How Much Is Child Support in Indiana: Weekly Amounts and Duration

Child support in Indiana is set by a guideline schedule that looks at both parents’ combined weekly adjusted income, the number of children, and how overnights are split. As a benchmark, parents with a combined weekly adjusted income of $1,000 owe a total basic obligation of $180 per week for one child, $270 for two, and $338 for three. The noncustodial parent pays their proportional share of that total, adjusted for childcare, health insurance premiums, and overnight parenting time.¹

Sample Weekly Amounts by Income

The numbers below come straight from Indiana’s guideline schedule. They represent the total basic obligation for both parents combined, before any add-ons or credits. The noncustodial parent’s actual payment is their percentage of the combined income multiplied by this total.¹

$500 combined weekly income: $87 for one child, $112 for two, $125 for three
$1,000 combined weekly income: $180 for one child, $270 for two, $338 for three
$2,000 combined weekly income: $274 for one child, $411 for two, $514 for three
$4,000 combined weekly income: $424 for one child, $636 for two, $795 for three
$6,000 combined weekly income: $554 for one child, $781 for two, $898 for three

The schedule tops out at $9,200 in combined weekly income. Above that, the basic obligation runs as a percentage of combined income: 8.1% for one child, 11.4% for two, and 13.1% for three.¹

A quick example. Two parents have a combined weekly adjusted income of $1,000 and one child. The schedule sets the basic obligation at $180. If the noncustodial parent earns $600 of that $1,000, they cover 60% — so their share is $108 per week before childcare, health insurance, and the parenting time credit are figured in.

How the Calculation Works

Indiana uses the Income Shares Model. The court estimates what both parents would have spent on the children if they still lived together, then divides that cost proportionally based on each parent’s income. Both paychecks drive the number, not just the noncustodial parent’s.¹

The steps go like this. Each parent’s weekly gross income is calculated and adjusted for support paid for other children or spousal maintenance. The two adjusted incomes are combined, and the court reads the basic obligation off the guideline schedule. Work-related childcare and the children’s health insurance premiums are added on top. The total is split by each parent’s share of combined income. Finally, a parenting time credit reduces the noncustodial parent’s obligation to reflect what they already spend during overnights.²

Parenting Time Credit

The credit starts at 52 overnights per year, roughly the equivalent of every-other-weekend time. Below that threshold, no credit applies.³ The more overnights the noncustodial parent has, the larger the credit, because more overnights mean more of the day-to-day costs are already being paid directly.

What Counts as Income

Weekly gross income is broadly defined. It includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, overtime, partnership distributions, dividends, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, gifts, inheritance, prizes, and alimony received. In-kind perks that reduce personal living expenses — a company car, free housing, reimbursed meals — count as well.⁴

For self-employed parents, income is gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses, but courts scrutinize those deductions. The child support figure often differs from what shows up on a tax return.

Means-tested benefits are excluded: TANF, Supplemental Security Income, and food stamps don’t count. Survivor benefits received for other children in either parent’s home are also left out.⁴

If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed without good reason, the court uses their potential income rather than what they actually bring in.⁵ Incarceration, however, is not treated as voluntary unemployment under Indiana law.⁶

When the Court Orders Something Different

The guideline amount is presumed correct, but a judge can deviate when applying it would produce an unjust result. The court has to explain the reason in writing.⁵

By statute, the court weighs the financial resources of both parents, the standard of living the child would have had if the parents stayed together, and the child’s physical or mental condition and educational needs.⁶ Special medical needs, extraordinary educational expenses, and very high parental income above the schedule are common reasons for deviation.

Parents can also agree on an amount themselves and submit it to the court. A judge will approve it if it’s fair and serves the child’s interests.

College and Educational Support

Indiana is one of the states where a court can order parents to help pay for postsecondary education. The court considers the child’s aptitude and ability, the child’s ability to contribute through work and financial aid, and each parent’s ability to pay. When a college support order is entered, regular child support for that child is reduced by any overlap so the custodial parent isn’t paid twice for the same expense.⁷

Timing is strict. For support orders issued after June 30, 2012, the petition for educational needs must be filed before the child turns 19. For older orders, the deadline is age 21.⁸

How Long You’ll Pay

Indiana support generally runs until the child turns 19, later than most states. Several exceptions change that:⁸

Early emancipation through marriage, military service, or a court order ends support at that point, though educational support orders can continue.
A child who is at least 18, out of school for four months, not enrolled, and capable of self-support can have the obligation ended; if only partially self-supporting, the court can reduce it instead.
A child with a disability can receive support during the incapacity or until further court order, potentially well past 19.
A child still in high school past age 19 continues to receive support until graduation, if a parent files notice with the court.

Changing the Amount Later

Support orders can be modified two ways. Either you show a substantial and continuing change in circumstances that makes the current order unreasonable — a major income change, job loss, or a shift in parenting time — or you show that the current amount is off by more than 20% from what the guidelines would produce today, provided the order has been in place at least 12 months.⁹

Either parent can file. A custodial parent can seek an increase if the other parent’s income has climbed; a noncustodial parent can seek a decrease after a legitimate financial setback. The petition goes to the court that issued the original order. Support does not adjust on its own — without a filing, the old amount keeps running.

Running Your Own Numbers

The Indiana court system offers a free online child support calculator. You enter each parent’s income, parenting time, healthcare costs, and childcare expenses, and it produces an estimated weekly support amount along with downloadable forms for court.¹⁰

Treat the output as a solid starting point, not a guarantee. Judges can deviate from the guidelines, and the calculator may not fully capture unusual medical costs or hard-to-categorize income. The final order can differ from the estimate, sometimes meaningfully.

1
Indiana Judicial Branch. Guideline Schedules for Weekly Support Payments
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Indiana Judicial Branch. Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines
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Indiana Judicial Branch. Indiana Rules of Court Child Support Rules and Guidelines
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Indiana Judicial Branch. Guideline 3A – Definition of Weekly Gross Income
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Indiana Department of Child Services. Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-6-1 – Child Support Orders; Relevant Factors
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-6-2 – Expenses for Child’s Education and Other Expenses
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-6-6 – Termination of Child Support Obligation
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 31-16-8-1 – Modification or Revocation of Child Support Orders
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Indiana Judicial Branch. Child Support Calculator