Oregon Child Support Guidelines (ORS 25.275): Income and Parenting Time

The Oregon child support guidelines, set by administrative rule under ORS 25.275, use an Income Shares Model that combines both parents’ incomes and divides the cost of raising a child between them in proportion to what each earns. The number the formula produces is legally presumed correct in every judicial or administrative support case in Oregon, though either parent can argue the result would be unjust in their situation.¹

How the Basic Obligation Is Built

Every Oregon calculation starts with a scale drawn from national data on what families at different income levels typically spend raising children. You find the basic support obligation by looking up two numbers: the parents’ combined adjusted income and the number of children the order covers. When combined income falls between two amounts on the scale, the lower figure applies. The scale caps at $30,000 per month in combined adjusted income; parents earning more are treated as if they earn $30,000.²

Each parent is responsible for the share of that basic amount that matches their share of combined income. If you earn 60% of what the two of you make together, you owe 60% of the basic obligation.³ From there, the formula layers in parenting time, medical support, childcare, and credits for other children before producing the final monthly figure.

What Counts as Income

Both parents’ gross income from any source feeds the formula: wages, salary, commissions, self-employment earnings, Social Security, and investment income all count.⁴ You’ll typically document earnings with W-2s, 1099s, and recent pay stubs.

Before income hits the scale, certain deductions produce “adjusted income.” Mandatory union dues and the cost of a parent’s own health insurance are common ones.⁵ Work-related childcare for the children factors in elsewhere in the calculation.

Imputed Income When a Parent Earns Less Than They Could

If a parent is unemployed or underemployed, Oregon can assign a higher “potential income” so the calculation reflects earning capacity instead of a voluntary choice to earn less. The state weighs work history, education, physical and mental health, local job opportunities, and the hours typically available to that parent.⁴ Actual and potential income can be combined when someone is working but earning below capacity.

When there isn’t enough information to estimate earning potential, the default is full-time work at Oregon’s lowest applicable minimum wage.⁴ Hiding financial details doesn’t push the number toward zero; it pushes it toward minimum wage.

Potential income cannot be imputed to a parent with a verified disability that prevents full-time work, a parent receiving workers’ compensation benefits, an incarcerated parent, or a parent with a temporary modification under ORS 25.527.⁴

How Parenting Time Changes the Number

Oregon adjusts support based on how many overnights each parent has with the child during the year. The adjustment uses a continuous mathematical formula tied to overnights rather than fixed percentage brackets, so the credit grows gradually as a parent’s time increases.⁶ A parent with the child 40% of nights gets a meaningfully larger credit than one at 20%, and the transition is smooth rather than cliff-like.

The credit multiplies each parent’s credit percentage against the children’s portion of the basic obligation.⁶ The reasoning is practical: a parent housing the child more nights is already paying for food, utilities, and daily needs during that time, so the cash obligation to the other parent shrinks. In near-equal time-sharing, the higher earner usually still pays some support, but the gap narrows considerably.

Medical Support and Health Insurance

The basic obligation already includes $250 per child per year for ordinary out-of-pocket medical costs like co-pays and over-the-counter medicine.⁷ Health insurance premiums for the children and larger medical bills get added on top.

Private coverage counts as reasonable in cost if it doesn’t exceed 4% of each parent’s adjusted income, and parents split the cost proportionally. If neither parent has access to affordable private coverage, the order may include a cash medical support obligation, also capped at 4% of the paying parent’s adjusted income. A parent earning at or below Oregon’s highest minimum wage for full-time work owes nothing toward health coverage or cash medical support.⁷

Credits That Reduce What You Actually Pay

When a child receives Social Security payments based on a parent’s disability or retirement, those payments reduce that parent’s support obligation dollar for dollar.³ The same reduction applies to VA Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance. These credits can also apply retroactively against accumulated past-due support, though the credit can’t exceed the arrears owed.⁸ A disabled or retired parent whose child already draws benefits on their record may already be satisfying some or all of the obligation without a separate payment.

