The Arkansas weekly child support chart sets the presumed amount of support by matching the paying parent’s weekly income, after certain deductions, against the number of children owed support. The figure where those two values intersect is what the court will order unless a party shows that amount would be unjust or inappropriate. The chart is part of Administrative Order No. 10, issued by the Arkansas Supreme Court, and it comes in weekly and monthly versions so the court can use whichever matches the payment schedule.
How to Read the Chart
Income levels run down the rows. The number of children runs across the columns. Find the row for the paying parent’s weekly income after allowed deductions, slide across to the column for the number of children covered by the order, and the dollar amount in that cell is the presumed weekly obligation.1Justia. Arkansas Code 9-12-312 – Alimony – Child Support – Bond
That amount is a rebuttable presumption. The judge will order it unless someone proves it would be unjust or inappropriate, and any departure has to be explained in a written finding or a specific finding on the record.1Justia. Arkansas Code 9-12-312 – Alimony – Child Support – Bond In most cases, the chart figure controls.
What Income the Chart Uses
The row you land on depends on what counts as income and what gets subtracted first. Administrative Order No. 10 defines income broadly: any form of payment due to a person, from any source. That takes in wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, workers’ compensation, disability payments, pension and retirement payments, and interest. Rental income, capital gains, self-employment earnings, and government benefits like unemployment compensation also count. Non-monetary compensation that reduces living expenses, such as employer-provided housing or a vehicle allowance, can be included as well.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
Before the chart is applied, four categories come off the top of gross income:
- Federal and state income taxes
- Social Security (FICA), Medicare, and railroad retirement withholding
- Medical insurance premiums paid for the dependent children
- Court-ordered support already being paid for other dependents2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
The number you get after those subtractions is the income figure you take to the chart.
Special Income Situations
Self-Employed Parents
Self-employment income gets closer scrutiny. The court calculates support using the last two years of federal and state tax returns plus quarterly estimates for the current year. Contributions to retirement plans, alimony paid, and self-employed health insurance premiums are added back into income. Depreciation is allowed as a deduction only to the extent it reflects an actual decrease in the value of an asset, not as an accounting write-off that shrinks reported earnings.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
Disability, Military, and Government Benefits
For Social Security Disability recipients, the court considers any separate benefits paid to the recipient’s children because of the parent’s disability. SSI benefits are not counted as income. Veterans Affairs disability benefits and unemployment compensation are both treated as income. Military personnel have their basic allowance for quarters (BAQ) added to other income, though variable housing allowances designed to offset unusually high local costs may not be included.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
Voluntarily Underemployed Parents
A parent who is unemployed or working below full earning capacity without reasonable cause can have income imputed to them. The court looks at what the parent could be earning given their lifestyle, education, and work history, and attributes income accordingly. The floor for imputed income is at least the minimum wage.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines A parent whose claimed income doesn’t match their actual spending will have a hard time persuading the court that the low number is real.
How the Number of Children Changes the Figure
The chart does not double the amount for two children or triple it for three. The columns use graduated figures that account for household expenses like housing, utilities, and transportation that benefit all children in the home at once. You look up the total obligation for the parent’s income and the number of children in that one order, and the single figure in that cell covers all of them.
Children from multiple relationships complicate the lookup. Support already being paid under a prior court order for other dependents comes out of income before the chart is applied to a new case.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines That keeps obligations from stacking past what the parent can actually pay, while leaving each child with a meaningful amount.
When a Judge Departs From the Chart Amount
Every order has to address health insurance for the children, and it interacts with the chart in two ways. The court can require one or both parents to maintain coverage, picking whoever can get the most comprehensive plan at the most reasonable cost. Coverage is treated as reasonable in cost if the dependent portion of the premium does not exceed 5% of the providing parent’s gross income. Where an employer subsidizes part of the premium, only the employee’s actual out-of-pocket cost counts.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines The premium the paying parent covers for the children is also one of the deductions that reduces income before the chart lookup.
Beyond insurance, Administrative Order No. 10 lists factors a court can weigh in deciding whether to deviate up or down from the chart amount: food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental expenses, educational costs, child care, the child’s accustomed standard of living, and any other income or assets available to support the child. Life insurance maintained for the children’s benefit, trust funds, special education needs, extraordinary parenting time with the noncustodial parent, and shared or joint custody arrangements can also move the number. When the chart figure falls short of what it actually costs to raise the child, the court should consider an upward deviation.2Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
Whichever direction the deviation goes, the court has to put the reason in a written finding or on the record.1Justia. Arkansas Code 9-12-312 – Alimony – Child Support – Bond The parent asking for the deviation carries the burden of showing the chart amount is unjust or inappropriate.
Keeping the Chart Current
A committee appointed by the Chief Justice reviews and updates the chart at least every four years. The review takes in economic data on the cost of raising children, labor market conditions, and how the amounts affect parents near the poverty line.1Justia. Arkansas Code 9-12-312 – Alimony – Child Support – Bond Because the figures change, work from the current version. Parents and attorneys can get it from the Arkansas Judiciary website or by requesting a copy from the circuit clerk handling the case.