How Ohio Calculates Child Support
Ohio uses the Income Shares model for child support. The governing law is Ohio Revised Code Section 3119.022, along with the Ohio Child Support Guideline Schedule. Ohio uses gross income as the basis for its calculation. Ohio's guidelines were updated in 2019 to reflect new economic research on child-rearing costs, and the calculation framework established in that update remains in effect.
Ohio's Income Shares approach combines both parents' gross income to determine the total child support obligation. Each parent then pays their proportional share. Ohio also has a specific parenting time assumption built into the base calculation and applies adjustments when actual parenting time differs significantly from that assumption.
The Ohio Child Support Formula
Ohio's calculation follows five steps.
Step one is determining each parent's annual gross income. Ohio uses annual income figures rather than monthly, then converts the obligation to monthly for the court order. Step two is combining both annual gross incomes. Step three is finding the Basic Combined Child Support Obligation from Ohio's Guideline Schedule using the combined annual income and number of children. Step four is calculating each parent's income share percentage and applying it to the obligation. Step five is applying any parenting time adjustment and adding healthcare and childcare costs.
A practical example using monthly conversions: Parent A earns $60,000 per year ($5,000 per month). Parent B earns $30,000 per year ($2,500 per month). Combined annual income is $90,000. Parent A's income share is 66.7 percent. If Ohio's schedule shows a Basic Combined Child Support Obligation of $16,200 per year for two children at $90,000 combined income, that is $1,350 per month. Parent A's share is $900 per month before parenting time adjustments and add-ons.
What Counts as Income in Ohio
Ohio uses a comprehensive gross income definition under ORC 3119.01. Courts include wages, salaries, overtime, commissions, bonuses, tips, self-employment income, royalties, rental income, pension and retirement distributions, Social Security benefits, SSDI payments, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, and income from any other source.
Courts can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Ohio courts evaluate recent employment history, qualifications, and the local job market. A parent who is capable of working and chooses not to can expect income to be imputed at their earning capacity.
Ohio allows deductions from gross income for certain items: court-ordered child support currently being paid for children from other relationships, court-ordered spousal support from prior orders, and, for self-employed parents, ordinary and necessary business expenses.
Ohio also excludes means-tested public assistance from the income calculation.
Step-by-Step: How to Use This Calculator
Step 1. Get your gross annual income. Include wages, self-employment income, rental income, and any other regular sources. Use annual figures. Ohio's schedule is based on combined annual income. Divide by 12 for the monthly conversion.
Step 2. Subtract existing court-ordered obligations, child support or spousal support from prior orders, from your annual gross income.
Step 3. Estimate the other parent's adjusted annual gross income using the same method.
Step 4. Enter the number of children covered by this order.
Step 5. Enter Parent A's parenting time percentage: divide annual overnights by 365 and multiply by 100. The calculator applies Ohio's 10% reduction to the paying parent's support obligation at 90 or more overnights a year. Additional reductions at 147 or more overnights are decided by the court.
Step 6. Add healthcare costs. Enter the monthly premium for the children's health insurance.
Step 7. Add childcare costs. Enter monthly work-related childcare expenses.
Step 8. Review the annual and monthly breakdowns in the results.
Parenting Time Adjustments in Ohio
Ohio Revised Code 3119.051 provides a 10% reduction in the paying parent's support obligation at 90 or more overnights a year. This calculator applies that reduction; it does not increase the credit proportionally with each additional overnight.
Additional reductions at 147 or more overnights are decided by the court. The calculator does not apply an automatic shared-parenting offset or assume that equal parenting time eliminates support. Review these circumstances with the official worksheet and a qualified Ohio family law attorney.
Ohio also has a minimum support amount. Courts must set support at a minimum level regardless of income, ensuring children maintain a formal financial connection to both parents.
Add-On Expenses in Ohio
Ohio adds healthcare premiums and work-related childcare costs to the base obligation, allocated proportionally by income share. Courts may also address extraordinary medical expenses and educational costs on a case-by-case basis.
Reading Your Results
The results show each parent's adjusted annual and monthly gross income, combined income, the Basic Combined Child Support Obligation from Ohio's schedule, income share percentages, the parenting time adjustment if applicable, add-on costs, and the final monthly obligation.
Ohio uses annual income figures in the schedule. If your income varies significantly from year to year, use a two-year average to produce a stable and accurate result.
After You Get Your Estimate
Ohio courts follow the ORC 3119.022 guidelines in all standard cases. Deviation is allowed when the guideline amount would be unjust, inappropriate, or not in the child's best interests. Courts document deviations with specific written findings.
Modification in Ohio requires a substantial change in circumstances. A 10 percent or more change in the calculated obligation is Ohio's statutory threshold. Income changes, changes in parenting time, and changes in healthcare or childcare costs may affect a recalculation.
A licensed Ohio family law attorney can review your calculation and advise on shared parenting adjustments or modifications. Many offer a free initial consultation.