Ohio Child Support Calculator

At $6,000 per month in combined monthly gross income, Ohio's guidelines produce roughly $227/month for 1 child, $339/month for 2 children, $372/month for 3 children, $372/month for 4 children. These figures come from running Ohio's own guideline formula, but they hold several things constant -- assumes the higher earner has 65% of the combined income shown, no prior support obligations or add-ons, and the calculator's default overnight split (260/105). Your actual number depends on both parents' incomes, your parenting-time schedule, and add-on costs like childcare and health insurance, so run the calculator for your own case.

Ohio uses the Income Shares model. Ohio computes the basic obligation with the § 3119.021(B)(1) piecewise percentage formula over combined gross income, floored by a self-sufficiency reserve. A parent's own share is then independently reduced 10% if that parent has 90 or more court-ordered overnights per year.

Ohio's guideline runs on gross income (both parents). 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. In Ohio: 10% off a parent's own obligation at 90+ overnights per year, independent per parent (§ 3119.051). Because the guideline also weighs each parent's share of income, a significantly higher earner can still owe support at an even time split.

This calculator's core formula has been verified against the primary source, with any unimplemented rules listed openly rather than hidden. It implements the guideline in effect as of 2019-03-28, and a human last checked it against the primary source on 2026-08-12. Sources: Ohio Rev. Code § 3119.021 (basic child support schedule); Ohio Rev. Code § 3119.051 (parenting time reduction); Ohio Rev. Code § 3119.06 (minimum support order). It is still an estimate, not a court order -- a judge can order a different amount, and this is not legal advice.

The Ohio guideline this calculator implements took legal effect on 2019-03-28. States revise their guidelines periodically -- federal rules require each state to review its guidelines at least once every four years -- so a figure from an older calculator or article may reflect a superseded rule.

Pending verification: §3119.021(C) requires the guideline-income breakpoints and the self-sufficiency reserve (116% of the federal poverty level) to be updated every 4 years for CPI-U/FPL changes. This calculator uses the 2016/2019 baseline figures as published in the statute text; the actual current administrative-rule table (OAC 5101:12-1-17 / JFS 07767) may reflect the 2023 quadrennial update and differ. The self-sufficiency-reserve dollar figure ($16,912) used above the $8,400 minimum threshold is a secondary-source estimate, not confirmed against a primary HHS/ODJFS publication. Does not reproduce the full JFS 07767 worksheet (e.g. cash medical support under §3119.024 is not itemized separately). If any of these apply to your case, treat the estimate as a starting point and confirm the figure with an attorney, a mediator, or Ohio's official worksheet.

Yes. The figure produced by Ohio'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. Ohio's guideline is set out in Ohio Rev. Code § 3119.021 (basic child support schedule).

You have to file for a modification -- a change in your circumstances does not change what you owe on its own. Ohio, 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.