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South Carolina Child Support Calculator
Estimate South Carolina child support with the 2024 guidelines schedule and DSS worksheets, including the shared parenting rule over 109 overnights, child care and health insurance.
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How to Use the South Carolina Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines (S.C. Code Regs. 114-4710 to 114-4750) and the schedule and worksheets in DSS Booklet 2819, 2024 edition. It uses Worksheet A for sole custody and Worksheet C for shared parenting.
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income as Parent A and Parent B.
- Choose the number of children (1 to 6) and the parent the children live with most of the time.
- Enter the overnights per year the children spend with the other parent. 109 or fewer uses Worksheet A. 110 to 128 uses a graduated formula. 129 or more uses Worksheet C.
- Add the monthly work-related child care and the children's health insurance premium, and say which parent pays them.
Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. This is a planning estimate. A South Carolina family court or the Department of Social Services decides the actual amount.
New South Carolina Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in South Carolina for 2026? South Carolina reviews its child support guidelines every four years. The current guidelines have an implementation date of January 1, 2024 (the regulation became effective after legislative review in February 2024). The 2024 review expanded the schedule to $40,000 of combined monthly income (it stopped at $360,000 a year before, and now stops at $480,000), raised the self-support reserve to $1,010.50 a month, added a definition of extraordinary medical expenses, changed the child care tax credit adjustment and clarified how Worksheet C works for shared parenting.
DSS's final review report says the next quadrennial review is scheduled for January 1, 2028. We did not find a newer set of guidelines when we reviewed this page, so the calculator uses the 2024 schedule. DSS revised its guidelines booklet in November 2024 (the January 2024 edition is marked obsolete). We compared the two editions and the schedule figures are identical.
A new guideline does not automatically change an existing order. A parent generally has to ask for a review or modification. DSS reviews orders it enforces every three years when there is a TANF assignment, and on request of either parent in other cases.
How South Carolina Calculates Child Support
South Carolina uses the income shares model on gross income. The steps on Worksheet A are:
- Find each parent's monthly gross income, add alimony received in this case, and subtract alimony paid, support paid under earlier orders and the credit for other children in the home. The result is adjusted gross income.
- Add the incomes to get the combined adjusted gross income and work out each parent's percentage share.
- Look up the basic combined child support obligation for that income and the number of children. If the income falls between two rows, the guidelines encourage using the next higher row.
- Add the child's health insurance premium, regular extraordinary medical costs and work-related child care (adjusted for the tax credit). This is the total obligation.
- Multiply the total by each parent's percentage. The parent who pays support owes their share.
- Subtract the add-on costs that parent already pays directly. The result is the net child support.
The guideline amount is the amount to award unless a court finds it inappropriate and makes written findings. The guidelines list reasons a court may deviate, such as private school costs, large income disparities, consumer debts, families with more than six children and extraordinary travel or medical costs.
The South Carolina Schedule of Basic Support Obligations
The schedule covers 1 to 6 children, with rows every $50 of combined monthly gross income from $750 to $40,000. A small sample from the 2024 schedule:
| Combined monthly gross income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|
| $2,000 | $412 | $611 | $735 |
| $4,000 | $719 | $1,091 | $1,310 |
| $6,000 | $878 | $1,316 | $1,565 |
| $8,000 | $1,035 | $1,534 | $1,804 |
| $10,000 | $1,159 | $1,716 | $2,015 |
| $15,000 | $1,539 | $2,255 | $2,619 |
| $25,000 | $2,185 | $3,219 | $3,761 |
If combined income is under $750 a month, the guidelines call for a case-by-case decision, ordinarily at least $100 a month. Above $40,000 a month ($480,000 a year), the court decides support case by case, and this calculator stops there rather than guess. The schedule includes $250 per child per year for uninsured medical costs. Reasonable costs above that are divided by income share.
