Calculation is client-side, income figures are never transmitted or stored.
How Connecticut Child Support Is Calculated
- Connecticut is an income-shares state, but uniquely uses WEEKLY net income (not monthly, and not gross) as its unit throughout the guidelines.
- Add both parents' net weekly income to get combined net weekly income, rounded to the nearest $10.
- Look up the combined income and number of children in the official Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations to get the basic weekly support amount.
- If the noncustodial parent's OWN net weekly income (not combined) falls at or below a per-child-count threshold ($280/week for one child, up to $480/week for six or more), that parent is a 'low-income obligor' -- the schedule is looked up using their income alone, and this is their full obligation directly (no add-ons, no proration).
- Otherwise, each parent's share of the basic obligation is their percentage of combined net weekly income.
- Above $4,000/week combined income, the schedule does not extend automatically: the $4,000-row amount is the minimum presumptive obligation, and courts set the exact amount case-by-case up to a stated maximum.
- This models the standard sole-custody case. Shared Physical Custody and Split Custody use different, non-prorated calculations and are not modeled here.
Connecticut Child Support Worksheet Walkthrough
Example: Parent A has net weekly income of $400, Parent B has net weekly income of $300 (combined $700/week). There is one child, who lives primarily with Parent B.
- Combined net weekly income: $400 + $300 = $700.
- Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations at $700 combined, one child: $169/week.
- Parent A's income share: $400 / $700 = 57.14%.
- Parent A pays: $169 x 57.14% = $97/week.
How This Calculator Works — Formula & Constants
Source: Connecticut Judicial Branch — Commission for Child Support Guidelines · Calcul déterministe — no AI, no arbitrary estimate.
Constants used
| Constant | Value | Source |
|---|
Formula
base_obligation = schedule_lookup(combined_income, children)
share_B = parentB_income / combined_income
total_obligation = base_obligation + childcare_cost + health_insurance_cost
obligation_B = total_obligation × share_B
Deterministic calculation based on Connecticut's official guideline schedule table. Verify against Connecticut's official calculator for a court-ready figure.
FAQ
How is child support calculated in Connecticut?
Connecticut is an income-shares state, but uniquely uses WEEKLY net income (not monthly, and not gross) as its unit throughout the guidelines. Add both parents' net weekly income to get combined net weekly income, rounded to the nearest $10. Look up the combined income and number of children in the official Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations to get the basic weekly support amount. If the noncustodial parent's OWN net weekly income (not combined) falls at or below a per-child-count threshold ($280/week for one child, up to $480/week for six or more), that parent is a 'low-income obligor' -- the schedule is looked up using their income alone, and this is their full obligation directly (no add-ons, no proration). Otherwise, each parent's share of the basic obligation is their percentage of combined net weekly income. Above $4,000/week combined income, the schedule does not extend automatically: the $4,000-row amount is the minimum presumptive obligation, and courts set the exact amount case-by-case up to a stated maximum. This models the standard sole-custody case. Shared Physical Custody and Split Custody use different, non-prorated calculations and are not modeled here.
Does Connecticut use weekly or monthly income for child support?
Weekly. Connecticut's guidelines and its Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations are built entirely around NET WEEKLY income -- unlike most states, there is no monthly conversion step; the worksheet, schedule, and resulting order are all denominated in dollars per week.
What is Connecticut's 'low-income obligor' provision?
If the noncustodial parent's own net weekly income falls at or below a threshold that rises with the number of children ($280/week for one child, up to $480/week for six or more), the schedule is looked up using that parent's income alone rather than combined income, with no add-ons for childcare or health insurance -- this is the 'darker shaded area' of the official schedule.
Are Connecticut child support guidelines changing soon?
Yes. New guidelines take effect August 1, 2026, introducing a three-parent worksheet framework and expanding the income cap to $312,000/year -- a significant change from the current $4,000/week (about $208,000/year) cap modeled here. This calculator reflects the guidelines in effect as of July 2026; check with the Connecticut Judicial Branch for the post-August 2026 version.
Methodology & Source
Formula model: income shares. Effective 2015-07-01, guideline version 2015-CT-v1, last reviewed 2026-07-13.
Official source: Connecticut Judicial Branch — Commission for Child Support Guidelines (Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-2c).
Connecticut income figures in this calculator are WEEKLY net income, not monthly. Above $4,000/week combined net income, the guidelines do not extend the schedule automatically: the amount shown at the $4,000 row is the MINIMUM presumptive support obligation, and courts may award up to combined income multiplied by the percentage shown at the $4,000 row, decided case-by-case -- this calculator shows only the $4,000-row minimum in that scenario, not the full discretionary range. This calculator models the standard (sole-custody) case only. It does not model Shared Physical Custody (Regs. Conn. State Agencies 46b-215a-1(23): when each parent has at least roughly equal time, the presumptive order equals the HIGHER-net-income parent's own calculated share, paid to the other parent, unadjusted for the specific time split) or Split Custody (each parent primary for different children, calculated as an offset between two worksheets). Connecticut's guidelines are also scheduled for a major overhaul effective 2026-08-01 (a new three-parent worksheet and an expanded income cap to $312,000/year) that is not reflected here.
Guideline figures transcribed from the primary source above and cross-checked against Connecticut's official calculator/worksheet for multiple test scenarios — see our verification methodology.