Virginia Child Support Calculator

Virginia sets child support with an income-shares model under Va. Code § 20-108.2. The court adds both parents’ gross monthly income, finds a basic support amount on the statewide schedule, adds the cost of the children’s health coverage and work-related child care, and divides the total in proportion to each parent’s income. The method shifts with custody, whether sole, shared (more than 90 days a year, using a 1.4 multiplier), or split, and a statewide schedule update took effect July 1, 2025. The guideline figure is presumed correct, though a judge may order a different amount. The estimator below produces a Virginia child support estimate for your situation.

How Virginia Child Support Is Calculated

Virginia follows an income-shares model, which simply means a child should receive about the same share of the parents’ income that the child would have received if the family lived under one roof.

The calculation runs in a few steps. Both parents’ gross monthly incomes are added together to reach a combined figure. The court then finds the basic child support obligation for that combined income and the number of children, using the statewide schedule in Va. Code § 20-108.2. The cost of the children’s health, dental, and vision coverage and any work-related child-care costs are added to that amount. Finally, the court divides the total between the parents in proportion to their incomes. A parent who earns 60 percent of the combined income generally carries 60 percent of the obligation.

What Counts As Gross Income

Gross income means income from nearly every source. Under Va. Code § 20-108.2(C), it includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, self-employment earnings, pensions, interest, dividends, rental income, social security benefits, and spousal support received, among others. A few items stay out of the calculation, including public assistance, federal supplemental security income (SSI), and child support received for other children. Parents can also adjust their income for spousal support they pay and for the support of other children in their care.

Sole, Shared & Split Custody

The custody arrangement changes the formula in important ways.

Sole Custody

One parent has the children most of the time. The other parent’s proportional share of the total obligation becomes the monthly payment.

Shared Custody

This applies when each parent has the children more than 90 days a year. Because two households cost more to run, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.4, then weighted by each parent’s custody time and income, and the two results are offset against each other.

Split Custody

This applies when each parent has primary custody of at least one child. The court runs a separate calculation for each household, and the parent who owes more pays the difference. All three methods start from the same schedule of basic child support obligations, so accurate income and custody figures matter in every case.

The July 2025 Guideline Update

Virginia updated its support schedule effective July 1, 2025, the first change to the underlying amounts in more than a decade. The revised schedule raises the basic obligation at most income levels and extends the table to a combined monthly income of $42,500, with a set formula for income above that point. Orders entered or modified on or after that date use the new figures. Existing orders do not change on their own, so a parent has to ask the court to revisit an order to apply the updated amounts.

When A Court Can Deviate From The Guidelines

The guideline result carries a rebuttable presumption that it is correct, which means the court begins with the calculated amount and will order it unless there is a sound reason to depart. Under Va. Code § 20-108.1, a judge may order a higher or lower amount after making written findings that the guideline figure would be unjust or inappropriate. Factors a court may weigh include a child’s special medical or educational needs, the cost of travel for visitation, support a parent already pays for other children, the standard of living established during the marriage, and any written agreement between the parents. A support order can also change later upon a material change in circumstances, meaning a significant shift that was not expected when the order was entered, such as a large change in income or a change in the custody schedule.