Who is responsible
ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent website run by Eric John, founder and editor. Eric researches each state's rules, builds the calculator and reviews every state page before it is published and whenever the rules change. We are not lawyers and this site is not legal advice. We are not affiliated with any court, state agency or attorney general's office.
1. We start from official sources only
Each state calculator is built from that state's own primary sources: the statute, the court rule or administrative order, the official schedule or table, and the official worksheet and its instructions. Every state page lists these sources with links under "Official Child Support Resources".
- We use secondary sources (for example a law firm's copy of a court table) only when the official file cannot be opened, and only after checking that it carries the same official effective date. When we do this, the state page says so.
- We do not estimate or "fill in" a rule we cannot find in an official source. If a rule is unclear, the page says how we read it and marks it as our interpretation.
2. We check the numbers before publishing
- Tables are double-checked. Support schedules can have hundreds of rows. We extract each table from the official document and compare it with a second reading (a second extraction or the page images); any difference is checked against the official document.
- Automatic sanity checks. We confirm that income rows have no gaps, that amounts never go down as income rises, and that amounts increase with the number of children where the official table does.
- Tests against official examples. Where a state publishes worked examples, official calculators or exhibits, we run the same numbers through our calculator and compare the results before we publish.
- Test values on every page. Each state page shows worked examples so you can see exactly how the result is reached.
3. What our estimates assume
- Net income. When a state uses net income, we estimate taxes from the gross income you enter using the current year's federal tax brackets for a single filer, Social Security and Medicare, and the state's income tax where the guidelines include it. A court uses your actual taxes and allowed deductions, so the result can differ.
- Common situations first. We include the main schedule, health insurance, child care, parenting time and low-income rules that the official worksheet uses. Each page has a "What this estimate does not include" section listing what is left out, such as other children, imputed income or deviations.
- Estimates only. A court or child support agency decides the actual amount and can deviate from the guidelines.
4. When we update
Many states change dollar figures every year even when the formula stays the same. We review each state at least once a year and on these known dates:
- January: new federal poverty guidelines and tax brackets (used by many states for self-support reserves and low-income rules).
- February: Montana's annual tables; Vermont's self-support reserve.
- Spring: New Hampshire's annual guideline table.
- June: New Jersey's annual guideline update.
- Any time a state adopts a new schedule after its review (federal rules require a review at least every four years).
Every state page shows the date it was published and last reviewed. Changes we make to correct an error are listed on our corrections page.
5. Your privacy
The numbers you enter are used only to calculate your estimate. They are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and we do not store them.
6. How we are funded
The calculators are free. The site is supported by advertising and Amazon Associates links, which are labelled. Advertisers and affiliates have no influence on how any calculator works.
Found a mistake?
If a result does not match your state's official calculator or a rule has changed, please tell us through the contact page with the state and the numbers you used. We check every report against the official source.