The Pennsylvania child support guidelines use an Income Shares Model: the court combines both parents’ monthly net income, looks up the corresponding basic support amount on a statewide schedule tied to the number of children, and then splits that obligation between the parents in proportion to what each one earns. Every county applies the same rules, so the math works identically in Philadelphia, Erie, or anywhere in between. The 2026 version of the schedule raised basic support obligations at most income levels by roughly 3% to 10%.
How Monthly Net Income Is Calculated
Every calculation starts with monthly net income. Under Rule 1910.16-2, the court looks at gross income from all sources: wages, bonuses, commissions, interest, rental income, Social Security benefits, and net income from a business or self-employment.1Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-2 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Monthly Net Income Gross income is ordinarily based on at least a six-month average, so overtime spikes and slow stretches get smoothed out.
Only a short list of deductions comes off gross income to reach net:
- Federal, state, and local income taxes. Pennsylvania’s flat state rate is 3.07%.2Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Personal Income Tax
- FICA payments, meaning Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes.
- Non-voluntary retirement contributions. Voluntary 401(k) contributions do not count.
- Mandatory union dues.
- Alimony paid to the other party.
That’s the full list. Voluntary retirement contributions, charitable giving, and loan repayments do not reduce your income for support purposes.3Legal Information Institute. 231 Pa. Code r. 1910.16-2 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Monthly Net Income Both parents submit pay stubs, tax returns, and other financial records so the conference officer can verify the numbers. Self-employed parents report net business income, and personal expenses run through the business get added back in.
When the Court Uses Earning Capacity Instead
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court does not simply accept a low or zero paycheck. Under Rule 1910.16-2(d)(4), the court will impute an earning capacity, meaning it assigns an income figure based on what the parent could reasonably earn, and calculates support from that higher number.4Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-2 – Support Guidelines. Calculation of Monthly Net Income
The court weighs employment and earnings history, job skills, education, age, health, criminal record, local job market conditions, prevailing wages in the community, and whether the parent has actually been looking for work. Imputed income cannot exceed what a parent could earn from one full-time position, and the court has to account for child care costs the parent would incur if employed. Legitimate reasons for reduced income, such as a documented disability, caring for a young child, or an involuntary layoff with an active job search, can defeat imputation.
Combining Incomes and Applying the Schedule
Once each parent’s monthly net income is set, the court adds them together. That combined figure is matched against the Basic Child Support Schedule under Rule 1910.16-3, which lists a specific dollar amount for each income level and number of children.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-3 – Support Guidelines. Basic Child Support Schedule The schedule is built on research about what intact families at each income level actually spend on their children.6Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1910.16-1 – Amount of Support. Support Guidelines
The total obligation from the schedule is then split proportionally. If one parent earns 65% of the combined income, that parent is responsible for 65% of the total. The parent who has the child less often (the obligor) pays their share to the other parent. The parent with primary custody is assumed to spend their share directly on the child. A parent earning significantly less will never carry the majority of the support burden.
The standard schedule covers combined monthly net incomes up to $30,000. Above that, the court uses adjusted base figures and multipliers rather than looking up a number on the grid, and the amounts tend to be higher under the 2026 guidelines than they were previously.
Adjustments That Change the Number
Shared Custody
If the obligor has the child for 40% or more of the year’s overnights, a rebuttable presumption applies that the obligor gets a reduction in the basic obligation.7Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-4 – Support Guidelines. Support Obligor’s Share of Basic Support Adjusted for Custodial Time The reduction is calculated through a formula tied to the exact percentage of overnights, not a flat discount.
At exactly 50/50 custody, extra protections apply. The lower-earning parent cannot be ordered to pay basic child support to the higher earner. If the formula would leave the lower-earning parent with more than half the combined income, the court adjusts so income is split equally between the two households. The lower-earning parent can still be required to contribute to add-on expenses, but basic support flows only from the higher earner.
