Pennsylvania Child Support Calculator (2026)

How Pennsylvania calculates child support

Pennsylvania uses the income-shares model under 23 Pa.C.S. Section 4322 and Rules 1910.16-1 through 1910.16-7. The court adds both parents’ monthly net incomes, reads a basic obligation from the schedule in Rule 1910.16-3 for that combined income and the number of children, and multiplies it by the obligor’s share of the combined income. The result is the obligor’s share of the basic obligation. Additional expenses such as childcare and health insurance are added afterward.

The 2026 guidelines took effect January 1, 2026, after the Supreme Court order of August 11, 2025. They raised the schedule amounts at every income level, extended the schedule to $30,000 of combined monthly net income, and raised the self-support reserve to $1,255. An order entered before that date is not automatically changed; a modification has to be filed, and the change usually applies from the filing date.

This page assumes Parent A is the obligor, which is how the worksheet is built. The schedule covers one to six children. For seven or more, Rule 1910.16-4(b) has a separate method that this calculator does not implement.

Net income and the deductions Pennsylvania allows

Pennsylvania starts with gross income and subtracts a closed list of items. Under Rule 1910.16-2(c) the deductions are federal, state, and local income taxes; unemployment compensation taxes and local services taxes; FICA (Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes) and non-voluntary retirement payments; mandatory union dues; and alimony paid to the other party.

Health insurance premiums are not on that list. When a parent pays the children’s premium, the cost is treated as an additional expense under Rule 1910.16-6 and allocated between the parents instead of being deducted from income. That is one reason a take-home figure and a guideline net income figure can differ by a few hundred dollars.

Income is broader than salary. Bonuses, commissions, overtime, self-employment profit, unemployment compensation, disability benefits, and investment income can all be part of gross income. A court can also assign an earning capacity when a parent is voluntarily underemployed, and that figure can replace actual income in the calculation.

The self-support reserve and the shaded area

The schedule does not apply the ordinary formula at the bottom of the income range. The self-support reserve for 2026 is $1,255 a month. When the obligor’s net income falls in the shaded area of the schedule, the obligation is read directly from the schedule at the obligor’s own income, so the obligee’s income does not change the amount. Rule 1910.16-2(e)(1)(ii) describes this as the lesser of the schedule amount at the obligor’s income and the combined-income formula.

If the obligor’s monthly net income is at or below $1,255, the rule does not produce an automatic amount. A court may order support only after reviewing both parties’ actual resources and living expenses, and in some cases it may not order support at all. The lowest published schedule row is $1,300 of combined income, and this calculator uses that row below it.

Shared custody at 40% and additional expenses

Pennsylvania adjusts the basic obligation when the obligor has 40% or more of the annual overnights. Rule 1910.16-4(c) starts with the obligor’s time share, subtracts 30 points from it, and subtracts the difference from the obligor’s income share: at 40% of the overnights the income share drops by 10 points, and at a 50/50 split it drops by 20. At equal time, the rule then compares each parent’s contribution so the transfer does not exceed what is needed to equalize the two households. The adjustment does not apply in self-support-reserve cases.

This calculator does not apply the shared-custody adjustment. It shows the basic schedule amount, which is the starting point. If the children spend 146 or more nights a year with the obligor, the official worksheet is the right tool.

Additional expenses under Rule 1910.16-6 are separate: work-related childcare, the children’s health insurance premium, and unreimbursed medical costs. They are usually allocated in proportion to income and added to the basic obligation, so the final order can be materially higher than the estimate here.

High income: above $30,000 combined

The schedule stops at $30,000 of combined monthly net income. Above that, Rule 1910.16-3.1 sets the basic obligation at the $30,000 amount plus a fixed percentage of the excess: 4.0% for one or two children, 4.7% for three, 5.3% for four, 5.8% for five, and 6.3% for six. The result is then apportioned by income share.

The rule also sets a presumptive minimum (the amount at $30,000) and allows the court to adjust the formula result up or down after reviewing the child’s reasonable needs and the parties’ expense statements. This calculator applies the formula but not the final reasonable-needs review.

A Pennsylvania example at $8,000 combined

Parent A earns $5,000 and Parent B earns $3,000 of monthly net income, with two children. Combined income is $8,000. The 2026 schedule gives a basic obligation of $2,122. Parent A’s income share is 62.5%, so the monthly obligation is $1,326.

At a higher income the schedule is replaced by the formula. With Parent A at $25,000 and Parent B at $10,000, combined income is $35,000. The basic obligation is $4,981 plus 4.0% of the $5,000 above $30,000, or $5,181. Parent A’s 71.4% share is $3,701 a month, before the court’s reasonable-needs review and before add-ons.

When the official worksheet is the better choice

The Pennsylvania courts’ support calculator and the Rule 1910.16-4 worksheet walk through net income, the self-support reserve, the shared-custody adjustment, and the additional expenses in one place. Use them if the parents share custody, if either parent is self-employed or has income that needs imputing, or if the combined income is above $30,000 and the reasonable-needs analysis is in play.

A Pennsylvania family law attorney is the right next step when the parents disagree about net income or overnights. The schedule is the starting point; the court’s order controls.

Frequently asked questions