Child Support in Ohio: The Income Shares Schedule, Parenting Time Credit and When Support Ends
Ohio family law · Last reviewed October 22, 2026
Ohio uses an income shares model. The court adds the parents' incomes, looks up the basic support obligation for that combined income and number of children on the state's schedule, divides it between the parents in proportion to their incomes, and then adjusts for parenting time, child care, health insurance and other items on a worksheet. The law is R.C. Chapter 3119; the schedule, worksheets and manual are issued by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Estimate it with the official calculator
The state's Ohio Child Support Calculator runs the official worksheet. It gives an estimate, not an order, and it has one stated limit: "This calculator cannot be used to calculate a support obligation for circumstances where the parties have a combined annual gross income above $336,000."
The schedule
The basic child support schedule in force is JFS 07767, revised June 2023. It runs in $600 steps of combined annual income from $8,400 to $336,000, for one to six children. Its first and last rows:
| Combined annual income | 1 child | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $8,400 | $960 | $960 | $960 | $960 | $960 | $960 |
| $336,000 | $25,697 | $37,955 | $44,364 | $49,556 | $54,511 | $59,254 |
Figures are annual, before the worksheet's adjustments. (The statute itself still describes the table as running to $300,000; the higher top row comes from the department's required four-year update for inflation, R.C. 3119.021(C).)
Above $336,000, the court sets support "on a case-by-case basis and shall consider the needs and the standard of living of the children who are the subject of the child support order and of the parents," and generally not below the amount at the top of the schedule (R.C. 3119.04).
At low incomes, the calculation protects a self-sufficiency reserve, 116 percent of the federal poverty level for one person, so a low-income parent's obligation is the lower of two computations (R.C. 3119.021, 3119.05).
Minimum order: $80 a month
Ordinarily the court must order "a minimum of eighty dollars a month for all the children subject to that order" (R.C. 3119.06(A)). That's per order, not per child. The court may order less, or nothing, in appropriate circumstances, such as a parent's medically verified disability or institutionalization. If the paying parent receives means-tested public assistance, such as Ohio Works First or SSI, the current obligation is suspended while arrears accrue.
Income
The worksheet starts from each parent's gross income. A few rules matter often:
- Overtime, commissions and bonuses count as the lesser of their yearly average over the last three years or last year's total (R.C. 3119.05(D)).
- A new spouse's income isn't counted (R.C. 3119.05(E)).
- Spousal support. Court-ordered spousal support actually paid is deducted from the payer's income (R.C. 3119.05(B)), and spousal support actually received counts as the recipient's gross income (R.C. 3119.01).
- Marital misconduct is irrelevant: a court orders support "without regard to marital misconduct" (R.C. 3109.05(A)(1)).
Parenting time: the 90-overnight credit
When the parenting time order gives a parent 90 or more overnights a year, the court "shall reduce by ten per cent the amount of the annual individual support obligation" for that parent (R.C. 3119.051(A)). The credit can be taken away if the parent, without just cause, doesn't use the time.
Above 90 overnights the court must also consider a further deviation, and at 147 or more overnights, if it refuses one, "it shall specify in the order the facts that are the basis for the court's decision" (R.C. 3119.231).
Shared parenting doesn't erase support. A shared parenting order still uses the schedule and worksheet; the court may deviate if the result would be unjust because of the parents' "extraordinary circumstances," such as each parent's housing and expenses (R.C. 3119.24). Equal time doesn't automatically mean no support.
Child care
Work-related child care costs are added to the obligation, verified and reduced by any subsidies and tax credits, and capped by the state's annual maximums (R.C. 3119.05(P)). The current caps, from the department's April 2026 guideline manual (Table 2):
| Child's age | Annual maximum |
|---|---|
| Infant, newborn to 17 months | $16,116 |
| Toddler, 18 to 35 months | $14,254 |
| Preschool, 3 to 5 years | $12,801 |
| School age, 6 to 12 years | $8,780 |
The manual applies a 12-year-old age limit, which can be rebutted for a child with a disability. (The Administrative Code rule that adopts these tables refers to them as "table four" in one division and table two in another; the manual's table is Table 2.)
