The Self-Sufficiency Reserve and the Schedule in Ohio

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Ohio’s schedule covers combined incomes from $8,400 to $336,000, with a self-sufficiency reserve at 116% of the poverty level that lowers amounts at low incomes, a $960 yearly minimum and a shaded area that caps the child care share at 50%.

The schedule

The Basic Child Support Schedule (JFS 07767) is a table of guideline incomes from $8,400 to $336,000 in $600 steps with six columns for one to six children, and amounts for more children are the three-child amount times a multiplier from 1.440 for seven children to 2.182 for fifteen or more (R.C. 3119.021).

The self-sufficiency reserve

The schedule incorporates a self-sufficiency reserve based on 116% of the federal poverty level for a single person, updated every four years; for a guideline income of $8,400 or less the schedule amount is the minimum order of $960 a year, and above it the amount rises on a sliding scale, by 5% of the income above $8,400 for one child up to 15% for six, or by 0.3 of the income above the reserve if that is higher, until the unadjusted amount is lower.

The shaded area

On the official schedule the reserve area is shaded: all columns up to $39,000 of income, two or more children up to $74,400, three or more up to $91,200, four or more up to $108,000, five or more up to $121,800 and six children up to $133,200. A parent whose income falls in the shaded area for the children of the order has the child care share capped at 50% (line 15 and line 21i).

Example at low income

A parent with $14,000 of income and a co-parent with $36,000, two children: the low-income parent’s own schedule amount is $1,520, far below a 28% share of the combined $9,926, so the obligation is $1,520 a year and the total monthly order, with cash medical, is $150.

The $960 minimum

If the lower amount on line 18d is less than $960, the worksheet uses $960, which is $80 a month.

Questions to bring to an attorney

Ask whether either parent’s income is in the shaded area and how the court would treat child care.

Above the schedule

If the combined annual income is more than the maximum on the schedule, $336,000, the court sets support case by case, and the guideline amount at the maximum is a minimum reference.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• R.C. 3119.021: basic child support schedule
• Ohio Adm. Code 5101:12-1-17: Ohio child support guideline
• ODJFS Child Support Guideline Manual (JFS 07766, rev. 4/2026), schedule and worksheets

This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Ohio statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Ohio attorney.