Supporting other children also changes the number. A parent paying support under an existing order for other children gets that amount deducted from gross income before the new calculation runs. A parent living with a nonjoint child but without a formal order for that child may receive a credit reflecting the cost of raising them. The court verifies these obligations with proof of residence or copies of existing orders, and the adjustment happens early, before adjusted income reaches the support scale.

When a Court Can Deviate from the Formula

The guideline amount is presumed correct, but a court can depart from it when the standard calculation would be unjust. Under ORS 25.280, either parent can raise factors including other available financial resources, a parent’s reasonable necessities, other dependents, medical circumstances affecting ability to pay, specific educational, physical, or emotional needs of the child, tax consequences from spousal support and dependency deductions, and the financial advantage of living with a spouse or partner who shares household expenses.¹

Deviation isn’t common. It matters most in cases with high-income parents, children with extraordinary needs, or situations where one parent has significant assets but low reportable income. Any departure from the guideline amount has to be explained in writing.¹

Estimating Your Own Number

The Oregon Department of Justice runs an online calculator that applies the guideline formula to numbers you enter: income, number of children, parenting time, and other inputs. It’s useful for planning, but the output is an estimate. The actual order can differ, especially if deviation factors apply or if one parent disputes the income used.⁹

How Long Support Lasts

Support generally continues until the child turns 18. It can extend to age 21 under ORS 107.108 if the child qualifies as a “child attending school,” meaning they’re between 18 and 21 and enrolled. The extension isn’t automatic. The child must give written notice of their intent to attend or continue attending school; without it, the obligation suspends at 18.¹⁰

Changing an Existing Order

Orders aren’t permanent. Federal law requires the state to notify both parents at least every three years of their right to request a review and possible adjustment.¹¹ You can request an administrative review through the Oregon Child Support Program or file a motion in circuit court.

Outside the regular review cycle, either parent can seek a modification by showing a substantial change in circumstances. Qualifying changes typically include a significant and lasting job loss, a major income increase for either parent, a large shift in parenting time, or a serious change in the child’s medical or educational needs. A short income dip during a transition between comparable jobs usually won’t clear the bar. If both parents agree on new terms, they can submit a stipulated modification and skip a contested hearing. Any modified order takes effect from the date the motion or request was filed, not back to when circumstances actually changed.

Enforcement When a Parent Doesn’t Pay

Income withholding is the primary enforcement tool. The Oregon Child Support Program sends withholding orders directly to employers, and most Oregon support payments move through that channel. A parent who owes support has 30 days from the first withholding to challenge it, and the only valid challenge is a mistake of fact about the amount, the arrears, or the person’s identity.¹²

When wages aren’t enough, the state can reach bank accounts, inheritances, and insurance settlements to collect past-due amounts. Willful nonpayment can trigger contempt of court, with remedial sanctions including fines of up to $500 or 1% of gross annual income per day the contempt continues, confinement for up to six months, and attorney fees. Punitive sanctions can add forfeiture of profits gained through the contempt and community service.¹²

1
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 25.280 – Formula Amount Presumed Correct
2
OregonLaws. Oregon Administrative Code 137-050-0725 – Basic Support Obligation
3
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 25.275 – Formula for Determining Child Support Awards
4
OregonLaws. Oregon Administrative Code 137-050-0715 – Income
5
Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 137-050-0720 – Adjusted Income
6
Legal Information Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 137-050-0730 – Parenting Time Credit
7
OregonLaws. Oregon Administrative Code 137-050-0750 – Medical Support
8
OregonLaws. Oregon Administrative Code 137-055-5520 – Request for Credit Against Child Support
9
Oregon Department of Justice. Child Support Calculator Information
10
OregonLaws. Oregon Revised Statutes 107.108 – Support or Maintenance for Child Attending School
11
eCFR. 45 CFR 303.8 – Review and Adjustment of Child Support Orders
12
Oregon Department of Justice. Child Support Bench Book