Georgia child support guidelines

How does Georgia calculate child support?

Georgia uses income shares: each parent pays a share of one combined support amount. The starting information is each parent’s monthly gross income and the number of children covered by the calculation, rather than take-home pay (O.C.G.A. §19-6-15).

Schedule B reduces gross income for qualifying adjustments, including self-employment taxes, preexisting child support orders, and qualified children in theoretical orders (O.C.G.A. §19-6-15). A theoretical order is an income adjustment for qualifying other children, not a separate payment order. Eligibility matters; not every expense or responsibility reduces income.

The Basic Child Support Obligation Table supplies the combined basic amount under O.C.G.A. §19-6-15. The official calculator selects the table amount after income and children are entered, rather than applying one flat percentage to every family. The worksheet then accounts for each parent’s share, additional expenses, and adjustments.

How does parenting time affect support?

Effective January 1, 2026, Georgia replaced the Parenting Time Deviation with a Parenting Time Adjustment under O.C.G.A. §19-6-15. The official calculator uses Schedule C and updates the adjustment as parenting days change. Older explanations describing only a discretionary parenting-time deviation do not describe this revised calculation.

The Commission requires parenting days to total 365, with no more than 182.5 assigned to the noncustodial parent—the parent designated for that role in the support calculation. The remaining days are assigned automatically to the custodial parent. These are calculator input limits, not a stated threshold for qualifying for the adjustment. For equal parenting time, the Commission explains that the court designates the parent with the lesser support obligation as the custodial parent.

What else changes the Georgia amount?

Income and parenting days are not the only inputs. Additional expenses, qualifying responsibilities for other children, and the Low-Income Adjustment can change the result under O.C.G.A. §19-6-15.

• Health insurance and work-related child care are prorated between the parents on Schedule D. The basic table does not include the child’s health insurance premium.
• For family health insurance, only the premium attributable to the children in this case counts. Employer-paid amounts not deducted from a parent’s wages do not count.
• A preexisting support order may reduce gross income only when it qualifies and current support is actually being paid. Arrears payments do not qualify; the other case’s initial order must precede the current case’s initial order.
• For qualified children living in a parent’s home, the court may consider an income adjustment when omission would cause substantial hardship and the adjustment serves the current child’s interests.
• The Low-Income Adjustment automatically compares each parent’s adjusted gross income with its table. Its safeguard caps the obligation at 19% for one child and 24% for two children under O.C.G.A. §19-6-15; these are not general support rates.
• A court may allow a deviation with required findings and consideration of the child’s interests. A deviation cannot seriously impair the receiving household’s ability to provide the children’s basic necessities.

When does support end or change?

The Georgia Division of Child Support Services says orders issued after 1993 should provide for support until age 18. If the child remains in high school after 18, support continues until high school completion or age 20, whichever comes first.

Either parent may request a review through the Georgia Division of Child Support Services. The agency determines whether to recommend a change; support may increase, decrease, or stay the same. Past-due support is not modified.

For an official calculation, the Georgia Child Support Commission’s calculator produces a Child Support Worksheet for filing with the court. An attorney is not required to create an account or use it. The official links on this page lead to the calculator and state agency; an estimate does not replace the official worksheet or an order.