Child support in Pennsylvania is calculated from both parents’ combined monthly net income and the number of children, using a statewide schedule under Rule 1910.16-3. A family with $5,000 in combined monthly net income owes $1,080 for one child or $1,629 for two; at $10,000 combined, those figures rise to $1,661 and $2,452.1Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-3 – Support Guidelines. Basic Child Support Schedule That total is split between the parents in proportion to what each one earns, then adjusted for health insurance, childcare, and how many overnights the paying parent has with the child each year.
How the Split Works
Pennsylvania uses the Income Shares Model. The court looks at what both parents earn together, pulls a presumptive support figure from the schedule, and divides it between them based on each parent’s percentage of the combined income.2Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Rule 1910.16-1 Amount of Support. Support Guidelines – Section: Income Shares A parent who earns 65% of the combined income is responsible for 65% of the obligation. Only the paying parent’s share becomes the actual support order; the receiving parent’s share is assumed to be spent directly on the child.
So the number on the schedule is not what one parent pays. It is what both parents together are expected to spend on the child, with each one covering their proportional slice.
What Counts as Income
Gross income under Rule 1910.16-2 is defined broadly. It includes wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, business profits, interest, rental income, dividends, pensions, Social Security benefits, disability payments, workers’ compensation, and unemployment benefits.3Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-2 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Monthly Net Income Less obvious sources count too: lottery winnings, insurance settlements, and legal judgments all go into the mix. Courts work from at least a six-month average, so a single off month will not skew the figure.
Net income is what remains after federal, state, and local income taxes; Social Security and Medicare withholdings; mandatory union dues; non-voluntary retirement contributions; and alimony paid to a former spouse from a different relationship. That remaining monthly figure is what feeds into the schedule.
Self-employed parents document their earnings through profit-and-loss statements and tax returns. Judges scrutinize those records for personal spending disguised as business expenses, and will adjust the income figure upward if the paperwork looks thin.
When the Court Assigns Income You Are Not Earning
A parent who voluntarily quits, cuts hours without a good reason, or stays unemployed to dodge support can be assigned an earning capacity. The court weighs age, health, education, job skills, work history, criminal record, local job market, and childcare responsibilities to decide what the parent could realistically make.4Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-2 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Monthly Net Income The imputed figure cannot exceed what one full-time job would pay, and the judge has to put the reasoning in writing.
Imputation does not apply to involuntary income drops. A layoff, a serious illness, or a disability will not trigger it. Someone fired during a downturn is treated very differently from someone who walks away from a steady job the week before a support hearing.
The 2026 Support Schedule
Once combined monthly net income is set, the court looks up the obligation on the statewide schedule, which lists amounts by income level and number of children.1Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-3 – Support Guidelines. Basic Child Support Schedule The current version took effect on January 3, 2026. Representative monthly amounts:
- $3,000 combined net income: $691 for one child, $1,053 for two, $1,272 for three
- $5,000 combined net income: $1,080 for one child, $1,629 for two
- $7,000 combined net income: $1,287 for one child, $1,913 for two
- $10,000 combined net income: $1,661 for one child, $2,452 for two
These amounts cover food, housing, transportation, clothing, and the first $250 per child per year in unreimbursed medical costs.2Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Rule 1910.16-1 Amount of Support. Support Guidelines – Section: Income Shares The total gets divided between the parents by income percentage, and the paying parent’s share becomes the order.
When Combined Income Tops $30,000
Above $30,000 in combined monthly net income, the standard schedule stops and Rule 1910.16-3.1 takes over. For one child, the base obligation is $3,608 plus 4.0% of the combined income above $30,000. Two children start at $4,250 plus 4.0%. Three children start at $4,951 plus 4.7%.5Legal Information Institute. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-3.1 – Support Guidelines. High-Income Cases The court can adjust up or down based on the child’s actual needs, each parent’s assets, and other relevant factors, and must explain the final number in writing.
Costs Added on Top
The schedule figure covers everyday expenses. Several recurring costs are added to it and split in the same income-based ratio.
Health Insurance and Childcare
Health insurance premiums for the child are the most common add-on. If one parent carries the child on an employer plan, the other parent’s proportional share of the premium is folded into the order. Work-related childcare costs are handled the same way, with the net cost after any tax credits divided between the parents.6Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-6 – Support Guidelines. Basic Support Obligation Adjustments. Additional Expenses Allocation
Unreimbursed Medical Expenses
Because the basic support amount already includes the first $250 per person per year in out-of-pocket medical costs, only expenses above that threshold get allocated separately.7Legal Information Institute. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-6 – Support Guidelines. Basic Support Obligation Adjustments. Additional Expenses Allocation Co-pays, deductibles, dental work, vision care, and orthodontia qualify. Cosmetic procedures and chiropractic, psychiatric, or psychological services do not, unless the court specifically orders them included. The $250 threshold is prorated if support runs for less than a full year, and the court can cap the annual amount when the burden on the paying parent would be excessive.
Private School and Unusual Educational Costs
Tuition and other unusual educational expenses can be added, but not automatically. The requesting parent has to show the expense is reasonable given the family’s finances and consistent with the child’s prior lifestyle or specific needs.
How Shared Custody Lowers the Payment
When the paying parent has the child for at least 40% of overnights in a year (146 or more nights), a rebuttable presumption kicks in that their obligation should be reduced.8Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-4 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Support Obligation. Formula A parent who has the child nearly half the time is already covering food, utilities, and daily costs during those overnights.
The formula takes the paying parent’s share of overnights, subtracts 30%, and uses the difference to reduce that parent’s share of the basic obligation. For a parent with 45% of the overnights, the subtraction yields 15%, and their proportional share of the obligation drops by 15 percentage points. The other parent can argue against the reduction if circumstances warrant, but in most shared-custody cases it applies.
When a Judge Changes the Number
The schedule produces a presumptive figure, not a locked-in one. Under Rule 1910.16-5, a judge can move the obligation up or down after weighing factors the basic math misses:9Pennsylvania Code. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-5 – Support Guidelines. Deviation
- Unusual needs or fixed obligations, such as a child with significant medical needs or a parent carrying extraordinary debt
- Other support obligations the parent already pays for children from another relationship
- Other household income, including a new spouse’s earnings if they affect the parent’s finances
- The age of the child, since older children tend to cost more
- Relative assets and liabilities between the parents
- The standard of living the child was accustomed to before the separation
- Ongoing uncovered medical expenses
Deviations are the exception. Most cases land on the guideline amount, but when a family’s circumstances genuinely do not fit the schedule, the judge has room to adjust.
How Long the Obligation Lasts
Pennsylvania requires parents to support unemancipated children aged 18 or younger. In practice, support runs until the child turns 18 or graduates high school, whichever is later. A 17-year-old who finishes high school early still receives support until their 18th birthday; an 18-year-old still in high school keeps the order until graduation.
College is a separate question. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court eliminated mandatory post-secondary education support, so a court cannot force a parent to pay for college. Parents can voluntarily agree to contribute under 23 Pa.C.S. ยง 4327, and a court can approve the agreement. If post-secondary costs are ordered, the obligation cannot extend past the student’s 23rd birthday except in exceptional circumstances, and it cannot cover graduate school. A child who marries, joins the military, or otherwise becomes legally emancipated loses the right to support regardless of age.