in shared placement
- Health insurance and uninsured medical expenses (DCF 150.05)
- Support for children from another family or relationship (serial-family payers)
- A child’s Social Security benefit
- Deviations the court may make (DCF 150.035(3))
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. DCF 150, Child Support Standard
- DCF 150 Appendix A, percentage conversion table
- DCF 150 Appendix C, low-income payers (eff. March 1, 2026)
- Wisconsin DCF tools to estimate support
Wisconsin DCF worksheets and calculators →
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the Wisconsin 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.