Simple Child Support Calculator
For a simple and easy calculation of child support in Delaware, we recommend using the Delaware Courts calculator.
The Delaware Courts calculator is quite simple and easy to use. You can also expect it to be accurate and kept up to date in 2024.
For the state of Delaware, we advise against using a different calculator as the results may be innacurate or misleading.
Overnights Calculator for Delaware
According to Delaware child support guidelines, payment amounts depend on how many overnight stays a child has with each parent annually.
Use this overnights calculator to work out how many nights of care you provide.
Calculate annual overnight stays
Regular nights
Vacation nights each year*
183 overnight stays per year.
50.0% of parenting time.
* Vacation nights are all nights when the regular schedule does not apply.
How Child Support is Calculated in Delaware
Child support payments in Delaware are calculated using the income shares category method. Payments depend on the combined incomes of the parents as well as the number of children. A larger combined income or more children usually means greater payments.
The amount paid or received by an individual parent also depends on their income percentage. The higher your percentage of combined parent income, the more you pay or less you receive.
Payments are also affected by which parenting time category applies. Payments may be lower because of a "shared" (fairly equal) care arrangement.
Delawareans paying the most child support have high incomes and limited parenting time. Conversely, the biggest receivers are parents who (a) work little (b) have their kids most of the time and (c) have a high earner as the other parent.
The amount you calculate may not be the same as the amount the Family Court will order. The payment order could be much higher or lower. The Family Court decides what income figures should enter the calculation based on the facts presented at a hearing.
Delaware courts grant child support based on a specific formula that factors each parent’s monthly income, the custody arrangement, the cost of child care, the cost of medical insurance, the child’s schooling costs and other details.
Shauna Hagan
Delawarean child support guidelines apply to the whole state, including the cities of Wilmington, Dover and Newark. Variations in support payments may be made by the agreement of parents or at the discretion of a judge presiding over your case.
Payment Calculators by State