Health insurance and medical costs
- Coverage. The parent receiving support is presumed to be the right one to provide the children's health insurance, unless that's rebutted (R.C. 3119.30(B)). Coverage is affordable at a "reasonable cost," no more than five percent of that parent's annual income (R.C. 3119.29(F)).
- Cash medical support. Every order also includes cash medical support for ordinary uninsured costs: $510.21 a year per child under the April 2026 manual (Table 3), shared by income.
- Extraordinary expenses, such as orthodontia, dental, optical and psychological services, go in a separate medical support order (R.C. 3119.05(F)).
Deviations
The court may depart from the worksheet amount if it would be unjust or inappropriate and not in the child's best interest, and must state the worksheet figure and its findings (R.C. 3119.22). The factors in R.C. 3119.23 include special needs, extended parenting time, and in-kind contributions such as payments "for lessons, sports equipment, schooling, or clothing." Ohio has no automatic surcharge for activities or private school; they're handled by agreement or deviation.
When support ends
Support ordinarily ends at 18. Under R.C. 3119.86 it continues past 18 only:
- for a child with a disability who can't support himself or herself, under an order made for that purpose;
- if the parents agreed to it in a separation agreement incorporated into the decree; or
- while "The child continuously attends a recognized and accredited high school on a full-time basis on and after the child's eighteenth birthday."
Even then, an order doesn't run past 19 unless it's for a child with a disability or by agreement (R.C. 3119.861). Support is paid year-round, "including during seasonal vacation periods" (R.C. 3119.863).
Adult children with disabilities. Since March 20, 2025, a court in a divorce, dissolution, legal separation or annulment may order support for a child with a disability "regardless of whether the child has reached the age of majority" (R.C. 3109.20(B)), so a parent no longer has to have secured the order before the child turned 18.
College. Ohio law doesn't require parents to pay for college. An agreement to do so in a separation agreement is enforceable: "A separation agreement providing for the support of children eighteen years of age or older is enforceable by the court of common pleas" (R.C. 3105.10(B)(1)).
Changing support
Either parent can ask for a recalculation. If the new amount would be more than 10 percent higher or lower than the current order, that difference counts as a substantial change of circumstances requiring modification (R.C. 3119.79(A)). Health insurance that doesn't meet the child's medical needs is also a qualifying change (R.C. 3119.79(B)).
Who runs the system
The ODJFS Office of Child Support supervises, and each county's child support enforcement agency (CSEA) establishes, collects and enforces orders. The schedule is reviewed at least every four years (R.C. 3119.023) and updated for inflation every four years (R.C. 3119.021(C)); the current schedule dates from June 2023, so the next cycle falls in
- When a new schedule takes effect, this page's figures will change.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Ohio?
By the income shares model: the parents' combined income and number of children give a basic obligation on the state schedule, which is split by each parent's share of income and adjusted for parenting time, child care and health insurance. The official calculator runs the worksheet.
What is the minimum child support in Ohio?
$80 a month for all the children under the order, though a court may order less, or nothing, in appropriate circumstances such as a verified disability.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Ohio?
No. Shared parenting still uses the schedule and worksheet. A parent with 90 or more overnights gets a 10 percent reduction, and the court may deviate further, but equal time doesn't eliminate support automatically.
When does child support end in Ohio?
At 18, or later while the child attends high school full time, but not past 19, unless the child has a disability or the parents agreed to support beyond 18.
Does a new spouse's income count for Ohio child support?
No. The court doesn't include income earned by a parent's spouse.
How much does income have to change to modify child support in Ohio?
Enough that a recalculated amount differs from the current order by more than 10 percent, which the law treats as a substantial change of circumstances.