Wisconsin child support calculator

How does Wisconsin calculate child support?

Wisconsin uses a percentage of the paying parent’s income under Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150. The starting point is gross income, not take-home pay. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families defines gross income as income and earnings from all sources, including taxable or nontaxable money, property and services.

The standard percentages are 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four and 34% for five or more children (DCF 150). In the basic calculation, the applicable percentage is applied to the paying parent’s income for support. Shared placement instead calculates an amount for each parent and offsets the results.

The court may use gross income, ability to earn or income available for support. DCF describes income available for support as gross income minus support for earlier obligations; earning ability considers work and wage history, health, education and available jobs. The current edition date of DCF 150 is being verified.

• High income: the court may use separate guidelines above $84,000 a year (DCF 150).
• The standard rates apply to the first $7,000 a month; lower rates apply to the portions between $7,000 and $12,500 and above $12,500 (DCF 150).
• For two children, those successive rates are 25%, 20% and 15% (DCF 150). The lower rates apply only to the income in their respective bands.

How does shared placement change support?

The court may use the shared-placement formula when each parent has court-ordered placement of at least 25% of the time, or 92 days a year, and each must cover basic support costs in proportion to placement time (DCF 150). This is a separate calculation, not a discount from the basic amount. DCF’s Shared-Placement Worksheet uses both parents’ incomes.

For each parent, the worksheet multiplies monthly income by the child-count percentage, then by 150%, then by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent (DCF 150). It subtracts the smaller result from the larger; the parent with the larger result pays the difference. The worksheet calculates placement percentages by dividing court-ordered days by 365, so equal placement does not necessarily mean no payment.

• Split placement is different: each parent has primary placement of at least one child, but not all the children.
• For split placement, the court may prorate the standard based on the total number of children.

What else changes the support amount?

The percentage calculation does not resolve every expense or family arrangement. DCF describes separate treatment for variable costs, earlier support obligations and low-income cases.

• Child care and other variable costs: reasonable expenses above basic support include child care, tuition and a child’s special needs. In shared placement, the court must assign variable costs in proportion to each parent’s placement share.
• Other children: in serial family cases, where a parent supports more than one family, the court may adjust income used for later support amounts.
• Earlier obligations: the order of legal obligation depends on when the obligation began and may include a parent’s current, intact family.
• Low income: DCF’s low-income guidelines are based on income between 75% and 150% of the federal poverty level (DCF 150). The federal poverty level is updated each spring, so the applicable table matters.

When does support end or change?

According to DCF’s “When Child Support Ends” guidance, support generally continues until age 18, or age 19 if the child is still attending high school or working on a high school equivalency course. DCF says current support ends when the youngest child turns 18 unless the child support agency receives proof of qualifying enrollment. Past-due support remains enforceable after current support ends.

A new calculator result is an estimate, not a change to an existing order. For an official calculation or review, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the child support agency are official resources. DCF provides calculators and worksheets for shared placement, split placement, serial family and high-income cases, plus a low-income calculator.