Child support in Las Vegas is calculated under Nevada’s statewide formula: a tiered percentage of the paying parent’s gross monthly income, based on how many children are covered by the order. Clark County Family Court handles the cases, the Nevada Administrative Code sets the percentages, and the Clark County District Attorney’s Family Support Division can help parents who need assistance establishing or collecting an order.
How the Formula Works
Under NAC 425.140, the paying parent’s gross monthly income runs through a set of brackets, and the percentage taken drops as income rises. For one child, the tiers are:
- 16 percent of the first $6,000 per month
- 8 percent of income between $6,001 and $10,000
- 4 percent of anything above $10,000
A parent earning $8,000 a month with one child owes $960 on the first $6,000 (16 percent) plus $160 on the next $2,000 (8 percent), for a total of $1,120 per month.
Adding children raises the percentages at every tier. Two children start at 22 percent, three at 26 percent, and four at 28 percent, with each additional child beyond four adding 2 percent at the first tier, 1 percent at the second, and 0.5 percent at the third.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Administrative Code 425 – Support of Dependent Children Nevada no longer applies a flat dollar cap; the shrinking percentages at higher income are what moderate the obligation for high earners.
Parents earning under 150 percent of the federal poverty level fall onto a separate reduced schedule. The 2025 low-income schedule starts around $103 per month for one child at roughly $978 in monthly income, and the percentages climb until they merge with the standard formula at the top of the range.2Nevada Judiciary. Child Support Obligation of Low-Income Payers 2025
What Counts as Income
Nevada defines gross income broadly. It includes wages and salary, consistent overtime, investment and interest income, Social Security disability and retirement, pensions, workers’ compensation meant to replace earnings, unemployment, military allowances, and alimony received. Voluntary retirement contributions and deferred compensation also count, because the parent chose to redirect those dollars rather than spend them.3Legal Information Institute. Nevada Administrative Code 425.025 – Gross Income Defined
Business owners get extra scrutiny. Undistributed income from a business the parent has an ownership interest in counts, even if the parent never actually took the money out. The court looks at what the business earned, not just what the owner paid themselves.
Imputed Income
Quitting or downshifting to shrink the support number does not work. Under NAC 425.125, when a court finds a parent is unemployed or underemployed without good cause, the judge can impute income based on what the parent should be earning. Work history, skills, education, health, age, criminal record, and the local job market all factor in.1Nevada Legislature. Nevada Administrative Code 425 – Support of Dependent Children
Incarceration is treated separately. Federal rules bar states from calling incarceration voluntary unemployment, and a parent facing more than 180 days behind bars has the right to request a review of the order.4Administration for Children and Families. Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs – Modification for Incarcerated Parents
Shared Custody: The Offset Method
When both parents share physical custody, Nevada uses an offset borrowed from the state Supreme Court’s decision in Wright v. Osburn. The court calculates each parent’s obligation using the standard percentages, and the higher earner pays the difference to the lower earner.5Justia. Wright v Osburn
To qualify, each parent must have the child at least 40 percent of the time, or 146 days a year. NRS 125C.003 codified that 40 percent threshold, which may have tightened earlier flexibility around cases that came close.6Division of Social Services. The Impact of Custodial Schedules on Child Support
Example: Parent A earns $7,000 a month, Parent B earns $4,000, and they share one child. Parent A’s calculated obligation is $1,040. Parent B’s is $640. Parent A pays Parent B the $400 difference.
When Judges Deviate From the Standard Amount
NRS 125B.080 gives the court authority to adjust the formula figure when it does not fit the child’s actual circumstances. Any deviation has to be documented, along with what the standard number would have been. Common adjustment factors include the cost of health insurance for the child, work-related child care, special educational needs, a parent’s legal obligation to support other children, the child’s age, and the standard of living the child would have had if the parents stayed together. The court can also weigh the relative net incomes of the two parents and any other factor it considers relevant.7Justia. Nevada Code 125B.080 – Amount of Payment Determination
Out-of-pocket medical costs are a frequent flashpoint. Most orders spell out how parents split uninsured medical, dental, and vision expenses. Keep every receipt and explanation of benefits, because reimbursement fights later depend on documentation.
Getting an Order in Clark County
Two paths lead to a Las Vegas child support order. The first is filing directly with the Eighth Judicial District Court (Family Division), typically when parents already have attorneys or want to resolve custody, support, and property together. The court accepts e-filing, and in-person filings go through the Regional Justice Center on Lewis Avenue.
