Virginia Child Support Calculator (2026)

How Virginia calculates child support

Virginia uses an income-shares guideline under Va. Code Section 20-108.2. The parents’ monthly gross incomes are added, a basic obligation for that combined income and the number of children is read from the statutory schedule, health coverage and work-related child care are added on top, and the total is divided between the parents in the same proportion as their gross incomes.

The sole custody formula in subdivision G 1 multiplies each parent’s percentage of combined gross income by the total monthly obligation. The parent who does not have physical custody pays that share. A court can order a different amount only by making written findings under Section 20-108.1 that the guideline result is unjust or inappropriate.

The schedule was replaced in 2025. The new amounts took effect July 1, 2025, under 2025 Acts chapter 702 (SB 805), and apply to cases filed on or after that date. An existing order does not change by itself; a modification has to be filed.

The 2025 schedule and the $42,500 ceiling

The statutory schedule runs from $400 to $42,500 of combined monthly gross income in $50 steps, with a separate minimum band for income up to $350. Above the last row, the statute does not stop: it takes the $42,500 amount and adds a percentage of the income above that line: 2.6% for one child, 3.4% for two, 3.8% for three, 4.2% for four, 4.6% for five, and 5.0% for six.

Between the published rows the statute says to extrapolate. That matters at the margins: $3,020 of combined income does not use the $3,000 row unchanged; it uses a value between the $3,000 and $3,050 rows. This calculator applies the same linear interpolation, for both the schedule rows and the minimum band up to $400.

Gross income in Virginia

“Gross income” means all income from all sources. The statute lists salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment, disability, veterans’ benefits, spousal support, rental income, gifts, prizes, and awards. There is no standard deduction for income tax or FICA.

Self-employment and rental income can be reduced by reasonable business or rental expenses, but not by depreciation or by the principal portion of a mortgage payment. The parent claiming the deduction has the burden of proving it. Four categories are excluded: public assistance benefits, federal supplemental security income, child support received, and certain secondary-employment income earned to pay off arrears.

Disability benefits create a wrinkle. If a parent’s gross income includes disability insurance benefits, the amounts paid to the child because of that parent’s entitlement are also included, and the parent gets a credit against the obligation for those amounts. A calculator that takes one income figure per parent cannot reproduce that credit.

The statutory minimum

The first band of the schedule, for combined income up to $350, sets the statutory minimums: $68 for one child, $104 for two, $126 for three, $141 for four, $155 for five, and $169 for six. The statute makes that amount a presumptive minimum for the payor even when the percentage calculation produces less.

There is an exception. If the payor’s gross income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level and the court finds no ability to pay the minimum, it may set a lower amount, as long as the reduction does not seriously impair the custodial parent’s ability to provide basic housing and necessities. The statute also exempts parents who are institutionalized, imprisoned for life without parole, or medically verified as totally and permanently disabled.

Shared custody and the add-ons

When each parent has the child for more than 90 days a year, Virginia calculates a separate shared custody amount using each parent’s custody share and income share, then applies the lower of the shared and sole custody amounts. The formula is in Section 20-108.2(G)(3) and it is discretionary in practice. This calculator does not apply it; it shows the sole custody figure.

Health care coverage for the children and work-related child care are separate additions. They are added to the basic obligation before the income split, and the parent who pays them directly may get a credit. Unreimbursed medical and dental expenses are allocated separately under subdivision D.

A Virginia example at $5,000 combined

Parent A earns $3,000 and Parent B earns $2,000 of monthly gross income, with two children. Combined income is $5,000, and the two-child row is $1,304. Parent A’s 60% share is $782.40 a month, or about $782.

At the bottom of the schedule the minimum matters. With Parent A at $400 and Parent B at $10,000 and one child, the $10,400 row is $1,279, and Parent A’s 3.8% share is $49.19, below the $68 statutory minimum, so the order is $68. At the top, with Parent A at $30,000 and Parent B at $20,000 and one child, the $42,500 amount is $3,306 plus 2.6% of the $7,500 above it, or $3,501; Parent A’s 60% share is $2,101.

When the official calculator is the better choice

The Division of Child Support Enforcement calculator and the court worksheets walk through health coverage, child care, the shared custody formula, and the deviation factors in one place. Use them if the parents share custody, if a child receives derivative benefits, or if the case involves split custody.

A Virginia family law attorney is the right next step when the parents disagree about income or custody. The guideline is the starting point; the court’s order controls.

Frequently asked questions