Child Support in Virginia: The Income Shares Guideline and the 2025 Schedule
Virginia family law · Last reviewed October 27, 2026
Virginia sets child support with an income shares guideline in Va. Code § 20-108.2. The court combines both parents' gross monthly incomes, reads the basic obligation for that income and number of children off a schedule written into the statute, adds health coverage and work-related child care, and divides the total between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The result is presumed correct. The schedule was revised by the 2025 General Assembly, effective July 1, 2025.
Where to calculate it
Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement doesn't offer an interactive calculator. Its child support amounts page says: "You can estimate your support amount using Virginia’s online Child Support Guidelines Worksheet." The court worksheets are DC-637 for sole custody and DC-640 for shared custody, each with instructions on page two. The worksheet the court uses goes in the court file, with a copy to the parents.
Step by step
- Gross income. In the statute's words, "all income from all sources", including wages, bonuses, self-employment income after reasonable business expenses, pensions, Social Security, unemployment, and spousal support received. Not included: public assistance, federal SSI, and child support received. Spousal support paid between the parents is subtracted from the payor and added to the payee, and support of other children can be deducted.
- Basic obligation. Look up the combined monthly gross income and the number of children in the schedule. For amounts between two rows, the statute says the obligation "shall be extrapolated."
- Add-ons. Health, dental, and vision coverage for the child, and child care costs due to the custodial parent's employment, are added to the basic obligation.
- Share. Each parent's share of the total equals that parent's share of combined income. The parent without primary custody pays that share.
- Unreimbursed medical and dental costs beyond the monthly figure are split in proportion to gross income, unless the parents agree otherwise or the court finds good cause.
The schedule
The schedule runs in $50 steps from a first row of $0 to $350 up to $42,500 of combined monthly gross income. A few rows:
| Combined monthly gross income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 6 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $350 | $68 | $104 | $126 | $169 |
| $5,000 | $872 | $1,304 | $1,637 | $2,187 |
| $10,000 | $1,251 | $1,824 | $2,308 | $3,082 |
| $20,000 | $1,990 | $2,853 | $3,525 | $4,708 |
| $42,500 | $3,306 | $4,792 | $5,867 | $7,837 |
Above the top row, the statute says: "For gross monthly incomes above $42,500, add the amount of child support for $42,500 to the following percentages of gross income above $42,500." The percentages are 2.6% for one child, 3.4% for two, 3.8% for three, 4.2% for four, 4.6% for five, and 5.0% for six.
Low incomes and the minimum
When the sole custody obligation would come out below "the statutory minimum per month," the statute presumes a minimum obligation of that amount. The current text of § 20-108.2(B) doesn't state the dollar figure in that sentence, so ask the court or your caseworker how it's being applied. If the paying parent's gross income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, the court can go below the minimum after hearing evidence that the parent can't pay it, as long as the order doesn't leave the custodial parent unable to keep minimal adequate housing and basic necessities for the child. Parents who lack assets to pay and are institutionalized in a psychiatric facility, imprisoned for life without parole, totally and permanently disabled, or otherwise involuntarily unable to produce income are exempt from the minimum.
Shared and split custody
- Shared custody. When each parent has the children for more than 90 days a year, the shared custody calculation applies. The schedule amount is multiplied by 1.4, then allocated by income and by each parent's days. A "day" is 24 hours; when the parent with fewer overnights has the child overnight for less than 24 hours, that parent is presumed to get half a day.
- Split custody. When each parent has at least one of the children, each parent's obligation is figured for the children in the other's custody, and the larger owes the difference.
Departing from the guideline
The guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption. The court can order a different amount on written findings that applying the guideline "would be unjust or inappropriate in a particular case", based on the factors in § 20-108.1.
How long support lasts
Support continues past 18 for a child who is a full-time high school student, not self-supporting, and living with the parent receiving support, until the child turns 19 or graduates, whichever comes first (§ 20-124.2(C)). The court can also order support for an adult child with a severe and permanent disability that began before 18, and it can confirm the parents' agreement to support a child longer.
Changing an order
Either parent can ask the court to revise support on a material change in circumstances (§ 20-108). "No support order may be retroactively modified", except that a change can reach back to the date the other parent was given notice of the petition. The Division of Child Support Enforcement says most orders can be reviewed every three years.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Virginia?
Add both parents' gross monthly incomes, find the basic obligation in the statutory schedule, add health coverage and work-related child care, and divide the total by each parent's share of income. The court worksheets DC-637 and DC-640 walk through it.
Is there an official Virginia child support calculator?
No interactive one. The Division of Child Support Enforcement points parents to the court's guideline worksheet to estimate support.
What is the maximum child support in Virginia?
There's no cap. The schedule ends at $42,500 of combined monthly income, and above that a percentage of the extra income is added.
What counts as shared custody for child support?
More than 90 days a year with each parent, counting days under the statute's 24-hour rule.
Does child support end at 18 in Virginia?
Not if the child is still a full-time high school student, not self-supporting, and living at home. Then it continues until 19 or graduation, whichever comes first.
Did Virginia's child support schedule change?
Yes. The current schedule took effect July 1, 2025, under 2025 Acts chapter 702. It runs to $42,500 of combined monthly income. The guideline is reviewed every four years by a state panel.