Every state protects low-income parents in some way, but the rules differ. Some set a minimum order, many set a self-support reserve the paying parent keeps for their own needs, and some leave it to the court. Here is the rule in all 50 states.
Quick answer: 28 states set a minimum order or a lowest schedule amount, from $10 a month (Colorado, at very low income) to $160 for one child (Delaware). The other 22 have no fixed minimum and rely on a self-support reserve, a low-income table or the court. Self-support reserves range from $871 a month (South Dakota) to $2,394 (Washington), and several follow the 2026 federal poverty guideline for one person: $1,330 a month.
Amounts are monthly unless the state's own rule is weekly or annual. Select a state to open its calculator and official sources.
| State | Minimum order | Self-support reserve / low-income rule |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50 a month (presumed, rebuttable). | Self-support reserve of $981 a month: support is limited to 85% of the paying parent's gross income above it (Rule 32). |
| Alaska | $50 a month. | Low-income adjustment when total income is $30,000 a year or less (Civil Rule 90.3). |
| Arizona | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve of about $2,101 a month (80% of full-time minimum wage earnings); the court may reduce the order. |
| Arkansas | $125 a month (presumptive). | Self-support reserve of $900 a month gross; below it the $125 minimum applies unless rebutted (Administrative Order 10). |
| California | No fixed minimum. | Low-income adjustment when the payer's net income is below about $2,929 a month (full-time minimum wage, SB 343). |
| Colorado | $10 a month when the payer's adjusted gross income is $650 or less. | Self-support reserve of about $1,832 a month; between $650 and the reserve a low-income adjustment applies (from $50 for one child). |
| Connecticut | No fixed minimum. | Low-income obligor (shaded area): net weekly income up to $470 (one child) to $830 (six children) limits support. |
| Delaware | $160 a month (one child), $240 (two or more). | $1,600 self-support allowance for each parent; the order cannot exceed 50% of the payer's net available income. |
| Florida | No fixed minimum. | If the payer's net income is low, support is the lesser of their share or 90% of net income above the poverty guideline ($1,330 a month in 2026). |
| Georgia | No fixed minimum stated. | Low-income limit for adjusted income of $1,500 a month or less: 19% (one child) to 28% (six children) of income. |
| Hawaii | $91 per child a month. | Self-support reserve of $1,693 a month (2024 guidelines); support may not exceed the payer's net income. |
| Idaho | $50 per child a month. | If the payer earns less than $800 a month, the court reviews incomes so support does not deny a minimum subsistence level (Rule 120). |
| Illinois | $40 per child a month, up to $120, when the payer's income is 75% or less of the poverty guidelines (rising to 100% from January 1, 2027). | Rebuttable presumption of the minimum order; a $0 order can apply to parents with no income or only means-tested benefits. |
| Indiana | No fixed minimum stated. | Below $100 combined weekly income the schedule does not apply and the court decides. |
| Iowa | $50 (one child), $75 (two), $100 (three or more) when the payer's adjusted net income is $100 or less. | Area A (payer net up to $1,250) uses only the payer's income; Area B up to $1,800-$2,650 uses the lesser amount. |
| Kansas | No fixed minimum stated. | Ability to pay test: support is limited to the payer's income minus the poverty guideline for one person ($1,330 a month in 2026). |
| Kentucky | $60 a month. | Self-support reserve of $915 a month; low payer income ($1,100 for one child to $1,600 for six) uses that parent's income alone. |
| Louisiana | No fixed minimum (the $100 minimum was repealed from January 1, 2024). | Below $1,050 combined income, the court sets support on actual income and ability to pay. |
| Maine | No fixed minimum. | Self-support reserve area up to $20,400 a year (one child); below the poverty guideline ($15,960 in 2026) support is capped at 10% of weekly gross income. |
| Maryland | Schedule starts at $50 (one child) to $60 (six children) for combined income up to $1,200 a month. | Low-income schedule amounts (marked *) are already adjusted by the self-support reserve. |
| Massachusetts | $15 a week for gross income of $301 a week or less; $33 a week for $302 to $391. | The low-income amounts apply unless the court deviates. |
| Michigan | No fixed minimum stated. | Low-income threshold of $1,255 a month net: at or below it, base support is 10% of net income. |
| Minnesota | $50 (one child) to $100 (six or more) a month. | Self-support reserve of about $1,596 a month (120% of the poverty guideline); medical, then child care, then basic support are reduced. |
| Mississippi | No fixed minimum. | The court considers the basic subsistence needs of a parent with limited ability to pay. |
| Missouri | No fixed minimum (lowest schedule amount $60 a month). | Shaded low-income area up to $1,750 (one child) to $3,600 (six); a second calculation on the payer's income alone, lower result applies. |
| Montana | Minimum support of 12% of income after deductions (0% to 11% at or below the personal allowance). | Each parent keeps a $20,748 personal allowance (2026 tables). |
| Nebraska | $50 a month or 10% of net income, whichever is greater. | Basic subsistence limitation of $1,330 a month net (section 4-218, from January 1, 2026). |
