Quick answer: Idaho calculates child support under Rule 120 of the Idaho Rules of Family Law Procedure. Each parent’s gross income, less certain adjustments, is Guidelines Income. The combined annual income is run through a bracket schedule: for one child, 18% of the first $10,000, then 17%, 15%, 14% and 13% of each next $10,000, then 12%, 9%, 6% and 5% of each next $20,000, and 5% of the next $290,000, up to $440,000; two to five children have higher rates. The basic obligation is split by each parent’s share of income, and the parent with 25% or less of the overnights pays his or her share. When each parent has more than 25% of the overnights, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 and offset. Child care and health insurance are shared pro rata, and there is a presumed minimum of $50 a month per child.
How the Idaho Guidelines work
- Guidelines Income. Gross income from any source, less other support and maintenance orders and certain other adjustments. See what income and deductions count.
- Basic obligation. The bracket schedule applied to the combined annual income, with each bracket’s monthly amount rounded to the dollar.
- Shares. Each parent’s Guidelines Income divided by the combined income.
- Custody. The standard calculation, or the shared custody adjustment above 25% of the overnights. See the 25% shared custody rule.
- Add-ons. Child care and health insurance premiums, shared pro rata, with credit to the parent who pays.
The full walk-through, with a worked example, is in how Idaho calculates child support.
What this calculator checks
The engine reproduces the rule’s own worked example: two children and $35,000 of combined yearly Guidelines Income give $709 a month, of which a parent with 71% of the income pays $506. It does not include the income tax benefit table, split custody, extended visits or income above $440,000.
Child support across Idaho
The Guidelines apply in every Idaho magistrate and district court, from Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Idaho Falls, Pocatello or Coeur d’Alene. A modification can be made only for installments accruing after the motion and on a substantial and material change of circumstances, and a change in the Guidelines amount can itself be one.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Idaho?
Under I.R.F.L.P. Rule 120, combined annual Guidelines Income is run through a bracket schedule to get the basic obligation, which is split by each parent's share of income; the parent with 25% or less of the overnights pays his or her share.
What is the shared custody rule in Idaho child support?
If the child spends more than 25% of the overnights with each parent, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, each parent's share is multiplied by the percentage of time with the other parent, and the amounts are offset.
What is the minimum child support in Idaho?
There is a rebuttable presumption that support is at least $50 a month per child, and the court should rarely set it at zero.
How high do the Idaho child support Guidelines go?
The schedule covers combined Guidelines Income up to $440,000 a year. Above that the court considers additional support after calculating the first $440,000 under the Guidelines.
Are child care costs added to Idaho child support?
The court may order a sharing of reasonable work-related child care costs in proportion to Guidelines Income, and health insurance premiums and uninsured costs are shared pro rata.