New child support laws in 2026: changes by state

How is this list checked?

A state is listed only when its own statute, court rule, court order or agency page states the change and the date it takes effect. Each row links that document and gives the date it was checked. Law firm summaries and news articles are not used as sources.

Some reported 2026 changes could not be matched to an official text, and some bills never passed. Those items are not in the table; bills that did not pass are listed in a separate section below.

A guideline result is an estimate under the state formula. A court or the state agency decides the actual order and can depart from the guideline for reasons the law lists.

Does a new edition change an existing order?

A new edition is used when support is set or changed. Connecticut’s guidelines, for example, are written for use when initially establishing or modifying orders, and Iowa’s apply to cases pending on January 1, 2026, and after.

Changing an existing order goes through the state’s own modification process. Each state sets its own test for a modification, and the court or the state agency decides whether it is met. The state pages describe these rules where an official text confirms them.

Higher income limits and new low-income rules

Three states moved the top of their schedules. Washington’s economic table now reaches $50,000 of combined monthly net income, up from $12,000. Connecticut’s schedule runs to $6,000 of combined net weekly income instead of $4,000. The combined parental income amount in New York is $193,000 from March 1, 2026.

Several low-income rules changed as well:

• Georgia: a Low-Income Adjustment keeps support from going above 19% to 28% of a parent’s adjusted gross income, depending on the number of children.
• Washington: the self-support reserve is 180% of the federal poverty level for one person, up from 125%.
• Pennsylvania: the self-support reserve is $1,255 a month.
• New Jersey: the self-support reserve is $460 a week, up from $451.
• Connecticut: an obligation starts at $150 of net weekly income instead of $50.
• Vermont: the self-support reserve is $1,596 a month from February 2, 2026.

Parenting time rules that changed

Georgia replaced its Parenting Time Deviation with a Parenting Time Adjustment on January 1, 2026. It is figured on a new Schedule C from the noncustodial parent’s parenting days, up to 182.5 of the 365 days in the year.

Colorado changed its credit for parenting time on March 1, 2026. A parenting time table now gives credit for all overnights, in place of the shared physical care adjustment that applied above 92 overnights a year.

The parenting time calculator counts overnights from a schedule, and the shared custody guide compares how states treat them.

Changes from late 2025 that still apply

Two changes took effect shortly before 2026. Texas raised its net resources cap to $11,700 a month on September 1, 2025, and the Attorney General’s 2026 tax charts use that cap. Massachusetts put its 2025 Child Support Guidelines into effect on December 1, 2025; the Trial Court states that there are no 2026 Child Support Guidelines.

Bills that did not pass, and no new edition

Florida’s SB 1128 of the 2026 session, with a planned effective date of July 1, 2026, died in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on March 13, 2026. The similar House bill, HB 971, died the same day. The Florida page explains the guideline in F.S. 61.30.

Kentucky’s HB 707, an act relating to child support, was sent to the House Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026. The legislative record shows no later action.

North Carolina uses the guidelines effective January 1, 2023 (AOC-A-162). The North Carolina Judicial Branch listed no 2026 edition when its guidelines page was checked on October 26, 2026. The North Carolina page explains the current worksheets.

What is scheduled after these changes

Washington’s EHB 1014 has a second part that takes effect April 1, 2027. It sets rules for abating support while the parent who pays is incapacitated. Illinois must complete its next four-year review of the guidelines in 2026. Vermont’s next review and update of its guideline tables is due by January 2, 2028.