Simple Child Support Calculator
For a simple and easy calculation of child support in Ohio, we recommend using the Online Child Support Obligation/Payment Calculator.
The Online Child Support Obligation/Payment 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 Ohio, we advise against using a different calculator as the results may be innacurate or misleading.
Overnights Calculator for Ohio
According to Ohio 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 Ohio
Child support payments in Ohio 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.
Ohioans 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.
Child support is calculated based on the combined gross annual income of the parents and how much time each spends with the children. Determining the income level and any appropriate adjustments is where we enter gray areas. Some of the line items that can make the calculation tricky are overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment, interest and dividends. Other complicating factors are spousal support, health insurance, work-related expenses and childcare expenses.
In Ohio, child support is calculated by a formula that has been codified into state law. That formula takes the parents gross income and combines them. ... This adjusted gross income is then applied to a chart that calculates the amount of child support required to equalize the costs of raising a child.
Parks and Meade
Ohioan child support guidelines apply to the whole state, including the cities of Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron and Dayton. 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