Federal Child Support Guidelines

There are no federal guidelines that require states to calculate child support payments using a specific method. The only guideline regarding payment amounts is that states are to have a method in place that is certified and that can be verified. 

Support Calculations

Many states do not use a flat percentage of income to calculate child support payments, but instead take specific situations and personal circumstances into account. These may include:

• How much money the non-custodial parent and the custodial parent make.


• How many other child support orders are currently in place for the parent.


• If the parent has any minor children living in his or her home.


• Any disability or special needs the child may have.

Expense Reporting

Most states do not allow courts to demand that a parent who is receiving child support account for how he or she is spending the money. However, federal guidelines do not disallow this practice and there are around 10 states that allow courts to require this information. If you live in one of the other 40 states, then it will simply be taken for granted that the money sent towards child support is helping to support the child in one way or another.

Health Insurance

Federal guidelines allow states to lay the responsibility of health insurance on the non-custodial parent. However, states may give a lot of leeway to the judge who is overseeing the case.  He or she may decide to make the non-custodial parent provide health insurance coverage, make both parents pay the premiums for coverage or place the burden on whichever parent carries the best coverage.