Child Support in Indiana: Guidelines and Calculations

An Indianapolis father earning $85,000 and a mother earning $50,000 split parenting time with their two children on an alternating-week schedule. He assumed equal time meant no child support. When they ran the Indiana child support worksheet, his obligation came out to over $100 per week. The Income Shares Model doesn’t just count overnights — it measures each parent’s share of combined income, and when there’s a gap, the higher earner pays even with perfectly equal time.

Indiana’s child support guidelines apply to every family going through divorce, separation, or paternity proceedings. This guide covers how the state calculates support under Indiana Code Section 31-16-6-1 and the Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines, what counts as income, how parenting time affects the number, and the rules for modification and enforcement. For a national overview, see our guide on how child support is calculated, and try our child support calculator for a quick estimate.

How Indiana Calculates Child Support

Indiana uses the Income Shares Model, the same framework used by roughly 40 states. The core principle: children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family had stayed together.

The calculation combines both parents’ adjusted weekly incomes, finds the total child support obligation from a statutory schedule, and divides that obligation between the parents based on each one’s percentage of the combined income. Indiana calculates support on a weekly basis, unlike many states that use monthly figures.

Step-by-Step Calculation

Step 1: Determine each parent’s weekly gross income. Indiana defines gross income broadly. It includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, overtime, self-employment earnings (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses), investment income, rent, royalties, Social Security benefits, government benefits, disability payments, spousal support received, and in-kind benefits that reduce living expenses.

Step 2: Calculate Weekly Adjusted Income. Each parent’s gross income is adjusted by subtracting:

• Maintenance (alimony) paid under a court order in another case
• Child support paid under a court order for other children
• The parent’s share of the weekly support obligation for other children living in the home (determined through a separate calculation)

Step 3: Combine both parents’ adjusted weekly incomes. Add Parent A’s adjusted weekly income to Parent B’s adjusted weekly income. This combined figure determines where the case falls on the Guidelines Schedule for Weekly Support Payments.

Step 4: Find the Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO). Using the Guidelines Schedule, look up the combined weekly adjusted income and number of children. The schedule provides the total weekly child support obligation. The schedule was updated effective May 2024 using the Rothbarth economic methodology with data from 2013 to 2019, which raised weekly obligations by 4% to 22% across income brackets.

Step 5: Calculate each parent’s percentage of income. Divide each parent’s adjusted weekly income by the combined adjusted weekly income. If Parent A earns $1,200 per week and Parent B earns $800 per week, Parent A’s share is 60% and Parent B’s share is 40%.

Step 6: Add health insurance and childcare costs. The weekly cost of the child’s health insurance premiums and work-related childcare expenses are added to the BCSO. These combined costs form the total child support obligation.

Step 7: Calculate each parent’s share of the total obligation. Each parent’s share equals their income percentage multiplied by the total obligation. The noncustodial parent’s share becomes the weekly support payment, minus credits for expenses they pay directly (such as the child’s health insurance premiums).

Step 8: Apply the Parenting Time Credit (if applicable). If the noncustodial parent has the children for at least 52 overnights per year, a credit reduces their obligation. More on this below.

What Counts as Income (and What Doesn’t)

Indiana’s definition of weekly gross income is broad. The guidelines capture nearly every income source, whether earned or unearned.

Included:

• All employment income (wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, tips, overtime)
• Self-employment earnings (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses)
• Investment income (dividends, interest, capital gains, rental income, royalties)
• Government benefits (Social Security, VA benefits, disability, unemployment, workers’ compensation)
• Retirement income (pensions, annuities, IRA distributions)
• Spousal support received from another case
• In-kind benefits that reduce personal living expenses (such as a company car, free housing, or meals)

Not included:

• Need-based public assistance (TANF, SSI, SNAP/food stamps)
• Child support received for other children
• Means-tested benefits designed for subsistence

Imputed Income

When a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed without good reason, Indiana courts can impute income — assigning an earning capacity instead of using actual earnings.

