Arizona Child Support Calculator

Arizona uses the Income Shares Model under ARS § 25-320, which combines both parents' adjusted gross incomes and references the Schedule of Basic Support Obligations adopted by the Arizona Supreme Court. The total obligation is then split proportionally based on each parent's share of combined income. Under the 2022 guidelines, one child with $10,000 combined monthly income yields a basic obligation of $1,274 per month.

Arizona child support calculations use each parent's gross income from all sources, including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, and spousal maintenance received. Courts may impute full-time minimum wage income ($12.80/hour, approximately $2,219/month) to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Spousal maintenance paid to the other parent is deducted as an adjustment from the paying parent's gross income.

Parenting time directly affects the child support calculation under Arizona's guidelines. Time is measured in 24-hour blocks, excluding hours the child spends in school or with third-party caregivers. When parents share roughly equal parenting time—approximately 164 days each per year—the higher-earning parent still pays support but receives a 50% reduction in the obligation amount.

Arizona allows child support modification when a parent demonstrates a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, typically a 15% or greater change in the support amount when recalculated. Either parent may petition the court for review, and orders are subject to review every two years. Modifications are not retroactive—they take effect only from the date a petition is filed, so prompt action is important.

Arizona child support covers each child's basic needs including housing, food, and clothing through the base obligation amount. Additional expenses factored into the calculation include health insurance premiums, work-related childcare costs, and education expenses. Children aged 12 and older receive a 10% older child adjustment to account for increased costs associated with older children.

Arizona's guidelines cap the basic support schedule at $20,000 per month in combined adjusted gross income. Above $30,000 monthly combined income with significant income disparity, courts may deviate from standard calculations. On the low end, a self-support reserve of $1,685 per month—80% of the federal poverty level—protects obligors from orders that would reduce their income below subsistence, potentially resulting in a zero-dollar order.

Under ARS § 25-501, Arizona child support generally terminates on the last day of the month in which the child turns 18. If the child is still attending high school at age 18, support continues until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. For children with severe mental or physical disabilities who cannot live independently, courts may order support to continue past the age of majority under ARS § 25-320(E).

Arizona enforces unpaid child support through multiple mechanisms under ARS § 25-504, including wage garnishment, tax refund interception, bank account seizure, and liens on property. Courts may suspend a non-paying parent's driver's license, professional licenses, and recreational licenses. Willful nonpayment can result in contempt of court charges carrying up to 6 months in jail, or felony prosecution with up to 1.5 years in prison for significant arrears.