Virginia Child Support Calculator (2026)

Virginia combines both parents' gross incomes, reads the basic obligation from the statutory schedule, and splits it by each parent's share of income. When each parent has the children more than 90 days a year, the shared custody worksheet applies a 1.4 multiplier and offsets the two obligations.

Figures reviewed September 29, 20264 primary sources

Estimated monthly child support

$610per month

Parent A pays Parent B.

Per year: $7,320

How we got there

Parent A monthly gross income (after deductions)	$6,000
Parent B monthly gross income (after deductions)	$3,500
Combined monthly gross income	$9,500
Basic obligation for 1 child	$1,219
Parent A share of income	63.2%
Parent B share of income	36.8%
Shared custody: basic obligation x 1.4	$1,707
Parent A obligation (265 days with Parent B)	$783
Parent B obligation (100 days with Parent A)	$172

Each parent has the children more than 90 days a year, so the shared custody worksheet applies: the obligation is multiplied by 1.4 and the two shares are offset.
Virginia works from gross income; only spousal support paid and support for other children are deducted. Courts may impute income to a voluntarily unemployed parent.

Standing assumptions

Schedule from Code of Virginia section 20-108.2(B) as amended July 1, 2025, with the percentages above $42,500.
Shared custody worksheet (more than 90 days each, 1.4 multiplier) from section 20-108.2(G)(3).
Minimum order of $68 per month from section 20-108.2(B).

Estimate only. Not legal advice.

Key 2026 numbers for Virginia

Schedule range: $0 to $42,500; Combined monthly gross income; raised from $35,000 effective July 1, 2025.
Shared custody threshold: More than 90 days; Each parent, per year; basic obligation multiplied by 1.4 and offset.
Minimum order: $68 / month; The presumptive minimum for the lowest income bracket.
Above $42,500: 2.6% to 5.0%; Of income above the schedule, added to the top amount, by number of children.

How Virginia calculates child support

Section 20-108.2 of the Code of Virginia uses the income shares model with gross income. The court adds both parents' monthly gross incomes, finds the basic child support obligation for that total and the number of children in the schedule in subsection B, and adds work-related childcare and the children's health insurance premiums. Each parent's share of the total is their percentage of combined gross income. In a sole custody case the non-custodial parent pays their share; the calculation is set out on Worksheet A.

Senate Bill 805, effective July 1, 2025, raised the top of the schedule from $35,000 to $42,500 of combined monthly gross income and updated the amounts at every income level for the first time since 2014. Above $42,500, the obligation is the $42,500 amount plus 2.6% of the excess for one child, rising to 5.0% for six children.

Gross income

Subsection C defines gross income as all income from all sources: salary, wages, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, pensions, severance, Social Security, disability and workers' compensation benefits, unemployment, interest, dividends, rental income, gifts and prizes. Public assistance, SSI and child support received are excluded. The only deductions are spousal support paid under a court order and support for other children the parent actually pays or, for children living with the parent, a credit from the schedule. Courts can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.

Shared custody

When each parent has physical custody for more than 90 days a year, Worksheet B applies. The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.4 to reflect the cost of two households. Each parent's share of that amount is multiplied by the percentage of the year the children spend with the other parent, and the two figures are offset, with the parent owing more paying the difference. A day is a period of 24 hours, but the statute also counts a period of less than 24 hours as a day when the parent has overnight custody. Where each parent has primary custody of a different child, Worksheet C computes and offsets an obligation for each.

Add-ons and health care

The children's share of health, dental and vision insurance premiums and reasonable work-related childcare are added to the basic obligation and divided by income share, with credit to the parent who pays them. Unreimbursed medical and dental expenses are also split by income share. The court may order either parent to maintain coverage.

Deviations, duration and modification

The guideline amount is presumed correct, but section 20-108.1(B) lists factors that can rebut it, including the parents' financial resources, the standard of living during the marriage, special needs of the child, debts incurred for the child's benefit, and the tax consequences of the order. Support continues until the child turns 18, or 19 if still a full-time high school student living with a parent. A material change in circumstances, including a change in the guidelines themselves, supports a petition to modify, and the Division of Child Support Enforcement reviews its orders every three years on request.

Worked example

Parent A has $6,000 in monthly gross income and Parent B has $4,000, so combined gross income is $10,000 and Parent A's share is 60%.
The schedule gives a basic obligation for one child at $10,000.
Parent A has the child 100 days a year and Parent B 265, so both exceed 90 days and Worksheet B applies: the obligation is multiplied by 1.4.
Parent A's obligation is the grossed-up amount x 60% x (265 / 365); Parent B's is the grossed-up amount x 40% x (100 / 365); Parent A pays the difference.

Parent A pays Parent B the difference between the two shared custody obligations, before childcare and health insurance.

Virginia child support questions

Is Virginia child support based on gross income?

Yes. Virginia uses gross monthly income before taxes, subtracting only spousal support paid and support for other children.

What counts as a day for shared custody?

A 24-hour period, or a shorter period that includes an overnight. A parent must have more than 90 such days a year for the shared custody worksheet to apply.

What changed in July 2025?

The schedule was updated for the first time since 2014 and extended from $35,000 to $42,500 of combined monthly gross income, with new amounts at each income level.

Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Virginia?

No. With equal days the 1.4 multiplier applies and each parent's share is multiplied by 50%, so the higher earner still pays the difference unless incomes are equal.

Where is the official Virginia worksheet?

Virginia's courts publish the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (form DC-637) and the Department of Social Services offers an online estimator, both of which apply section 20-108.2.

Sources

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