Shared Parenting in South Carolina: Worksheet C and the 109-Overnight Line
South Carolina treats custody as shared physical custody when each parent has court-ordered overnights with the children more than 109 nights a year (30%) and both parents contribute to the children's expenses. In that case:
- 110 to 128 overnights: a graduated order. The guidelines calculate the Worksheet A (sole custody) amount and the Worksheet C (shared) amount, and subtract part of the difference from Worksheet A. The share is the overnights above 109 divided by 19, so the result moves smoothly from the sole custody figure at 109 nights to the full shared figure at 128 nights.
- 129 or more overnights: Worksheet C. The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5. Each parent's share of that figure, based on income, is multiplied by the percentage of time the children are with the other parent, and the two obligations are offset. Child care and health insurance are then settled so that each parent pays their income share. The parent who owes more pays the difference.
The shared parenting adjustment is an annual calculation. It is not used for a short period, such as a month-long summer visit. If a parent does not use the overnights the order gives, the other parent can ask the court to return to the Worksheet A amount.
Child Care, Health Insurance and Medical Costs in South Carolina
- Health insurance: the cost of the children's portion of the premium is added, and the parent who pays it gets credit. If the children's part cannot be verified, the total premium is divided by the number of people covered and multiplied by the number of children.
- Work-related child care: costs from working or looking for work are added, net of the federal and state tax credit. When the primary residential parent's monthly gross income is above a threshold ($3,200 for one child, $4,600 for two, $6,000 for three, $6,785 for four, $7,650 for five and $8,400 for six), the guidelines simulate the credit: the lesser of 27% of the cost and $68 (one child) or $135 (two or more) is subtracted. Otherwise a judge can use the actual credit from the last tax return.
- Regular extraordinary medical costs that can be put at a monthly amount, such as counseling or allergy treatment, are added to the monthly support. This calculator has no field for them.
Self-Support Reserve and the Minimum Order
The schedule has a shaded area that protects a paying parent's ability to live on their income. It is based on a self-support reserve of $1,010.50 a month. In the 2024 schedule the shading ends at $1,300 for one child, $1,500 for two, $1,700 for three, $1,800 for four, $1,950 for five and $2,050 for six. If the paying parent's income falls in the shaded area for the number of children, support is calculated using that parent's income only. The other parent's income, health insurance and child care are left out, because adding them would take the paying parent below the reserve.
When combined income is under $750 a month, the guidelines call for a case-by-case decision, which should ordinarily be at least $100 a month so that the principle of a parent's obligation is set.
South Carolina Child Support Examples
In each example the children live with Parent A, and Parent B is the other parent. Amounts are monthly.
Example 1: Two children, 60 overnights (Worksheet A)
A earns $4,000 and B earns $6,000, so combined income is $10,000 and B's share is 60%. The schedule gives $1,716 for two children. B's share is $1,029.60 a month.
Example 2: Child care and health insurance paid by A
Same incomes. A pays $600 of child care and $100 of health insurance. A's income is under the $4,600 threshold for two children, so no tax credit adjustment applies. The total is $2,416, and B's 60% share is $1,449.60 a month.
Example 3: Child care tax credit adjustment
A earns $8,000 and B earns $6,000 with two children and 60 overnights. A pays $800 a month of child care. A's income is above the $4,600 threshold, so $135 is subtracted (27% of $800 is $216, which is more than the $135 limit), leaving $665. Combined income of $14,000 gives a basic obligation of $2,147. The total is $2,812, and B's share of $42.86% is $1,205.14 a month.
Example 4: 119 overnights, graduated range
Same incomes as Example 1, with B having 119 overnights. Worksheet A gives $1,029.60 and Worksheet C gives $705.21. The overnight factor is (119 − 109) / 19 = 0.5263. The final amount is $1,029.60 − ($324.39 × 0.5263) = $858.87 a month.
Example 5: 150 overnights, Worksheet C
Same incomes, with B having 150 overnights and A having 215. The shared obligation is $1,716 × 1.5 = $2,574.00. A's 40% share is $1,029.60 and B's 60% share is $1,544.40. A's obligation is $1,029.60 × (150 / 365) = $423.12, and B's is $1,544.40 × (215 / 365) = $909.72. B pays the difference: $486.59 a month.