Courts consider several factors when deciding whether to impute income and at what level:

• The parent’s employment history and past earnings
• Education and professional training
• Age and physical health
• Local job market conditions and available opportunities

A mother in Fort Wayne left a $70,000 nursing position to work part-time at a retail store earning $22,000. She argued the schedule was better for the children. The court imputed income closer to her nursing salary, finding that her education and work history supported a higher earning capacity and that the career change was primarily motivated by reducing support obligations.

Courts do consider legitimate reasons for reduced income. A parent who returns to school full-time to improve long-term earning capacity, or who has a documented disability that limits employment, may avoid imputation. But the burden falls on the parent to prove the reduction is justified and not an attempt to minimize support.

The Parenting Time Credit

Indiana’s guidelines include a Parenting Time Credit that reduces the noncustodial parent’s child support obligation when they have the children for a significant number of overnights per year. The minimum threshold is 52 overnights — roughly equivalent to alternate weekends.

How the Credit Works

The credit accounts for three categories of expenses:

• Transferred expenses (food, transportation): These shift dollar-for-dollar from one household to the other when the child is with the noncustodial parent.
• Duplicated expenses (shelter, utilities): Both parents maintain a home for the child regardless of the schedule, so these costs are shared proportionally.
• Controlled expenses (clothing, education, health care): These remain at approximately 15% of the total and are never credited because the custodial parent typically controls these expenditures.

The Parenting Time Table in the guidelines provides specific credit percentages based on annual overnights:

At equal parenting time (approximately 182 overnights each), the transferred expense credit reaches 35.4% and the duplicated expense credit reaches 50%, producing a total credit of roughly 67-68%.

Why 52 Overnights Matters

Parents with fewer than 52 overnights per year receive no parenting time credit at all. The difference between 51 and 52 overnights can mean a noticeable change in the support amount. If you’re close to this threshold, the specific language in your parenting plan about overnight visits, holiday schedules, and summer breaks directly affects the calculation.

Equal Parenting (50/50 Custody)

With true 50/50 parenting time (approximately 182 overnights each), the noncustodial parent receives the maximum parenting time credit. But equal time doesn’t mean zero support. When one parent earns significantly more, the income share difference drives a support obligation regardless of how many overnights each parent has.

Health Insurance, Childcare, and Additional Expenses

Health insurance and work-related childcare costs are mandatory add-ons to the Indiana child support calculation. They are added to the BCSO before the obligation is divided between parents.

• Health insurance: The child’s share of medical, dental, and vision premiums is included. The court determines which parent provides coverage based on availability and reasonable cost. If insurance is available through a parent’s employer at a reasonable rate, that parent is typically ordered to maintain coverage.
• Work-related childcare: Daycare, after-school care, and summer childcare expenses incurred so a parent can work or attend job training are included.
• Uninsured health care costs: Under the 2024 guideline updates, uninsured medical expenses are treated as an add-on shared by parents in proportion to their incomes. The previous 6% threshold rule was eliminated, meaning all uninsured health care costs are now divided proportionally regardless of amount.

Extraordinary Expenses

Under Guideline 8, the court may also consider extraordinary expenses beyond the standard calculation:

• Extraordinary educational expenses (private school, tutoring, special education needs)
• Extraordinary medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
• Other expenses the court finds relevant to the child’s best interests

These are not automatically included but can be ordered as additional obligations on a case-by-case basis.

Low-Income Protections

Indiana’s guidelines recognize that child support should not push the paying parent below subsistence. When the combined weekly adjusted income falls below $100, the guidelines schedule does not provide a calculated amount, and the court must exercise discretion.

For very low-income obligors, the court considers the specific facts of each case and sets support at a level that does not deny the parent the means of self-support at a subsistence level. While the guidelines do not establish a formal self-support reserve like some states, courts may set the obligation as low as $12 per week, and in extreme circumstances, a $0 support order is appropriate.

