Custodial parents who received child support in 2023 got an average of about $671 per month, according to the most recent Census Bureau data.1U.S. Census Bureau. Child Support Received: 2023 That is the headline figure people usually mean when they ask about the average child support for one child, and it works out to roughly $8,000 a year. But the number blends every income level, every state formula, and every custody arrangement into a single average, so it may have little to do with what a court would order in your case. The actual amount turns on which state sets the order, what both parents earn, how many overnights each parent has, and what the child’s childcare and health insurance cost.
Why the National Average Doesn’t Predict Your Order
In 2023, about 4 million custodial parents received cash child support totaling $28 billion nationwide.1U.S. Census Bureau. Child Support Received: 2023 A parent with sole custody of a child whose other parent earns six figures will receive far more than $671 a month. A parent sharing custody roughly equally with someone who earns modest wages will receive far less. The average sits in the middle of a wide spread.
Child support is set at the state level, and every state uses its own guidelines, cost tables, and adjustment factors. There is no federal formula. Two families with identical incomes can end up with meaningfully different orders depending on which state has jurisdiction and how the parenting time breaks down. Treat the national average as context, not as a forecast.
How States Calculate Child Support for One Child
States use one of two basic models. Most follow the Income Shares Model, which looks at both parents’ combined income, estimates what they would spend on the child if they still lived together, and splits that estimated cost between them in proportion to each parent’s earnings.2Administration for Children and Families. How Is the Amount of My Child Support Order Set The parent without primary custody then pays their share to the other parent.
A smaller group of states uses the Percentage of Income Model, which calculates support based only on the non-custodial parent’s earnings. The custodial parent’s income does not enter the formula directly; the assumption is that the custodial parent is already contributing through day-to-day care, housing, and meals.2Administration for Children and Families. How Is the Amount of My Child Support Order Set In those states, the guideline for one child typically falls somewhere between 14% and 20% of the paying parent’s net income, depending on the state.
Both models produce a guideline amount that serves as a presumptive starting point. Judges can adjust up or down, but they generally need a documented reason to deviate.
What Counts as Income
The income number that feeds the formula is broader than most people expect. It includes wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, and tips. It also pulls in self-employment profits after allowable business deductions, rental income, disability and unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, pension and retirement distributions, interest, dividends, capital gains, and alimony received from a current or former spouse.
Some sources are generally excluded. Public assistance benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and child support received for other children typically do not count. One-time gifts and inheritances are usually left out, though any ongoing income they generate, such as interest or dividends from invested inheritance money, would be counted.
Imputed Income When a Parent Isn’t Working
If a parent quits a job, takes a lower-paying position without good reason, or simply stops working, the support obligation does not drop to zero. Courts can impute income, meaning they calculate support based on what the parent is capable of earning rather than what they actually earn. Judges look at work history, education, job skills, age, health, and the local job market. In some states, if there is no evidence of actual income or earning potential, courts presume the parent can earn the equivalent of about 32 hours per week at minimum wage.
Imputed income does not apply when a parent cannot work because of a physical or mental disability, and in some jurisdictions it does not apply when a parent is caring for a very young child of the parties. The dividing line is whether the unemployment is voluntary. Getting laid off during a downturn is not the same as choosing not to work.
What Moves the Number Up or Down
Several variables push an order above or below the baseline guideline figure.
- Custody schedule. The number of overnights each parent has directly affects the calculation in most states. More time with the child generally means a lower payment, because you are covering more daily costs out of pocket. In roughly equal custody splits, the higher-earning parent usually still pays something to the lower-earning parent, but the amount is smaller than it would be under a sole-custody arrangement.
- Childcare costs. Work-related daycare, after-school care, and summer camp expenses are typically added on top of the base support amount and split between the parents.
- Health insurance. The cost of carrying the child on a health plan is factored in, together with how uninsured medical expenses like copays and deductibles get divided.
- Special needs. A child with unusual medical, educational, or therapeutic needs can trigger upward adjustments.
- Other children. Existing support obligations for other children from a prior relationship are usually deducted before calculating the new obligation.
The Self-Support Reserve for Low-Income Parents
Federal regulations require states to build a low-income adjustment into their guidelines so a paying parent can still cover basic living expenses.3Federal Register. Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs The most common version is a self-support reserve: a floor of income the paying parent gets to keep before any obligation kicks in. The threshold varies by state and is generally tied to the federal poverty level or a similar measure. This matters most at lower incomes, where a flat percentage could otherwise leave the paying parent unable to cover rent or food.
Changing the Amount Later
Child support orders are not permanent. Either parent can ask for a modification when circumstances change significantly. Common triggers include job loss, a substantial raise, a new disability, a change in custody, or a change in the number of children in either household. Many states require the change to produce at least a 15% to 20% shift in the calculated amount before the court will modify the order, though the exact threshold varies.
One rule catches people off guard: modifications are generally not retroactive. A court can adjust your obligation going forward from the date you file the request, but it typically will not reduce what you owed for the months before you filed. If your income drops in January and you wait until June to ask for a modification, you still owe the original amount for January through June. File promptly.
States are also required to review orders periodically, usually every three years, and either parent can request a review through the state child support agency. In many states, filing a modification through the state agency involves little or no filing fee. Hiring a private attorney instead means legal fees on top of any court costs.
If you want a realistic estimate for your own situation, the most useful step is to find your state’s child support guideline worksheet or online calculator and run the numbers with both parents’ actual incomes, the overnight schedule you expect, and the real cost of childcare and the child’s health insurance premium. That exercise will tell you far more than any national average.