Indiana child support guidelines
Indiana uses an income-shares guideline adopted by the Indiana Supreme Court — support is based on both parents’ incomes. This page explains the rules and links the official state calculator; it doesn’t compute your amount.
How the Indiana formula works
The Indiana Child Support Guidelines work in steps:
- Combine both parents’ weekly adjusted gross incomes (Indiana works weekly, not monthly);
- Find the basic obligation for that combined income and the number of children;
- Split it proportionally by each parent’s income share;
- Apply the parenting-time credit for overnights, and add health insurance and childcare.
Because the worksheet must be filed with the court, Indiana provides an official calculator that produces a court-ready worksheet accepted by all 92 county courts.
The parenting-time credit, age 19, and modification
Indiana’s parenting-time credit (Table PT) starts at 52 overnights a year — roughly alternate weekends, about 27% of the year — and grows with more overnights, directly lowering the paying parent’s share. Indiana is also unusual on duration: support terminates by operation of law at age 19 (IC 31-16-6-6), ending automatically rather than at 18 or high-school graduation like most states (college is a separate educational-support order). An order can be modified on a substantial and continuing change, or — once it’s at least 12 months old — when a recalculation differs by 20% or more. Income can be imputed to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent.
Use the official calculator
The Indiana Judicial Branch publishes the official Child Support Calculator (linked above), accepted by all 92 county courts. Use it for an estimate; this page only explains the model. The court that issues your order has final authority.
For a real case
The guideline amount is presumed correct but can be adjusted when it would be unjust. For advice on your situation, consult an Indiana family-law attorney.
Reviewed by Aqil Abbas Khan, Founder & Editor of ToolsNexus
This page is general information, not legal advice. Child support in Indiana is set by Indiana’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 Indiana calculator for an actual estimate, and consult a licensed family-law attorney in Indiana 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 Indiana?
- Indiana uses an income-shares model under the Indiana Child Support Guidelines, adopted by the Supreme Court. It combines both parents' weekly adjusted gross incomes, finds the basic obligation for that income and the number of children, and each parent pays a proportional share adjusted for parenting-time credits.
- How does the parenting-time credit work?
- Indiana applies a Parenting Time Credit from Table PT that reduces the paying parent's obligation based on overnights. The credit starts at 52 overnights a year (about alternate weekends, roughly 27% of the year) and grows as overnights increase — so counting nights accurately matters.
- Until what age is child support paid in Indiana?
- Indiana is unusual: child support terminates by operation of law when the child turns 19 (IC 31-16-6-6), and the obligation ends automatically at that point. A child can be emancipated earlier, and educational support for college is handled as a separate order.
- When can an Indiana order be modified?
- Two paths: a substantial and continuing change in circumstances, or — if the order is at least 12 months old — a recalculation with current figures that differs by at least 20% from the existing order. A court can also impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.
- Where do I get an official estimate?
- Use the Indiana Child Support Calculator linked on this page, published by the Indiana Judicial Branch. This page explains the model but does not compute an amount, and it is not legal advice.