Rule 504.Standard of Living Adjustment (SOLA)

Ch. XVII: Delaware Child Support Formula · Last amended 2023 · Current through June 1, 2026 · Last verified September 9, 2026

In one sentenceRule 504 adds the Standard of Living Adjustment — 12% of what is left for one child, 17% for two, 21% for three and 2% for each additional — with a discount on very high incomes.

Full Text of Rule 504

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) After satisfying the parents' own and the children's primary needs, the Standard of Living Adjustment (SOLA) allows each child to share in each parent's economic well-being to simulate what the child would have enjoyed if the parents lived as a single family unit. SOLA is determined by subtracting each parent's Primary Support Obligation from his or her respective Net Available Income and multiplying the result by a designated percentage based upon the number of children of the union:

1 child 12% 2 children 17% 3 children 21% Each additional child 2%

(b) If either or both parents' Net Available Income for the SOLA exceeds ten times (10X) the Self-Support Allowance, then each parent's Net Available Income for the SOLA will be reduced by 30% of their combined excess.

End

Amendment History

Delaware prints each rule’s amendment history as a single “Credits” line naming every order that adopted or amended it. It is reproduced verbatim below.

[Adopted effective August 28, 2008. Amended effective January 1, 2011; April 20, 2015; February 1, 2019; February 1, 2023.]

Plain-English Summary

After the parents' own needs and the children's primary needs are met, the Standard of Living Adjustment lets each child share in each parent's economic well-being, simulating what the child would have enjoyed had the parents lived as one family unit.

The calculation. Subtract each parent's primary support obligation from their net available income, and multiply what remains by a percentage set by the number of children of the union: 12% for 1 child, 17% for 2, 21% for 3, and 2% for each additional child.

Notice how the increments shrink. Each additional child adds less, because discretionary household spending does not scale one-for-one with family size.

High incomes. Where either parent's net available income for this purpose exceeds ten times the self support allowance, each parent's income for the adjustment is reduced by 30% of their combined excess.

That taper answers a real problem. Above a certain point, a straight percentage of a very large income produces a figure that has stopped being about a child's needs and started being about transferring wealth between adults. The rule keeps the sharing principle and blunts it at the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Standard of Living Adjustment in Delaware child support?

An amount added after primary needs are met, allowing each child to share in each parent's economic well-being. It is each parent's net available income minus their primary support obligation, multiplied by a percentage based on the number of children.

What are the SOLA percentages?

12% for 1 child, 17% for 2 children, 21% for 3 children, and 2% for each additional child.

Is there a cap for high earners?

Where either or both parents' net available income for SOLA exceeds ten times the self support allowance, each parent's income for SOLA is reduced by 30% of their combined excess.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Delaware Family Court Rules of Civil Procedure (Fam. Ct. Civ. R. 504), and every rule has been checked word for word against the Delaware Family Court’s own published edition of these rules. Current through June 1, 2026. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: SOLA Delaware child supportstandard of living adjustment DelawareFam. Ct. Civ. R. 504