Ohio Child Support Chart

Under Ohio's child support guidelines, the calculation of child support starts with a basic support obligation. The chart below shows this basic obligation for different income levels. But to make sense of the chart, you need to understand what counts as income and how the schedule is used in the final support calculation.

How to Use the Child Support Schedule

You can get a rough estimate of your child support obligation by referring to the chart here. Normally, you'll start with these steps:

• Add up both parents' annual adjusted incomes and figure each parent's income share, as a percentage of the total.
• Find the appropriate support obligation on the chart for the combined income level and the number of children being supported.
• Multiply that number by the percentage of each parent's income share to get the individual basic support obligation for each parent. For instance, if Parent earns $40,000 a year, and Parent B earns $60,000, Parent B's share of their total adjusted income—and of the basic support obligation—would be 60%.

In some cases, each parent's individual support obligation will be based on their own income, when that would result in a lower number than the calculation described above. Also, there are special rules for income that's less than $8,400 a year or more than $336,000.

Adjustments and Deviations from the Child Support Guidelines

To use the basic child support schedule accurately, you need to understand what gets counted as gross income, including the various adjustments to income allowed under Ohio's guidelines.

Also, the chart is just the beginning of the support calculation. The guidelines include adjustments to the basic support obligation for some shared parenting arrangements and work-related child care costs. Judges may also issue separate orders for other costs.

Finally, if the support amount calculated under the guidelines would be unfair or inappropriate, judges may order a different amount (known as a "deviation").

Learn more about how child support works in Ohio, including details on the adjustments, additional medical support, what happens in shared parenting or split parenting arrangements, and when parents may agree on a different amount of child support.

Changes to the Child Support Schedule

Ohio law requires a review every four years of the numbers in the basic child support schedule. The chart here is based on the version of the guidelines that applies to child support orders issued or modified on or after June 2023. That means these numbers could change sometime in 2027. You can find a link to the current schedule here.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Basic Child Support Schedule