Virginia Child Support Calculator

Virginia uses the income shares model under Code of Virginia § 20-108.2, which combines both parents' gross monthly incomes and references a statutory guideline table to determine the base child support obligation. The court adds work-related childcare costs and children's health insurance premiums, then divides the total proportionally based on each parent's percentage of combined income. The 2025 reform raised the guideline table's income cap from $35,000 to $42,500 per month.

Virginia's guidelines use gross income from all sources, including wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, retirement benefits, Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, disability benefits, and even gifts or prizes. Public assistance benefits such as SSI and child support received for children from another relationship are excluded. If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court may impute income based on earning capacity.

Virginia applies a 90-day threshold under § 20-108.2. When the non-custodial parent has the child for 90 days or fewer per year, the sole custody guideline applies. When parenting time exceeds 90 days, the shared custody formula applies, which generally reduces the support obligation. A 'day' must be at least 24 hours; overnight visits under 24 hours count as one-half day.

Virginia courts modify child support upon proof of a material change in circumstances that is substantial, continuing, and not anticipated when the original order was entered. A change of 25% or more in either parent's income generally qualifies. Parents may also request a review through Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement every three years. Modification orders can be retroactive to the date the petition was served on the other parent.

Beyond the base guideline obligation from the statutory table, Virginia courts add work-related childcare costs and children's health insurance premiums to the total support calculation under § 20-108.2. Parents must also pay unreimbursed medical and dental expenses in proportion to their gross incomes. Extraordinary expenses such as travel costs for visitation may be considered as deviation factors.

Virginia's guideline table covers combined gross monthly incomes up to $42,500 ($510,000 annually) following the July 2025 reform. For incomes above the cap, courts apply the base amount at $42,500 plus a percentage of excess income that varies by number of children. A statutory presumptive minimum monthly obligation applies to the payor parent, though courts may set a lower amount if the obligor's income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level.

Under Virginia Code § 20-124.2, child support generally ends when the child turns 18. Support continues until age 19 if the child is a full-time high school student, not self-supporting, and living with the custodial parent. Courts may also order indefinite support for a child with a severe and permanent mental or physical disability that existed before the child would have otherwise emancipated.

Virginia's Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) has extensive enforcement tools for unpaid child support. These include income withholding orders, intercepting tax refunds, seizing bank accounts, placing liens on property when arrears reach $1,000 or more, suspending driver's licenses, and revoking professional or recreational licenses. Each unpaid child support payment carries a 20-year statute of limitations under Virginia Supreme Court precedent.