Factors that may justify a reduced or zero obligation include:

• A parent with a high parenting time credit who is already spending directly on the child
• A parent suffering from debilitating mental illness
• A parent caring for a disabled child in the home
• An incarcerated parent with no income or assets
• A parent or family member with a debilitating physical health condition
• Impact from a natural disaster

Deviations from the Guidelines

Indiana courts can deviate from the calculated child support amount when applying the guidelines would be “unjust or inappropriate.” The court must consider the best interests of the child and may look at:

• The financial resources and needs of both parents
• The standard of living the child would have enjoyed if the family remained intact
• The child’s physical, mental, and emotional condition
• The child’s educational needs
• Whether a parent is supporting elderly parents
• Extraordinary medical expenses
• Military housing allowances or in-kind benefits
• Unequal parenting time among siblings
• Travel expenses for exercising parenting time when parents live far apart

When a court deviates, it must document the reasons in the order and state what the guideline amount would have been without the deviation.

Modifying Child Support

Indiana child support orders are not permanent. Either parent can seek a modification, but the change must meet specific legal thresholds.

Two Paths to Modification

Indiana provides two independent grounds for modifying a child support order:

Path 1: Substantial and continuing change in circumstances. You must show that circumstances have changed enough to make the current order unreasonable. Common qualifying changes include:

• Job loss or significant income change
• Change in the parenting time arrangement
• A child developing special needs or a disability
• Changed childcare or medical expenses
• One parent’s remarriage affecting household economics

Path 2: The 20% rule. If at least 12 months have passed since the order was issued, and the current order differs by more than 20% from the amount that would be calculated under the current guidelines, either parent can seek modification — even without any particular change in circumstances.

When to File

Modifications take effect from the date the petition is filed — not from the date circumstances changed. If you lose your job in January but don’t file until June, you owe five months at the old rate. File as soon as your circumstances change.

Educational Expense Exception

Indiana is one of the states that can order parents to contribute to post-secondary educational expenses under IC 31-16-6-2. This is separate from standard child support but is an important feature of Indiana law.

The court considers:

• Each parent’s income, earning ability, and financial assets
• The child’s aptitude and ability to benefit from post-secondary education
• The child’s ability to contribute (through employment, scholarships, or loans)

Eligible expenses include tuition, books, fees, supplies, student activity fees, and room and board if the child is not living with a parent. However, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that post-secondary educational expenses under this statute do not include graduate or professional school.

Critical timing: The request for educational expense contributions must be raised before the child turns 19. Failing to act within this window can result in permanent forfeiture of the right to seek educational support.

When Child Support Ends

In Indiana, child support terminates when the child emancipates. Under Indiana law, emancipation occurs when:

• The child turns 19 years old (changed from 21 in 2012), or
• The child is at least 18 and has not attended secondary school or its equivalent for the last four months, is not enrolled in school, and is either self-supporting or capable of self-support

Other emancipation triggers include:

• Marriage
• Enlistment in the United States armed services
• The child is no longer under the care or control of either parent or an approved guardian

Exception for incapacity: If the child is incapacitated — unable to support themselves due to physical or mental disability — the support obligation may continue beyond age 19.

You must petition the court to formally terminate child support when your child emancipates. Simply stopping payments without a court order puts you in arrears. The obligation continues until the court ends it.

Enforcement

Indiana has comprehensive enforcement tools for child support, administered through the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) and local Title IV-D offices.

• Income withholding — All Indiana child support orders must include an income withholding order unless extraordinary circumstances apply. Support is deducted directly from wages and sent to the Indiana State Central Collection Unit for distribution.
• Tax refund interception — Federal and state income tax refunds can be seized to cover arrearages.
• License suspension — Driver’s licenses and professional licenses can be suspended for non-payment.
• Passport denial — For arrears exceeding $2,500, the federal government can deny or revoke a passport.
• Credit reporting — Delinquent child support is reported to consumer credit agencies.
• Liens — Placed on property, vehicles, bank accounts, and insurance settlements, preventing sale or refinancing until the debt is paid.
• Bank account seizure — Funds can be seized directly from the delinquent parent’s bank accounts.
• Contempt of court — Willful failure to pay can result in jail time until the parent “purges” the contempt by paying. Courts may also order community service or require the parent to seek employment.
• Criminal nonsupport — Knowingly failing to support a child is a criminal offense in Indiana. A first offense is a Level 6 felony carrying 6 months to 2.5 years imprisonment and fines up to $10,000. Subsequent convictions escalate to a Level 5 felony with 1 to 6 years imprisonment.
• Interest on arrears — Courts may impose interest at up to 1.5% per month (18% annually) on delinquent payments. Additionally, adjudicated arrearages accrue interest at 8% per year under Indiana’s general judgment interest statute.
• Federal prosecution — For interstate cases with $5,000 or more in arrears or more than one year of non-payment, federal prosecution is possible under the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is child support in Indiana for one child?

