Arkansas Child Support Calculator

Arkansas uses the Income Shares model. Arkansas has used the Income Shares model since Administrative Order No. 10 was revised effective July 1, 2020 (mandatory for all orders after October 6, 2022), combining both parents' gross incomes on the Family Support Chart and dividing the result by each parent's income share.

Arkansas's guideline runs on gross. That distinction matters: entering gross income into a formula built on net income (or the reverse) produces a materially wrong figure. Most states count income from essentially any regular source -- wages, self-employment, bonuses, commissions, rental and investment income, and many benefits -- not just salary.

Not necessarily. Arkansas's guideline weighs each parent's share of combined income alongside the parenting-time arrangement, so a significantly higher earner can still owe support even at an even split of time.

Yes. The figure produced by Arkansas's Income Shares guideline is presumptive, not mandatory: a court can order a different amount when applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate for the specific case, and generally must state its reason on the record. Common grounds include extraordinary medical or educational expenses, a child's special needs, or costs the formula does not capture.

You have to file for a modification -- a change in your circumstances does not change what you owe on its own. Arkansas, like most states, requires a substantial change in circumstances: a significant involuntary income change, a change in the parenting schedule, or a material change in the child's needs. Until a court or the state child support agency issues a new order, the existing amount stays fully enforceable and arrears keep accruing, and a modification is generally not applied retroactively before the date you filed -- so filing promptly matters.