Child Support in Pennsylvania: The 2026 Guidelines, Shared Custody and How to Apply

Pennsylvania sets child support with a statewide formula in the Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 1910.16-1 through 1910.16-7. The guidelines were revised effective January 1, 2026, by a Supreme Court order of August 11, 2025, with a new support schedule and a higher self-support reserve. If you are reading figures from an older article, check them against the current rules.

The amount the guidelines produce is presumed to be correct. A court can depart from it only with a written finding, or a statement on the record, that the guideline amount is unjust or inappropriate (Rule 1910.16-1(d)).

You don't need a divorce to get child support

Child support is its own case. You file a support complaint with your county's domestic relations section, not as part of the divorce complaint (Rule 1920.31(a)(2)). Parents who were never married use the same process. You can start online through the state's child support program; the request goes to your county's domestic relations section, which schedules a conference. As the state's application page puts it: "Submitting an online request does not constitute a filing with your county court."

Unlike alimony, a child support claim isn't lost if it wasn't raised before the divorce decree. Rule 1920.31(c) provides that failing to claim child support before the decree "shall not bar a separate and subsequent action."

How the formula works

Pennsylvania uses an income shares model: the schedule estimates what parents in an intact household would spend on their children at the parents' combined income, and each parent pays a share in proportion to his or her income.

1. Find each parent's monthly net income. Gross income is ordinarily based on at least a six-month average, minus the deductions Rule 1910.16-2 allows (taxes, mandatory retirement contributions, union dues and a few others). A parent who is underemployed on purpose can be assigned an earning capacity instead of actual income. Since January 1, 2026, the rule lists incarceration among the involuntary reasons for a drop in income.
2. Subtract any spousal support or APL that the same parent pays to the other parent in this case, and add it to the receiving parent's income. (See alimony and spousal support.)
3. Add the two incomes and look up the basic child support amount for that combined income and the number of children in the schedule in Rule 1910.16-3.
4. Split it by income. The paying parent owes his or her percentage of the combined income times the schedule amount.
5. Adjust for shared custody, and add shares of child care, health insurance and other expenses.

For an estimate, use the state's official calculator, the Pennsylvania Child Support Program support estimator. It covers child support only. For spousal support or APL, use the calculator on our alimony page.

The key numbers in 2026

Low incomes

The self-support reserve of $1,255 a month is "the minimum monthly net income reserved to the obligor to meet the obligor’s basic needs." When the payer's income falls in the low-income area of the schedule, the court figures support two ways and uses the lower amount. If the payer's net income is at or below the reserve, the court may award support only after looking at both parents' actual resources and living expenses (Rule 1910.16-2(e)(1)(ii)).

High incomes: over $30,000 a month

The schedule stops at $30,000 of combined monthly net income, but support doesn't. Above that, Rule 1910.16-3.1 gives a starting amount for the children:

The court then applies any shared-custody adjustment and may adjust for the children's reasonable needs, with findings explaining why. The amount can't fall below the figure for $30,000 of income.

Shared custody

Rule 1910.16-4(c)(1):

(1) Substantial Physical Custody. If a child spends 40% or more of the annual overnights with the obligor, a rebuttable presumption arises that the obligor is entitled to a reduction in the basic child support obligation to reflect the obligor’s increased direct spending on the child during the obligor’s custodial time.

The adjustment works like this: take the paying parent's percentage of overnights, subtract 30 percentage points, and subtract the result from that parent's share of combined income. A parent with 45% of the overnights and 60% of the income would pay 60 − (45 − 30) = 45% of the schedule amount.

Equal time doesn't automatically mean no support. With equal overnights, the parent with less income won't be ordered to pay basic child support to the parent with more, but the parent with more income can still owe support, and both can be ordered to share additional expenses (Rule 1910.16-4(c)(2)).

Additional expenses

These are added to basic support and divided in proportion to income (Rule 1910.16-6):

• Child care needed so a parent can work or pursue education toward earning income, reduced by the federal child care tax credit.
• Health insurance premiums for the children, generally capped for the payer at 5% of monthly net income, with an overall limit so basic support plus additional expenses doesn't exceed 50% of the payer's net income.
• Unreimbursed medical expenses above $250 per person per year, including orthodontia and psychological care. Documentation is due by March 31 of the following year.
• Private school, summer camp and activities, if the court finds them reasonable.
• Mortgage on the marital home. If the parent receiving support lives in the marital home and the mortgage payment exceeds 25% of that parent's monthly net income, the court may require the payer to assume up to 50% of the excess. This adjustment ends once property and other economic claims in the divorce are resolved.

When child support ends

Under Rule 1910.19(e), the domestic relations section sends an emancipation inquiry about six months before a child turns 18. Support generally ends when the child reaches 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is last to occur, unless the parents agreed to more or the child has special needs.

The law allows support past 18 in some cases: "Parents may be liable for the support of their children who are 18 years of age or older" (23 Pa.C.S. § 4321(3)). That usually means an adult child who can't support himself or herself because of a disability.

College. A 1993 statute, 23 Pa.C.S. § 4327, still appears in the code and describes court-ordered college costs, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held it unconstitutional in 1995. Pennsylvania courts generally can't order a parent to pay for college unless the parent agreed to in a written agreement, which a court can then enforce. If college matters to you, put it in the settlement agreement.

Changing a support order

Either parent can ask to modify an order after a material and substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss or a change in custody. New guidelines can themselves count: "A new guideline amount resulting from new or revised support guidelines may constitute a material and substantial change in circumstances" (Rule 1910.19(a)). A parent whose order predates January 1, 2026 can ask the court to recalculate under the current schedule.

Taxes

Child support is not taxable to the parent who receives it and not deductible by the parent who pays it, under both federal and Pennsylvania law.

Frequently asked questions

How is child support calculated in Pennsylvania?

The parents' monthly net incomes are combined, the schedule in Rule 1910.16-3 gives a basic support amount for that income and the number of children, and the paying parent owes his or her income share of that amount. The court then adjusts for shared custody and adds child care, health insurance and other expenses.

What changed in Pennsylvania child support in 2026?

A Supreme Court order of August 11, 2025, effective January 1, 2026, adopted a new support schedule, raised the self-support reserve to $1,255 a month, and added incarceration to the involuntary reasons a parent's income can drop, among other changes.

Do I pay child support with 50/50 custody in Pennsylvania?

You can. With equal overnights, the parent with less income won't pay basic support to the parent with more, but the higher-income parent usually still pays, at a reduced amount, and both share additional expenses.

Is there a maximum child support in Pennsylvania?

No. The schedule ends at $30,000 of combined monthly net income, but above that the rules add a percentage of the extra income, and the court can adjust for the children's reasonable needs.

At what age does child support stop in Pennsylvania?

Generally at 18 or high school graduation, whichever comes later. It can continue for a child with special needs, or longer if the parents agreed.

Do Pennsylvania parents have to pay for college?

Not unless they agreed to. The college support statute was held unconstitutional, so a court generally can't order it on its own. A written agreement to pay college costs can be enforced.

Where do I file for child support in Pennsylvania?

With the domestic relations section of your county's court of common pleas. You can begin online through the Pennsylvania Child Support Program, and you don't need to be divorcing or married.

Where these sections live

• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-1 — Support guidelines overview
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-2 — Income, earning capacity, self-support reserve
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-3 — Basic child support schedule
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-3.1 — High-income cases
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-4 — Formula and shared custody
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.16-6 — Additional expenses
• Pa.R.C.P. 1910.19 — Modification and termination
• 23 Pa.C.S. § 4321 — Liability for support
• Apply for child support (Pennsylvania DHS)