Child Support Guide
Virginia Child Support Guidelines Explained
Virginia uses an income shares model to calculate child support. The amount is based on both parents’ combined income and the number of children, adjusted for custody arrangement, health insurance costs, and childcare expenses. Understanding how the formula works — and what factors can adjust the result — is essential for anyone facing a support determination. Shawna L. Stevens has handled child support cases in Fredericksburg-area courts for more than 20 years.
Serving Fredericksburg (22401, 22405, 22406, 22407, 22408), Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, King George County, and Caroline County.
Shawna L. Stevens
Family Law Attorney, Fredericksburg VA
J.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School — graduated summa cum laude — Licensed by the Virginia State Bar — practicing exclusively Virginia family law for more than 20 years.
How Virginia’s Income Shares Model Works
Virginia’s child support guidelines are codified at Virginia Code § 20-108.2. The income shares model starts from the premise that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income that the child would have received if the family had remained together. The calculation combines both parents’ gross monthly incomes to determine the total support obligation, then divides that obligation between the parents in proportion to their respective incomes.
Effective July 1, 2025, Virginia expanded the income schedule to $42,500 combined monthly gross income — up from the previous cap. This update allows the guidelines to apply accurately to higher-income families and eliminates a gap that previously left upper-income support determinations to judicial discretion.
What Goes Into the Calculation
Gross Income of Both Parents
The guidelines use gross income, not net income. Gross income includes wages, salaries, commissions, self-employment income, rental income, bonuses, overtime (if regularly received), retirement income, and certain public benefits. Voluntarily reduced income is addressed through the imputation doctrine — courts can attribute income to a parent who is unemployed or underemployed without good reason, calculating support based on what that parent could earn rather than what they are actually earning.
Health Insurance Costs
The cost of health insurance coverage attributable to the child (not the total premium) is added to the combined support obligation and allocated between parents proportionally. The parent who actually pays the premium receives a credit in the calculation. If neither parent has employer-provided health insurance and coverage must be purchased separately, that cost factors into the support determination as well.
Work-Related Childcare
Childcare costs incurred because a parent is working, looking for work, or attending school or job training are added to the base support amount and divided proportionally between the parents. Courts require documentation of actual childcare costs. These costs are expected to change as children age — plans that anticipate changes in childcare needs over time are more realistic and reduce future modification requests.
Custody Arrangement Adjustment
When the non-custodial parent has the child more than 90 days per year (shared custody under Virginia’s definition), the guidelines apply a different, more complex formula that reduces the non-custodial parent’s obligation to reflect the costs they bear during their parenting time. The 90-day threshold is a hard legal line that can significantly affect the support amount in cases that straddle it.
Deviating from the Guidelines
The guidelines create a rebuttable presumption: the calculated amount is presumed to be correct unless a party shows that applying it would be unjust or inappropriate under the circumstances. Courts can deviate from the guideline amount, but they must make specific written findings explaining why the deviation is warranted.
Common grounds for deviation include extraordinary medical expenses for the child, exceptional educational costs, the child’s special needs, the non-custodial parent’s obligation to support other children from a different relationship, or either party’s significant non-income assets. The existence of a prior support order from another jurisdiction can also affect the calculation.
Questions We Hear Often
Can the court order more than the guidelines amount?
Yes. The guidelines establish a baseline, not a ceiling. Courts can order more if the child’s needs exceed what the guidelines amount would provide, if either parent has significant non-income assets that affect the analysis, or if other factors make the guideline amount inadequate for the child’s welfare. Deviation requires specific written findings by the court.
Does child support cover college expenses?
Virginia child support obligations generally end when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later, but not beyond age 19. Courts do not have authority to order parents to pay college expenses unless the parents agreed to such an obligation in a separation agreement. Parents who want to address college costs should include that provision in their settlement documents.
What happens if a parent loses their job?
A parent who loses their job or experiences a significant income reduction should file a motion to modify support promptly. Support does not automatically reduce — the existing order remains in full force until a court modifies it. Arrears that accumulate before a modification is filed are generally not retroactively reduced. Acting quickly matters both legally and financially.
Talk to a Child Support Attorney in Fredericksburg
Child support calculations can be more complex than they appear — especially when income varies, custody arrangements are contested, or deviation is warranted. Contact Shawna L. Stevens PLLC to schedule a confidential consultation.
Fees are discussed directly at your consultation and are based on the specifics of your case.
Phone: (540) 310-4088
Email: info@fburgfamilylaw.com
Address: 307 Lafayette Blvd, Suite 200, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Part of our Child Support Guide • Related: Modifying Support • Support Enforcement • Support Overview