Arkansas Child Support Chart: Income, Calculation, and Minimums

The Arkansas child support chart calculates a basic monthly support obligation using both parents’ combined gross monthly income and the number of children involved. You find your combined income on the chart, read across to the column for your number of children, add certain expenses like health insurance and work-related childcare, and then split that total between the parents according to each parent’s share of the combined income. The chart covers combined gross incomes from $800 up to $30,000 per month and runs from one through six children.¹

What the Chart Is Based On

Arkansas switched to the Income Shares Model on July 1, 2020, through a revision of Administrative Order No. 10. Before that date, the state looked only at the paying parent’s income. The current chart uses economic data on what families at various income levels actually spend on their children, and both parents’ earnings count.² The number the chart produces is the total cost of raising the child or children at that income level. Each parent is then responsible for a percentage of that total equal to their percentage of the combined income.

What the Chart Actually Shows

The left column of the Family Support Chart lists combined monthly gross income. The columns to the right show the basic support obligation for one, two, three, four, five, or six children. A few sample rows:¹

$5,000 combined gross income: $737 for one child, $1,081 for two, $1,307 for three
$10,000 combined gross income: $1,074 for one child, $1,501 for two, $1,802 for three
$20,000 combined gross income: $1,639 for one child, $2,197 for two, $2,629 for three
$30,000 combined gross income: $1,952 for one child, $2,660 for two, $3,145 for three

The chart uses gross income, not take-home pay. The numbers already account for federal and state income taxes and FICA withholding.² Three categories of child-related costs are not built into the chart figure and get added on top during the calculation: the child’s share of health insurance premiums, work-related childcare, and out-of-pocket medical expenses that exceed $250 per child per year.

Figuring Each Parent’s Gross Income

Administrative Order No. 10 defines income broadly. Wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, workers’ compensation, disability benefits, pension and retirement payments, unemployment compensation, and interest all count.³ VA disability benefits are treated as income the same way wages are.

A parent who is unemployed or working below their capacity cannot avoid support by staying there. If a court finds that a parent’s reduced earnings are “a matter of choice and not for reasonable cause,” it can impute income based on work history, education, skills, and jobs available in the area. At a minimum, any parent ordered to pay support is attributed income at least equal to minimum wage.³

Running the Calculation

The Arkansas Judiciary posts a free online calculator that produces a completed Child Support Worksheet you can print.⁴ If you want to understand what the calculator is doing, the worksheet follows this order:

Identify each parent’s monthly gross income and add them together.⁵
Divide each parent’s gross income by the combined total to get that parent’s share as a percentage.
Find the combined gross income on the chart and read across to the column for your number of children. That’s the basic child support obligation.
Add the child’s health insurance premium, work-related childcare, and any out-of-pocket medical costs over $250 per child per year.⁶
Multiply the total (basic obligation plus added expenses) by each parent’s income percentage. The noncustodial parent’s share is the presumptive support amount.
Credit the paying parent for any of those added expenses they already pay directly, like carrying the child on their health insurance.

A Short Example

Say one parent earns $2,000 gross per month and the other earns $1,000. Combined income is $3,000. The higher earner’s share is about 67% and the lower earner’s about 33%.⁷ You look up $3,000 on the chart for the right number of children, add any extra expenses, and multiply the total by each percentage. The noncustodial parent pays their share to the custodial parent.

The $125 Minimum

The guidelines include a self-support reserve so the paying parent can cover their own basic needs. If a parent’s gross income is below $900 per month, the minimum support order is $125 per month regardless of what the chart would otherwise suggest.¹

When a Court Can Order a Different Amount

The number the chart produces is presumptive, meaning the judge treats it as correct unless there’s a specific reason to depart from it. A court that deviates must put the reasoning in writing, explaining why the standard amount is unjust or inappropriate for the family.⁸ Administrative Order No. 10 lists factors that can justify an adjustment:³

Medical or dental costs beyond ordinary care, such as braces, glasses, therapy, or counseling
Special education needs, including tutoring or specialized schooling
Shared or joint custody arrangements where the child spends significant time with the noncustodial parent
The cost of life or health insurance maintained for the child’s benefit
Creation or maintenance of a trust fund for the child
Support obligations to other children, including informal ones without a court order
Transportation costs for visitation and the family’s accustomed standard of living

Changing the Order Later

Under Arkansas Code § 9-14-107, a change in either parent’s gross income of 20% or more counts as a material change of circumstances that supports a petition to modify the order.⁹ A change in a parent’s ability to provide health insurance also qualifies. Even without a specific triggering event, either party can request a review every three years.

Modification is not automatic. The court compares the current order to what the chart would produce under the new facts, and if the gap doesn’t clear the threshold, the order stays put. A new amount takes effect from the date the petition is filed. Waiting to file means the old amount keeps accruing in the meantime.

If Payments Aren’t Made

Most Arkansas support orders include automatic income withholding. Once an employer receives the notice, deductions must begin within 14 days, and an extra 20% comes out on top of the regular payment toward any accumulated arrears.¹⁰ A parent three months or more behind can have their driver’s license and license plates suspended, with 60 days’ notice and the right to request a hearing within 30 days. A judge can hold a delinquent parent in contempt, which can mean fines, an order to pay all arrears, and jail. Courts can also garnish bank accounts and place liens on property. Under federal law, a parent who owes more than $2,500 in arrears can be denied a passport or have an existing one revoked.¹¹

When Support Ends

Support ends automatically when the child turns 18, unless the child is still in high school. In that case, support continues through graduation or until the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever comes first.¹² Support also ends if the child marries, is emancipated by a court, or if the parents marry each other. A court can order support to continue past these cutoffs for an adult child with a mental or physical disability that prevents self-support, provided the disability existed before the child reached the age of majority. Check the specific terms of your order before assuming payments stop on an 18th birthday.

1
Arkansas Judiciary. Family Support Chart of Basic Child Support Obligations
2
Supreme Court of Arkansas. Administrative Order No. 10 – Child Support Guidelines
3
Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
4
Arkansas Judiciary. Child Support Calculator
5
Justia. Arkansas Code Title 9 Administrative Order Number 10 Child Support Guidelines – Section V
6
Arkansas Judiciary. Review of the Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
7
Arkansas Judiciary. Child Support Sample Language and Calculation
8
Justia. Arkansas Code Title 9 – Section II – Use of the Guidelines
9
Justia. Arkansas Code 9-14-107 – Change in Income Warranting Modification
10
Cornell Law Institute. 006.25.20 Arkansas Code R. 001 – Office of Child Support Enforcement
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary
12
Justia. Arkansas Code 9-14-237 – Termination of Child Support