Quick answer: Mississippi sets child support as a percentage of the obligated parent’s adjusted gross income: 14% for one child, 20% for two, 22% for three, 24% for four and 26% for five or more (Miss. Code § 43-19-101). The guidelines are a rebuttable presumption. Adjusted gross income is gross income from all sources, less taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement and disability contributions, less court-ordered support for another child, and any amount the court deems appropriate for other children living with the parent, converted to a monthly figure. The other parent’s income does not enter the formula. A 2026 law (HB 1662, effective July 1, 2026) changes the method when a court awards joint custody with equally shared parenting time: the court calculates the award as if each parent were the obligor and orders the difference paid by the parent with the higher adjusted gross income.
How the Mississippi guidelines work
- Gross income. From all potential sources, excluding benefits derived from a second household.
- Adjusted gross income. Minus mandated deductions and existing support orders. See income limits and written findings.
- The percentage. By the number of children. See how Mississippi calculates child support.
- Equal parenting time. The 2026 method. See equal parenting time under HB 1662.
What this calculator checks
The calculator applies the statutory percentages and deductions and the 2026 equal-time method, and was checked against an independent re-implementation. It does not apply deviations, health insurance, child care or extraordinary expenses, which the court may add or adjust.
Child support across Mississippi
The guidelines apply in every Mississippi chancery court, from Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi or Meridian, and in the Department of Human Services child support cases. A court that departs from the guidelines must make a written or specific finding that they would be unjust or inappropriate in the case.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Mississippi?
As a percentage of the obligated parent's adjusted gross income: 14% for one child, 20% for two, 22% for three, 24% for four and 26% for five or more.
Does the other parent’s income count in Mississippi child support?
Not under the standard guidelines, which use only the obligated parent's adjusted gross income.
What is adjusted gross income in Mississippi?
Gross income from all potential sources minus taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement and disability contributions, court-ordered support for other children and any amount the court deems appropriate for other children in the home.
What changed for equal parenting time in Mississippi in 2026?
For joint custody with equally shared parenting time, the court calculates the award for each parent as if obligor and the higher-income parent pays the difference, unless a deviation is in the child's best interest.
Are the Mississippi guidelines mandatory?
They are a rebuttable presumption; a court may depart with a written or specific finding that they would be unjust or inappropriate.