| Nevada | No fixed minimum stated. | Low-income schedule for payers earning $998 to $1,995 a month (2026); below $998 the court balances the parent's own needs. |
| New Hampshire | $50 a month. | Self-support reserve of $1,729 a month (130% of the poverty guideline, 2026). |
| New Jersey | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve of about $460 a week (150% of the poverty guideline; our 2026 estimate). |
| New Mexico | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve (shaded area) up to $1,800 a month for one child: support uses the payer's income only, without add-ons. |
| New York | $25 a month below the poverty guideline; $50 below the self-support reserve. | Self-support reserve of $21,546 a year (135% of the poverty guideline, 2026). |
| North Carolina | $50 a month when the payer's adjusted gross income is under $1,150. | Self-support reserve based on the 2022 poverty level for one person ($1,133 a month). |
| North Dakota | No fixed minimum. | The schedule is $0 at $800 or less of monthly net income. |
| Ohio | $80 a month ($960 a year) when income is below $8,400 a year. | Self-sufficiency reserve of 116% of the 2023 poverty guideline, built into the shaded schedule. |
| Oklahoma | $50 a month (the lowest line of the schedule). | No separate low-income reserve stated in the guideline steps we follow. |
| Oregon | $100 a month. | Self-support reserve of $1,729 a month (from July 1, 2026). |
| Pennsylvania | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve of $1,255 a month (Rule 1910.16-2(e)(1)(i), from January 1, 2026). |
| Rhode Island | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve of $1,333 a month built into the shaded schedule area. |
| South Carolina | Usually at least $100 a month when combined income is under $750 (court decides). | Self-support reserve of $1,010.50 a month; in the shaded area support uses the payer's income alone. |
| South Dakota | $79 a month (schedule amount up to $950 combined net). | Self-support reserve of $871 a month; the payer pays the lesser of the schedule or their share. |
| Tennessee | $100 a month (with exceptions). | Self-support reserve of $957 a month (shaded schedule area); the lower of two amounts applies. |
| Texas | No fixed minimum. | Net resources under $1,000 a month use a lower schedule: 15% (one child) to 35% (five or more). |
| Utah | $30 a month (sole custody base award). | Low income table based on the payer's income only; the lower amount applies. |
| Vermont | No fixed minimum stated. | Self-support reserve of $1,596 a month (from February 2, 2026). |
| Virginia | Schedule starts at $68 a month (one child) for income up to $350. | The court may go below the minimum if the payer's income is 150% of the poverty level or less and there is no ability to pay. |
| Washington | $50 per child a month. | Self-support reserve of $2,394 a month (180% of the poverty guideline, 2026). |
| West Virginia | $50 a month. | Ability to pay if the payer's adjusted gross income is under $2,600: 80% of income minus $997, at least $50. |
| Wisconsin | No fixed minimum. | Low-income payers (about 75% to 150% of the poverty guideline) may use reduced amounts, for example $112 a month for one child at $998 income. |
| Wyoming | No fixed minimum. | Self-support reserve equal to the poverty line for one person: $1,330 a month in 2026. |
A minimum order is the smallest amount a court presumes a parent should pay, even with very low income. A self-support reserve works the other way: it protects a share of the paying parent's income for their own basic needs, so support is reduced when paying the full amount would leave them below that level. Many states use both. Almost every minimum can be rebutted, and courts can order less, or $0, when a parent truly cannot pay.
It depends on the state. About 28 states set a minimum order or a lowest schedule amount, from $10 a month in Colorado to $160 or more in Delaware. Others have no fixed minimum and let the court decide based on the parent's ability to pay.
A self-support reserve is an amount of income the paying parent keeps for their own basic needs before child support is calculated. It is often tied to the federal poverty guideline for one person, which is $15,960 a year ($1,330 a month) in 2026.
Yes, in some cases. Several states allow a $0 order when a parent has no income, is incarcerated or disabled, or receives only means-tested benefits, and North Dakota's schedule is $0 at $800 or less of monthly net income. A court decides.
Usually not. Courts can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, often based on full-time minimum wage, and a minimum order may still apply.
Many do. Self-support reserves tied to the poverty guideline or the minimum wage are updated each year, while fixed minimums change only when a state amends its guidelines.
Each row comes from that state's calculator page on this site, which cites and links the official statute, court rule or guideline. Three rows were checked separately: Maryland and Virginia against the schedules in Md. Code, Family Law 12-204 and Va. Code 20-108.2, and Illinois against a summary of 750 ILCS 5/505 and Public Act 104-0733 because the official statute site could not be reached. Figures were reviewed on October 22, 2026. Read how we build and check our calculators, compare the income cap and 50/50 custody rules in every state, or report a problem on our contact page.
This page is general information, not legal advice.