Example 6: Self-support reserve
A earns $4,000 and B earns $1,200 with one child. B's income is in the shaded area (up to $1,300 for one child), so the amount uses B's income alone: the schedule shows $239.00 a month.
Example 7: Combined income under $750
A earns $500 and B earns $200. This is a case-by-case situation, and the usual minimum is $100.00 a month.
These are illustrations produced from the guidelines and worksheets, not court rulings.
What Counts as Income in South Carolina
South Carolina counts gross income from any source: salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, rents (less allowable business expenses), dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security benefits (but not SSI), workers' compensation, unemployment, veterans' benefits and alimony. Unreported cash income counts if it can be identified. For self-employment, gross income is gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses.
It excludes means-tested public assistance such as TANF, SSI, food stamps and general assistance, income of other household members and in-kind income (except significant reimbursements that reduce living expenses). If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court can use potential income. The guidelines say a finding of voluntary unemployment cannot be made when a parent's incarceration prevents employment.
What This South Carolina Estimate Does Not Include
- Alimony, support paid under earlier orders, and the 75% credit for other children in the home. Gross income is used as you enter it.
- Regular extraordinary medical costs, because the form has no field for them.
- Split custody (Worksheet B), where each parent has at least one child.
- Combined incomes above $40,000 a month, families with more than six children, and deviations such as private school or travel costs.
South Carolina Child Support Terms
- DSS
- The South Carolina Department of Social Services, which runs the child support program.
- Worksheet A
- The sole custody worksheet.
- Worksheet B
- The split custody worksheet.
- Worksheet C
- The shared parenting worksheet, for more than 109 overnights.
- Self-support reserve
- The shaded low-income protection on the schedule.
- Adjusted gross income
- Gross income after the allowed adjustments for alimony, other support and other children.
Frequently Asked Questions About South Carolina Child Support
Is this the official South Carolina child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of South Carolina. It applies the South Carolina Child Support Guidelines and the 2024 schedule and worksheets published by DSS. Family courts and DSS decide actual amounts.
How is child support calculated in South Carolina?
South Carolina adds both parents' adjusted gross incomes, finds the basic obligation in the schedule for the number of children, adds health insurance, medical and child care costs, and splits the total by income. The paying parent owes their share, minus any costs they already pay directly.
Are there new child support guidelines in South Carolina in 2026?
The current guidelines took effect January 1, 2024, and the next review is scheduled for January 1, 2028. We did not find a newer set of guidelines. The 2024 changes expanded the schedule to $40,000 of combined monthly income and raised the self-support reserve to $1,010.50.
Does South Carolina use gross or net income?
Gross income. South Carolina uses gross income from all sources, adjusted for alimony, support paid under other orders and a credit for other children in the home. The schedule already allows for taxes.
How many overnights make it shared parenting in South Carolina?
More than 109 overnights a year for each parent, which is about 30%, and both parents must contribute to the children's expenses. At 129 or more overnights, Worksheet C applies in full. From 110 to 128, the order moves gradually from the sole custody amount to the shared amount.
Is there a South Carolina child support calculator for 50/50 custody?
Yes. Enter up to 182 overnights for the other parent and the calculator uses Worksheet C. At equal time, the result depends mainly on the difference in incomes and who pays child care and insurance.
What is the maximum income in the South Carolina child support schedule?
The schedule goes up to $40,000 of combined monthly gross income ($480,000 a year). Above that, the court decides support case by case.
What is the minimum child support in South Carolina?
If combined monthly gross income is under $750, the court decides case by case, and the amount should ordinarily be at least $100 a month.
What is the self-support reserve in South Carolina?
A low-income protection of $1,010.50 a month, shown as shading on the schedule. If the paying parent's income is in the shaded area, support is calculated on that parent's income only.
Does the South Carolina calculator need my personal details or a login?
No. This site needs no login and does not store your numbers.
Official South Carolina Child Support Resources
Published: October 13, 2026
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
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