Calculate monthly obligations, health insurance proration, and custody offsets with statutory precision. Based on official 2026 income shares guidelines.
Standard 2026 self-support reserve
Applied in 41 US jurisdictions
Aligned with federal poverty guidelines
Macro-Economic Family Audit • Living Standards
| Epoch Cycle | Avg. Annual Cost | Tech/Edu Tier | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2021 | $12,350 – $13,900 | Basic Infrastructure | Verified |
| 2022-2024 | $14,100 – $16,200 | Digital Standard | Verified |
| 2025 Actuarial | $16,500 – $17,800 | Enhanced Support | Audited |
| 2026 Projection | $17,200 – $18,900 | 2026 Standard | Current |
Cross-State Compliance Matrix • Model Variations
| Statutory Model | States Applied | Income Focus | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Shares | 41 States | Combined Gross | Institutional |
| Percentage of Income | 6 States | Payor Net/Gross | Simplified |
| Melson Formula | 3 States | Needs-Based | Advanced |
| Hybrid/Other | Varies | Discretionary | Custom |
Actuarial Computation Engine • Family Protocol
| Audit Layer | Calculation Logic | Data Source | Precision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Proration | ParentIncome / CombinedSum | Statutory Law | Financial |
| Custody Offset | (1 - TimeSharing%) Multiplier | Judicial Order | Actuarial |
| Reserve Audit | Max(MinOrder, Income - Reserve) | HHS-2026 | Binary |
Child support is the financial framework designed to ensure that children maintain the standard of living they would have enjoyed in an intact household. In the 2026 economic environment, this requires precision auditing of combined parent incomes and inflationary cost-of-living adjustments.
Applied in over 40 states, the **Income Shares Model** is the most sophisticated method for calculating support. It determines the total support obligation by combining both parents' gross monthly incomes and applying state-specific cost tables (based on USDA data). Each parent's share is then determined by their proportional contribution to that combined total.
If Parent A earns $6,000 and Parent B earns $4,000, the total income is $10k. If the total child cost is $2,000, Parent A is responsible for 60% ($1,200) and Parent B for 40% ($800).
A critical layer of the 2026 audit is the **Self-Support Reserve**. Federal and state laws ensure that the paying parent is not pushed below the poverty line by their obligation. In 2026, the reserve baseline is approximately **$21,550 annually**. If a parent's income after support falls below this threshold, the obligation is capped at a statutory minimum (often $50-$100 per month).
Most modern 2026 guidelines include an **Automatic Parenting Time Offset**. This recognizes that as a non-custodial parent increases their visitation (e.g., reaching 128 overnights per year), their direct child-rearing expenses increase significantly. The support engine adjusts the monthly transfer to account for these "shared-parenting" costs.
Essential intelligence for 2026 family law compliance
Execute your 2026 child support conversion with statutory accuracy.
Access Support Engine