Wisconsin Child Support Calculator (2026)

Wisconsin applies a percentage of the paying parent’s income: 17% for one child, up to 34% for five or more. When each parent has at least 25% of the overnights, the shared-placement formula replaces it.

Updated November 12, 2026 Sources and methodology

Results

Estimated monthly support: $0

Enter the incomes above to see who pays whom.

What this estimate does not include

How Wisconsin calculates child support

Wisconsin is a percentage-of-income state, not an income-shares state. The paying parent’s monthly income available for child support is multiplied by a percentage that depends only on the number of children. The other parent’s income is not part of the standard calculation.

The authority is Wis. Stat. Section 767.511 and Chapter DCF 150 of the Administrative Code. The percentages are fixed: 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, and 34% for five or more.

The exception is shared placement. When each parent has at least 25% of the overnights, DCF 150.035(2) uses both incomes in a separate formula. This calculator applies that formula when the placement slider is between 25% and 75%.

The shared-placement formula

The shared-placement threshold is 25% of the overnights for each parent, which is about 92 days a year, and the placement must include overnights. When it applies, the formula runs in four steps:

Multiply each parent’s monthly income by the percentage for the number of children.
Multiply each result by 150%, to account for costs duplicated in two households.
Multiply each result by the share of time the child spends with the other parent.
The parent with the higher amount pays the difference to the other parent.

The 150% multiplier is the reason the shared formula can produce a much lower transfer than the percentage standard, especially when the parents’ incomes are close. At equal time and equal income, both amounts are the same and no support is owed.

Below the 25% threshold, the parent with less time pays the standard percentage of their own income. That is why the calculator flips the payer when Parent A has more than 75% of the overnights.

Income available for child support

The percentage applies to income available for child support, not raw gross income. It starts with gross income from all sources and adjusts for prior child support orders, maintenance paid, business expenses for the self-employed, and a few statutory items. The other parent’s income is irrelevant unless the shared-placement formula applies.

Income includes wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment and business income, rent, interest, dividends, capital gains, pensions, unemployment, disability, and Social Security. A court can impute income based on earning capacity when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, using the parent’s history, qualifications, and the local job market.

Wisconsin allows an adjustment when a payor has children in more than one family. That serial-family formula and a parent’s other support orders are not reproduced here; enter the income figure after those adjustments, or use the official worksheet.

Low income and high income

Wisconsin reduces the percentages for payers whose income is between 75% and 125% of the federal poverty level, and gives the court discretion above that. This calculator does not apply the reduced rates, so a low-income estimate here can be higher than the order.

At the top, the percentages are reduced to 80% of the standard for income between $84,000 and $150,000 a year, and above $150,000 the court has discretion. This calculator applies the full percentages to the income you enter, so a high-income estimate can be higher than the order.

Split placement and add-ons

Split placement (each parent has at least one of the children living with them) has its own formula under DCF 150.04(5) and is not covered by this page. Child care, health insurance, and other add-ons are outside the percentage standard and are handled separately.

A Wisconsin example at $5,000 and $3,000

Parent A earns $5,000 and Parent B earns $3,000 of monthly income available, with two children. With no shared placement, Parent A pays 25% of $5,000, or $1,250 a month.

At a 50/50 placement, the shared formula applies: each parent’s income times 25% times 150% times the other parent’s half of the time. Parent A’s amount is $937.50, Parent B’s is $562.50, and Parent A pays the $375 difference. With Parent A at $2,000 and Parent B at $6,000, one child, and Parent A having 60% of the overnights, Parent B pays $714.

When the official calculator is the better choice

The Department of Children and Families’ shared-placement worksheet and the state’s official calculator handle the full calculation: income available, the 150% formula, the low-income and high-income adjustments, serial-family orders, and add-ons. Use them if the parents have split placement, if either parent has children in another family, or if income must be imputed.

A Wisconsin family law attorney is the right next step when the parents disagree about income or placement. The percentage result is the starting point; the court’s order controls.

Frequently asked questions

How does Wisconsin calculate child support in 2026?

Wisconsin uses a percentage of the paying parent’s monthly income available for child support, under Wis. Stat. Section 767.511 and Wis. Admin. Code Chapter DCF 150. The percentages are 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, and 34% for five or more. When each parent has at least 25% of the overnights, the shared-placement formula applies instead.

What is the shared-placement formula?

When each parent has at least 25% of the overnights (about 92 days a year), DCF 150.035(2) multiplies each parent’s income by the percentage, then by 150% to account for costs duplicated across two households, then by the share of time the child spends with the other parent. The parent with the higher resulting amount pays the difference.

Why is the multiplier 150%?

Because the percentage standard assumes one household bears the child’s costs. With shared placement, both homes carry fixed costs such as a bedroom, clothes, and personal items. The 150% multiplier accounts for that duplication before the time shares are applied.

What income does Wisconsin use?

Monthly income available for child support: gross income from all sources, adjusted for prior child support orders, maintenance paid, business expenses for the self-employed, and a few statutory items. A court can impute income based on earning capacity when a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.

Are there low-income or high-income adjustments?

Yes, and this calculator does not apply them. Wisconsin reduces the percentages for payers between 75% and 125% of the federal poverty level, with court discretion above that. For high incomes, the percentages are reduced to 80% of the standard between $84,000 and $150,000 a year, and above $150,000 the court has discretion.

What about split placement and add-ons?

Split placement (each parent has at least one child living with them) has its own formula under DCF 150.04 and is not covered here. Child care, health insurance, and other add-ons are also outside the percentage standard and are not included in this estimate.

Sources.

Figures are estimates for the basic obligation and are not legal advice. The court’s order controls. See the methodology and update policy.