Health Insurance, Child Care, and Unreimbursed Medical
After the basic obligation is set, the court allocates additional expenses between the parents in the same income shares. Under Rule 1910.16-6, those include the child’s health insurance premiums and reasonable child care costs necessary for either parent to work or attend school.8Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-6 – Support Guidelines. Basic Support Obligation Adjustments. Additional Expenses Allocation
Unreimbursed medical expenses above $250 per child per year are also split proportionally. The first $250 is already built into the basic schedule, so only the excess is added on.9Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1910.16-6 – Explanatory Comment Under the 2026 guidelines, the definition of unreimbursed medical expenses automatically includes reasonable costs for therapy, counseling, and orthodontia, which previously required separate agreements in many cases.
Deviating From the Guideline Amount
The guideline number is a rebuttable presumption, not an absolute figure. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 4322, either parent can argue that the calculated amount is unjust or inappropriate given the specific facts.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 23 Chapter 43 – Support Matters Generally Before the court will deviate, it has to make a written finding explaining why the guideline doesn’t fit. Rule 1910.16-5 lists the factors a judge weighs:
- Unusual needs or fixed obligations, like a chronic medical condition or extraordinary debt.
- Other support obligations for children from a different relationship.
- Other income in the parent’s household, such as a new spouse’s earnings.
- The child’s age.
- Relative assets and liabilities of the parents.
- Uncovered medical expenses and the family’s prior standard of living.
The court can also consider any other relevant factor bearing on the child’s best interest.11Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.16-5 – Support Guidelines. Deviation In practice, deviations are uncommon, because the guidelines are designed to cover most situations.
What the Guidelines Do Not Cover
Private school tuition is not built into the basic support obligation and is not automatically ordered. Courts decide case by case, weighing whether the child was already enrolled during the relationship, each parent’s ability to pay, and the family’s prior standard of living. A request to enroll a child in private school for the first time after separation is harder to win than maintaining an existing enrollment.
Pennsylvania does not require parents to pay for college. The duty of support generally ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes last.12Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 23 Chapter 43 – 4321 Liability for Support Parents can voluntarily agree to share college costs, and putting that agreement in writing is strongly advisable, but no court will order it absent an agreement.
Filing, Appealing, and Modifying an Order
To open a case, file a complaint at your county’s Domestic Relations Office. The office prepares the paperwork and schedules a conference, typically within a few weeks. Both parents bring financial documents, and the conference officer applies the guidelines to produce a recommended amount. If the parties agree, that number becomes the order. Once entered, the order is enforced through mandatory income withholding: the obligor’s employer deducts the payment directly from wages.13Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 23 Chapter 43 – 4348 Attachment of Income
If you disagree with the recommended order, you have 20 days from the date of the order to file a written demand for a de novo hearing.14Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1910.11 – Office Conference. Subsequent Proceedings. Order “De novo” means the hearing starts fresh, under oath, on a formal record. Documents submitted at the conference have to be presented again. Miss the 20-day window and the recommended order becomes final. This is the moment to raise a miscalculated income figure, a shared-custody adjustment, or a deviation factor with the supporting evidence.
Either parent can later petition to modify the order when circumstances change materially: a significant change in income, a change in custody, or a job loss. Under Rule 1910.17, the modified order takes effect from the date the modification petition is filed, not the date circumstances actually changed.15Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1910.17 That rule has teeth. If you lose your job in January but don’t file until April, you still owe the full original amount for January through March, and the court will not retroactively credit you. Narrow exceptions exist when a parent was physically or mentally unable to file, or was actively misled by the other party.
Enforcement and When Support Ends
Penalties for non-payment escalate quickly. If an obligor falls behind by three or more months and wage garnishment has not worked, the court or Domestic Relations Office can order suspension of the obligor’s driver’s license, professional licenses, and even hunting or fishing licenses. For willful non-payment, the court can hold an obligor in civil contempt under 23 Pa.C.S. § 4345, with penalties of up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, and probation for up to one year.16Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 23 Chapter 43 – 4345 Contempt for Noncompliance With Support Order “Willful” is the operative word. A parent who genuinely cannot pay due to disability or job loss has a defense; a parent who is choosing not to pay does not.
Support in Pennsylvania generally ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever happens later.12Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 23 Chapter 43 – 4321 Liability for Support It can end earlier through emancipation, meaning marriage, military enlistment, or a court finding that the child is self-supporting. Arrears do not vanish when support ends. A $5,000 balance on the child’s 18th birthday is still $5,000, and enforcement continues until it’s paid.