{"id":375964,"date":"2018-04-13T15:04:51","date_gmt":"2018-04-13T20:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ability-fl-prod.internetbrands.com\/ability-law\/state\/pennsylvania-law\/pennsylvania-child-support-calculations-1.html"},"modified":"2018-04-13T15:55:34","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T20:55:34","slug":"pennsylvania-child-support-calculations-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/pennsylvania-law\/pennsylvania-child-support-calculations-1.html","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Child Support Calculations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Pennsylvania Child Support Calculations <\/h1>\n
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Created by FindLaw’s team<\/a> of legal writers and editors<\/i><\/p>\n\n | Last updated\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

In Pennsylvania, the legal obligation of child support<\/a> entails a parent providing for their child financially until the child reaches the age of majority (18). This involves one parent (the obligor) paying the other parent (the obligee) monthly to cover their share of child-rearing expenses. Pennsylvania, like many states, relies on the "income shares" model to calculate child support<\/a>; this means that the combined income of both parents is the determining factor for the amount of support. The crux of the income shares model is that a child is entitled to receive an equivalent level of parental income that they would've received had the parents lived together and shared finances.<\/p>\r\n

Pennsylvania bases its guidelines on the net (after taxes) income<\/a> rather than gross income. You can get some idea of what the amount will be by using a child support estimator<\/a>. However, that is just a starting point because there are other factors that affect the actual amount of the child support obligation; the factors include:<\/p>\r\n