There’s no flat amount. Child support depends on both parents’ adjusted weekly incomes, the parenting time arrangement, and additional expenses like health insurance and childcare. As a rough reference, for combined weekly adjusted income of $1,500 with one child under a standard parenting schedule, the BCSO falls in the range of $230 to $280 per week before adjustments. Use Indiana’s official calculator or our child support calculator for an estimate based on your actual numbers.

Does 50/50 custody eliminate child support in Indiana?

Almost never. Indiana uses the Income Shares Model, which factors in both parenting time and income. With equal overnights (approximately 182 each), the parent with higher income will still typically owe support to the other parent. The parenting time credit reduces the obligation significantly but doesn’t eliminate it unless both parents have exactly the same income and child-related expenses — which rarely happens.

Can child support be modified if I lose my job?

Yes. Job loss is a qualifying change for modification. You can file under the substantial-change-in-circumstances standard. Alternatively, if your order is at least 12 months old and the recalculated amount differs by more than 20%, you qualify under the percentage test. File immediately — modifications are retroactive only to the filing date. If the court finds you voluntarily quit without good reason, it may impute income based on your earning capacity.

Does my new spouse’s income affect child support in Indiana?

Not directly. A new spouse’s income is not included in the child support calculation. However, the court may consider how a new spouse’s contributions reduce the parent’s personal living expenses, potentially affecting the analysis. Your new spouse has no legal obligation to support your children from a prior relationship.

Does Indiana require parents to pay for college?

Indiana is one of the few states where courts can order parents to contribute to post-secondary educational expenses. Under IC 31-16-6-2, the court considers each parent’s income and assets, the child’s aptitude, and the child’s ability to contribute. Eligible costs include tuition, books, fees, and room and board. The request must be filed before the child turns 19. Graduate and professional school expenses are not covered.

What happens if I fall behind on child support?

Indiana aggressively enforces child support. Consequences include wage garnishment, tax refund interception, license suspension, passport denial, bank account seizure, property liens, credit damage, and contempt of court (including jail). Unpaid support can accrue interest at up to 1.5% per month. Knowingly failing to pay is a criminal offense carrying potential felony charges, imprisonment, and fines up to $10,000.

How This Guide Was Researched

This guide was created by reviewing publicly available legal information from official state statutes, judiciary websites, court resources, and family law publications. The goal is to explain family law topics in plain English so readers can better understand the process before speaking with an attorney.

Sources and Legal References

This guide is based on publicly available legal information and official sources, including:

• Indiana Code Section 31-16-6-1 — Child Support Orders
• Indiana Code Section 31-16-6-2 — Educational and Health Care Expenses
• Indiana Code Section 31-16-8-1 — Modification of Child Support Orders
• Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines (Updated May 2024)
• Indiana Child Support Guideline 6 — Parenting Time Credit
• Indiana Child Support Guideline 8 — Extraordinary Expenses

Official Indiana Resources

• Indiana Courts — Child Support Calculator
• Indiana Department of Child Services — Child Support
• Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines (Full Text)
• Indiana DCS — Child Support Orders Information

For more about how we research our guides, see our editorial policy and sources methodology.

Related Guides

Learn more about related family law topics:

• Divorce in Indiana
• Indiana Child Custody Factors
• Child Support Calculator
• How Is Child Support Calculated
• Child Support with 50/50 Custody
• How to File for Child Support
• Get a Free Consultation

Last updated: April 2026. This guide summarizes general legal information based on publicly available sources and is provided for educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.