Connecticut child support guidelines
Connecticut uses an income-shares guideline — the Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines — built on both parents’ net income. This page explains the rules and links the official CCSG-1 worksheet; it doesn’t compute your amount.
How the Connecticut formula works
The guidelines work in steps:
- Combine both parents’ net weekly incomes — gross income minus the deductions the guidelines allow;
- Find the presumptive obligation on the schedule for that income and the number of children;
- Allocate it proportionally by each parent’s share of the combined net income;
- Add health insurance and childcare.
Connecticut requires the CCSG-1 worksheet (form JD-FM-220) in every case with minor children.
Caps, the reserve, shared custody, and modification
Connecticut has some distinctive limits. A self-support reserve (the federal poverty level for one person, roughly $290/week in 2026) protects a low earner, and the total current-support award is capped at 55% of the obligor’s net income (Regs. § 46b-215a-4b) — a ceiling most states don’t use. Shared physical custody (about 35%+ of overnights, 128 nights) is a deviation criterion that can cut support by roughly 30–50%. Support runs to 18 (or 19 for a full-time high-school student living with the custodial parent), and a recalculation that differs from the current order by 15% or more is presumed a substantial change justifying modification.
Use the official worksheet
The Connecticut Judicial Branch (Commission for Child Support Guidelines) publishes the official CCSG-1 worksheet (linked above). Use it for an estimate; this page only explains the model. The court applies the presumptive amount unless it makes written findings to deviate.
For a real case
The guideline amount is presumptive but can be adjusted with written findings. For advice on your situation, consult a Connecticut family-law attorney.
Reviewed by Aqil Abbas Khan, Founder & Editor of ToolsNexus
This page is general information, not legal advice. Child support in Connecticut is set by Connecticut’s official guidelines, and the amount in any real case is determined by the court or the state child-support agency using the official worksheet — not by this page. Guideline figures, schedules, and adjustments change over time and depend on facts specific to your situation (each parent’s income, parenting time, health-insurance and childcare costs, and other factors a court may consider). Use the official Connecticut calculator for an actual estimate, and consult a licensed family-law attorney in Connecticut for advice about your circumstances. ToolsNexus is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation.
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Frequently asked questions
- How is child support calculated in Connecticut?
- Connecticut uses an income-shares model in its Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines. It combines both parents' net weekly incomes, finds the presumptive obligation on the schedule for the number of children, and allocates it by each parent's share of the combined net income. The worksheet produces a presumptive amount the court applies unless it makes written findings to deviate.
- What is the CCSG-1 worksheet?
- CCSG-1 (form JD-FM-220) is Connecticut's mandatory Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines Worksheet. Every case involving minor children requires a completed worksheet — even when parents agree — so the court can review the guideline calculation.
- Are there caps or a low-income floor in Connecticut?
- Yes to both. A self-support reserve — set at the federal poverty level for one person (roughly $290 a week in 2026) — protects a low-earning parent. And Connecticut caps the total current-support award at 55% of the obligor's net income (Regs. § 46b-215a-4b), a ceiling few other states use.
- Until what age is support paid, and when can it change?
- Support continues until 18, or until 19 if the child is a full-time high-school student living with the custodial parent (educational support for college is a separate order, up to 23). A recalculation that differs from the current order by 15% or more is presumed a substantial change justifying modification; a smaller difference is presumed not substantial.
- Where do I get an official estimate?
- Use the Connecticut Child Support Guidelines worksheet (CCSG-1) linked on this page, published by the Judicial Branch. This page explains the model but does not compute an amount, and it is not legal advice.