Ohio child support guidelines

How does Ohio calculate child support?

Ohio uses income shares: each parent pays a share of one combined support amount. The calculation starts with gross income, not take-home pay, and the basic schedule uses the parents’ combined annual income (§3119.021). The applicable worksheet carries the calculation through to a monthly obligation; the schedule amount alone is not the final payment (§3119.02).

The statutory table begins at $8,400 and runs through $300,000 in $600 increments (§3119.021). Those are the statute’s base figures, not a substitute for the updated schedule. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services rule requires JFS 07767, the Ohio Basic Child Support Guideline Schedule, except when combined income falls below or above its listed limits; an estimate outside those limits needs separate review (Rule 5101:12-1-17).

The §3119.021 edition took effect March 28, 2019, and was confirmed on October 15, 2026; the schedule rule took effect April 1, 2026 (Rule 5101:12-1-17). The statutory low-income formulas refer to an annual minimum support amount under §3119.06, so the schedule’s starting income is not a minimum payment (§3119.021). Calculations go to the third decimal place and then round to the second decimal place (Rule 5101:12-1-17).

How does parenting time affect support?

When a court-issued parenting time order provides at least 90 overnights a year, the court or agency must generally reduce the qualifying parent’s annual individual support obligation by 10% (§3119.051). This is a reduction to that obligation, not a rule that equal parenting time cancels support. Counting the overnights can help identify whether the threshold is met, but the statute ties the reduction to court-ordered parenting time.

Shared parenting and split parenting use different worksheet arrangements. JFS 07768 is the Sole/Shared Child Support Computation Worksheet; JFS 07769 is the Split Parenting Child Support Computation Worksheet (Rule 5101:12-1-17). The split worksheet applies when multiple children are covered and each parent is the residential parent and legal custodian of at least one child.

What else changes the Ohio amount?

The basic schedule is only part of the calculation. Ohio requires the applicable worksheet to calculate child support and cash medical support (§3119.02).

• Child care: Reimbursed or subsidized costs are excluded, including applicable tax credits whether claimed or not. JFS 07766 contains the maximum statewide average child care cost estimate (Rule 5101:12-1-17).
• Medical support: JFS 07766 also contains the cash medical support amount used under the rule (Rule 5101:12-1-17).
• Low income: The schedule incorporates a self-sufficiency reserve based on 116% of the federal poverty level for a single person (§3119.021).
• Departure from the guideline: In a modification, a court may depart when the worksheet amount would be unjust or inappropriate and not in the child’s best interest. It must record the required findings (§3119.79).

When does support end or change?

Support generally reaches an endpoint at age eighteen, but qualifying full-time attendance at a recognized, accredited high school can continue the duty beyond that birthday (§3119.86). A court order can also continue for a qualifying child with a disability who cannot support themselves, or under a qualifying separation agreement incorporated into a divorce or dissolution decree. The administrative-order continuation provision covers qualifying full-time high school attendance.

Either parent may request a court recalculation using the schedule and worksheet. A result more than 10% above or below the existing order counts as a substantial change requiring modification (§3119.79). Inadequate health insurance that leaves the child’s medical needs unmet also qualifies, and the statute addresses other substantial changes not contemplated at the original order or last modification.

For an official calculation or review, the relevant public office is the child support enforcement agency, or CSEA; courts also calculate support under the required forms. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services provides the standard worksheets and instruction manual required by §3119.022. The official forms are JFS 07768 for sole/shared parenting and JFS 07769 for split parenting (Rule 5101:12-1-17).