How is Child Support Calculated in Indiana

Weekly Estimate Based on Indiana Guidelines

$

$

1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 4 Children 5 or More

$

$

Estimated Support Payment

$0.00

This is the estimated amount paid by Parent 1 to Parent 2 weekly.

How is Child Support Calculated in Indiana?

The state of Indiana utilizes the Income Shares Model for child support calculations. This model is built on the principle that children should receive the same proportion of parental income that they would have received if the parents were still living together in one household.

The Core Formula Factors

In Indiana, calculations are performed on a weekly basis rather than monthly. The court considers several primary factors to determine the "Basic Child Support Obligation":

• Weekly Gross Income: This includes wages, overtime, commissions, bonuses, and even social security benefits.
• The Number of Children: The percentage of income allocated decreases slightly per child as the number of children increases.
• Health Insurance Premiums: The specific cost of adding the child to a health insurance policy is added to the basic obligation.
• Work-Related Child Care: Necessary expenses for child care that allow a parent to work are included.

The Parenting Time Credit

Indiana provides a "Parenting Time Credit" for the non-custodial parent. This credit acknowledges the costs (food, utilities, entertainment) incurred by the parent who has the child for overnights. The more overnights a parent has (up to 182 per year), the larger the reduction in their weekly support obligation.

Calculation Example

Consider a scenario with two parents: Parent A earns $800/week and Parent B earns $600/week. They have one child. The Indiana Guideline schedules suggest a basic obligation for a $1,400 combined income is approximately $185. If Parent A is the non-custodial parent and has 52 overnights, their proportional share (approx 57%) minus the overnight credit would result in their weekly payment.

Note: This calculator provides a simplified estimate. Actual Indiana court orders may include adjustments for prior-born children, legal duty of support for other children, or extraordinary educational expenses.

function calculateINSupport() { var p1Income = parseFloat(document.getElementById("p1Income").value) || 0; var p2Income = parseFloat(document.getElementById("p2Income").value) || 0; var numChildren = parseInt(document.getElementById("numChildren").value); var childCare = parseFloat(document.getElementById("childCare").value) || 0; var healthIns = parseFloat(document.getElementById("healthIns").value) || 0; var overnights = parseInt(document.getElementById("overnights").value) || 0; var totalIncome = p1Income + p2Income; if (totalIncome 2000) multiplier = 0.85; if (totalIncome > 4000) multiplier = 0.75; var basicObligation = totalIncome * baseRate * multiplier; // Total Obligation including expenses var totalObligation = basicObligation + childCare + healthIns; // Parent 1's Proportional Share var p1SharePercentage = p1Income / totalIncome; var p1RawObligation = totalObligation * p1SharePercentage; // Parenting Time Credit Approximation // Indiana uses a specific formula: (Basic Obligation * Credit %) // For 52 overnights, credit is roughly 5%. For 182 overnights, it's roughly 50%. var creditFactor = 0; if (overnights >= 52) { // Simplified linear interpolation for the credit curve creditFactor = (overnights / 365) * 0.85; } var pTimeCredit = basicObligation * creditFactor; var finalWeeklySupport = p1RawObligation – pTimeCredit; if (finalWeeklySupport < 0) finalWeeklySupport = 0; document.getElementById("supportOutput").innerText = "$" + finalWeeklySupport.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}); document.getElementById("resultArea").style.display = "block"; }