Washington Family Law Tools
Washington Child Support Calculator
Estimate child support under the Washington State Child Support Schedule effective January 1, 2026. Then learn what may change the amount and what your estimate could mean for your family.
This Washington child support calculator provides an estimate for general information only. It is not legal advice or a guarantee of what a court will order. Washington courts require the official child support worksheets, income records, and written findings when support is established or changed.
The calculator cannot fully evaluate disputed income, a request to exclude overtime, self-employment expenses, imputed income, a residential-schedule deviation, children from other relationships, or every reason a judge may order a different amount. Using this calculator does not create an attorney-client relationship.
If you have questions about your result, speak with a Washington family law attorney.
Need a More Personalized Estimate?
An online Washington State child support calculator cannot account for every detail that may affect your payment. Share a few details with our team, and a Washington family law attorney can review the numbers behind your estimate and explain what may matter in your situation.
Beyond the Number
What Can Change Your Washington Child Support Estimate
Your estimate is based on the information you enter. Income questions, parenting time, child-related expenses, low-income limits, and legally supported deviations may change the final amount. Washington courts generally begin with the standard calculation, but a judge may order more or less when the evidence supports a different result.
Washington generally includes wages, commissions, bonuses, overtime, contract benefits, and income from second jobs in gross monthly income. Some overtime or second-job income may be excluded in limited circumstances. A court may also consider a deviation when income included in the calculation is not expected to continue.
For a self-employed parent, the amount reported on a tax return may not be the amount used for child support. Washington allows deductions for normal business expenses and self-employment taxes, but disputed expenses must be supported. Business income, benefits, and personal expenses paid through a business can make the calculation more involved.
Washington uses monthly net income after deductions allowed by law. These may include federal and state income taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, mandatory pension payments, mandatory union or professional dues, certain state payroll deductions, court-ordered maintenance actually paid, qualifying retirement contributions, and normal business expenses.
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court may assign income based on factors such as work history, skills, education, health, the local job market, and earning ability. This is called imputing income.
Healthcare costs are not included in the basic economic table amount. The children’s health insurance premiums and uninsured medical, dental, vision, orthodontic, mental health, prescription, and similar costs are generally shared based on each parent’s proportionate share of income.
Daycare and special expenses, including tuition and long-distance transportation between parents in appropriate cases, may be added to the basic obligation. These expenses are generally divided in the same proportion as the basic child support obligation, subject to the court’s review of whether they are necessary and reasonable.
Washington’s standard child support calculation does not automatically reduce support based on a set number of overnights. A court may order a residential-schedule deviation when the child spends a significant amount of time with the parent making the support transfer payment.
That adjustment is not automatic. The court must consider the added expenses in the paying parent’s household and any reduced expenses in the receiving parent’s household. A judge may not grant the deviation if it would leave too little money in the receiving household to meet the child’s basic needs or if the child receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
If your parenting schedule is still being decided, read more about creating a Washington parenting plan that works in everyday life.
A parent’s other biological or legal children are not counted when the basic obligation is calculated for the children in the current matter. They may, however, affect the low-income limitation and may support a deviation after the court considers both households and any court-ordered support that is actually paid. Other possible reasons for a different amount include extraordinary debt, a major difference in living costs caused by circumstances outside a parent’s control, a child’s special medical or educational needs, substantial wealth, and certain tax considerations.
What Does This Mean for Your Situation?
Your estimate is a starting point. The final number may change if income is disputed, a parent owns a business, the parenting schedule supports a deviation, another support obligation applies, or the court adds child-related expenses.
A Washington child support attorney can review the information behind your estimate, compare it with the official worksheets, and explain which details may affect the amount ordered.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support in Washington
Attorney-reviewed answers to common questions about the Washington child support calculator, state guidelines, parenting time, and support orders.
Washington child support is calculated under Chapter 26.19 RCW. The calculation generally follows these steps:
- Determine each parent’s gross monthly income.
- Subtract deductions allowed by Washington law to find each parent’s monthly net income.
- Combine the parents’ monthly net incomes.
- Use the Washington State Child Support Schedule economic table to find the basic support obligation for the number of children in the matter.