The second path runs through the Clark County District Attorney’s Family Support Division, which helps locate absent parents, establish paternity through genetic testing, and pursue orders for custodial parents. You do not need an attorney to use this office, and it is particularly useful when the other parent is hard to find or uncooperative.8Clark County, Nevada. DA Family Support Division
Once you are served with a complaint, you have 21 days to file a response. Miss that deadline and the court can enter a default order without your input.9State of Nevada Self-Help Center. How to Respond to a Custody Complaint Motions filed solely to modify child support carry no filing fee, while other family law motions run $25 or more.10Clark County Courts. Eighth Judicial District Court Fees
Documents to Bring
The court can order either parent to hand over tax returns from the past three years, and the sooner you gather your financial records the smoother the case runs.7Justia. Nevada Code 125B.080 – Amount of Payment Determination Pull together recent pay stubs, three years of federal tax returns, proof of what you pay for the child’s health coverage, and receipts or statements from child care providers.
Both parents also have to complete a General Financial Disclosure Form covering assets, debts, and monthly expenses, signed under penalty of perjury. The Clark County version is on the court clerk’s website.11Clark County Courts. General Financial Disclosure Form Fill it out carefully. Judges rely on it to set the number, and errors can trigger sanctions or sink your credibility.
How Payments Flow
Payments run through the State Collections and Disbursement Unit, known as SCaDU. Most orders include income withholding, so the paying parent’s employer pulls the money from wages and sends it to the state. Employers with 50 or more employees have to send payments electronically, and smaller employers can take up to $3 per pay period to cover their handling costs.12Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 31A – Enforcement of Obligations for Support
Receiving parents get funds on a Nevada Debit Card or by direct deposit. Every payment is tracked, which protects both sides in a balance dispute. Handing cash directly to the other parent leaves no state record, and you can end up credited with nothing if the payment history is later challenged. Pay through official channels.13Division of Social Services. Submitting Payments
Changing an Existing Order
Either parent can ask for a modification when circumstances change, and a 20 percent or greater change in either parent’s gross monthly income automatically qualifies. Independent of that, each parent has the right to request a review at least every three years, and the court has to periodically notify parents of that right.14Division of Social Services. Assembly Bill 278 – NRS 125B.145 Amendment
Involuntary job loss, a substantial raise or new job, a child’s expensive ongoing medical need, and a real shift in the custody schedule all typically justify a modification. A single slow month for a self-employed parent usually does not. The change needs to be meaningful and sustained.
File the motion in the court that issued the original order. The DA’s office or the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services can also initiate a review if they have jurisdiction. Until the court signs a new order, the old one is in full effect. Do not reduce payments on your own; anything short becomes enforceable arrears.
Enforcement When Payments Stop
Nevada’s collection toolkit runs well past a warning letter. The state and the Clark County DA can pursue several remedies at once under NRS Chapter 31A and NRS Chapter 425:15Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 425 – Support of Dependent Children
- Wage garnishment through income withholding, with additional garnishment orders when a parent changes jobs or goes self-employed
- Liens against bank accounts, real property, retirement plans, insurance settlements, and personal injury awards
- Suspension of driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and recreational permits
- Contempt of court, which carries potential jail time when non-payment is willful
At the federal level, arrears above $2,500 trigger passport denial or revocation. The state certifies the debt to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which passes it to the State Department.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary The $2,500 is cumulative across all cases, not per child.
Interest also runs on unpaid balances. Under NRS 125B.140, arrears accrue interest at the rate set by NRS 99.040, which tracks the prime rate. A child aging out of support does not erase arrears; the balance keeps drawing interest until it is fully paid.17Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 125B – Obligation of Support
When Support Ends
Support in Nevada generally runs until the child turns 18. If the child is still in high school at 18, it continues until graduation or the child’s 19th birthday, whichever comes first. Nevada does not require parents to pay through college. Legal emancipation before 18 also ends the obligation.17Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 125B – Obligation of Support
One exception matters. If a child has a disability that began before age 18, the support obligation can continue indefinitely, until the child is no longer disabled or becomes self-supporting. That obligation is separate from any government benefits the child receives.
If the Other Parent Leaves Nevada
A move out of state does not kill the order. Every state is required by federal law to follow the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which lets you register your Nevada order in the other parent’s new state and enforce it there. The state that issued the original order generally keeps authority over it until specific conditions shift jurisdiction. The Clark County DA’s Family Support Division can coordinate with the other state to keep collection moving.
Tax Treatment
Child support is tax-neutral. The paying parent does not deduct it, and the receiving parent does not report it as income, regardless of the amount.18Internal Revenue Service. Tax Information for Non-Custodial Parents The dependency exemption is a separate question. Parents can agree on who claims the child, or the court can allocate it, and a non-custodial parent generally needs the custodial parent to sign IRS Form 8332 to claim the child for a given tax year.