Indiana Child Support Calculator (2026)

How Indiana calculates child support

Indiana’s guideline is an income-shares model built on weekly income. The Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines, effective January 1, 2024, start with each parent’s weekly gross income, apply the allowed adjustments, and combine the two weekly adjusted incomes. The combined figure is used to read the basic support obligation from the Guideline Schedules for Weekly Support Payments.

Each parent is then assigned a percentage share of the combined weekly adjusted income. The noncustodial parent’s share of the basic obligation is the starting point for the weekly support amount. The calculator converts that weekly amount to a monthly estimate so it can be compared with other states and with a monthly budget.

Indiana is unusual because the schedule runs from $100 to $9,200 of combined weekly adjusted income. That is a wide range, but it is still weekly. A parent who earns $1,000 per week is at the lower end of the schedule; a parent who earns $4,000 per week is near the top. Entering a monthly salary in the weekly field will produce a result that is roughly four times too high.

Weekly gross income and adjustments

Weekly gross income includes wages, salaries, overtime, bonuses, commissions, tips, self-employment income, and other recurring resources. Indiana then applies adjustments for prior child support orders, maintenance paid, and the subsequent-child multiplier. The result is weekly adjusted income. The worksheet shows each adjustment on a separate line, so the court can see how the final figure was reached.

The calculator asks for weekly adjusted income directly. If you have only gross weekly pay, the estimate may be too high because it does not subtract prior support or other adjustments. If you have a court order for another child, use the official calculator or the Indiana Child Support Obligation Worksheet.

For self-employed parents, the guideline allows ordinary and necessary business expenses to be considered. The analysis can be complex, and the court may impute income if a parent is voluntarily underemployed. The number you enter should reflect the income you expect the court to accept, not the most favorable possible interpretation.

The weekly schedule and the parenting-time credit

The basic obligation from the schedule is the total weekly support for the child, not the noncustodial parent’s payment. The payment is the noncustodial parent’s percentage share of that total. If the parents have shared parenting time, Indiana applies a Parenting Time Credit worksheet that can reduce the payment. The credit reflects the number of overnights and both parents’ incomes; it is not a simple “50/50 means no support” rule.

This estimate is limited to basic support. It treats Parent A as the noncustodial parent and gives no parenting-time credit. If the child spends significant time with both parents, the official Indiana calculator is the right tool. A basic estimate can overstate the transfer in a shared-parenting case.

An Indiana example in weekly income

Indiana works in weeks: Parent A has $1,000 of weekly adjusted income, Parent B has $600, and there is one child. Combined weekly adjusted income is $1,600. The schedule gives a weekly basic obligation of $247. Applying Parent A’s 62.5% share gives $154.38 a week, or about $669 per month.

The calculation leaves out the parenting-time credit, childcare, the health insurance add-on, and any deviation. Indiana courts order support weekly; the monthly figure is only a comparison.

What the Indiana estimate leaves out

• The Parenting Time Credit worksheet.
• Work-related childcare and after-school care.
• The children’s health insurance premium and uninsured medical costs.
• The subsequent-child multiplier for other children.
• Maintenance paid or received.
• A deviation for special needs, extraordinary expenses, or another reason the statute allows.
• Unpaid support, interest, and credits for benefits paid to the child.

The estimate is only as good as the weekly adjusted income you enter. When a parent is self-employed, works irregular overtime, or is voluntarily underemployed, the court can adjust the weekly figure before applying the schedule. That income change can matter more than the schedule.

When Indiana’s official calculator is the better choice

The Indiana Judicial Branch publishes the official Child Support Calculator and the Child Support Obligation Worksheet. The calculator walks through the income adjustments, the parenting-time credit, the add-ons, and the weekly schedule. It produces a worksheet that courts and the Title IV-D agency recognize.

An Indiana family law attorney is the right next step if the parents disagree about weekly income, overnights, or add-ons. The guideline starts the analysis; the court’s order controls.

Frequently asked questions