- Divide that obligation between the parents according to each parent’s share of the combined net income.
- Add healthcare, daycare, and special child-rearing expenses, then apply appropriate credits and any court-approved deviation.
The result before a deviation is called the standard calculation or presumptive transfer payment. Courts require the official Washington child support worksheets when support is determined.
Under RCW 26.19.071, gross income can include salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses, overtime, interest, dividends, pensions, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, maintenance received, and income from a business, rental property, contracts, or a second job.
Some income must be disclosed but is not included in gross income for the basic calculation. Examples include a new spouse’s income, child support received from another relationship, gifts, prizes, several forms of public assistance, and certain overtime or second-job income that meets the law’s requirements. Courts generally use tax returns for the prior two years, current pay stubs, and other records to verify income and deductions.
It can, but there is no automatic overnight credit in Washington’s standard calculation. A court may approve a residential-schedule deviation when the child spends significant time with the parent making the support transfer payment and the legal requirements are met.
The judge considers the added costs paid by that parent and any expenses the other household avoids. The court cannot grant the deviation if it would leave insufficient funds in the receiving household for the child’s basic needs or if the child receives TANF. Learn more about how parenting plans work in Washington.
A 50/50 residential schedule does not automatically make child support zero. The parents may have different incomes, and one parent may pay more of the children’s healthcare, daycare, or other expenses. A court may consider a residential-schedule deviation, but it must first calculate the presumptive amount and explain any different amount in written findings.
Washington generally presumes a minimum payment of $50 per child per month, although a court may order less when applying that minimum would be unjust under the specific circumstances.
The total support obligation for all of a parent’s biological or legal children generally may not exceed 45% of that parent’s net income unless there is good cause. Washington’s economic table is presumptive for combined monthly net incomes up to $50,000. Above that amount, a court may order more than the table maximum if it enters written findings.
Changes implemented through Engrossed House Bill 1014 took effect for the state child support schedule on January 1, 2026. The major changes include:
- Expanding the economic table from $12,000 to $50,000 in combined monthly net income
- Raising the bottom of the economic table to $2,200 in combined monthly net income
- Increasing the self-support reserve from 125% to 180% of the federal poverty guideline for a one-person family
- Adding certain mandatory state payroll deductions when net income is calculated
- Updating low-income protections and how available support is shared among a parent’s biological or legal children
The calculator applies Washington’s current schedule to the information you enter, so it can provide a useful estimate. It cannot decide disputed income questions or predict whether a court will approve a deviation.
For the best estimate, use current income records and accurate amounts for the children’s insurance, uninsured healthcare, daycare, and special expenses. A court order can differ from the calculator result after the judge reviews the official worksheets and evidence.
Yes. A Washington child support order may be modified or adjusted when the legal requirements are met. Depending on the request, that may involve a substantial change in circumstances, changes in income, the passage of time since the order was entered or last reviewed, or another basis allowed by law.
A change in income does not change the existing payment by itself. The current order remains enforceable unless it is legally changed. If your finances or parenting schedule have changed, learn more about modifying a Washington family law order before falling behind.
Child support must be paid until the end date stated in the court order. A common Washington order continues support until the child turns 18 or is no longer enrolled in high school, whichever happens last, unless the court orders a different end date. The order may also reserve or award postsecondary educational support for a dependent child after high school after considering the factors in RCW 26.19.090.
Postsecondary support is not automatic. Unless exceptional circumstances apply, the court may not order postsecondary educational support beyond the child’s 23rd birthday.
Tools & Resources
Explore More Washington Family Law Calculators
Child support may be only one part of the financial picture. Use our other Washington calculators to estimate possible legal fees, organize property and debt, review spousal maintenance, and compare parenting schedules.
Need Help Understanding Your Results?
Whether you are establishing child support, reviewing an existing order, or asking for a modification, the number is only useful if the information behind it is right. Our Washington family law attorneys can review your estimate, identify missing details, and explain what to prepare next.
A Washington Family Law Office Near You
Our Washington Offices
Meet with a Washington family law attorney at one of our offices or schedule a virtual consultation.
