Quick answer: Pennsylvania uses an income-shares model in Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.16-1 to 1910.16-7. Each parent’s monthly net income (gross income less the deductions Rule 1910.16-2(c) allows, such as taxes and mandatory retirement and union contributions) is added to give the combined net income, and the Basic Child Support Schedule (Rule 1910.16-3, effective January 1, 2026: $1,300 to $30,000 of combined income in $50 rows, one to six children) gives the basic obligation. The obligor pays his or her percentage of it. If the children spend 40% or more of the overnights with the obligor, the obligor’s share is reduced by the time percentage minus 30 points, and with equal time the lower-earning parent does not pay basic support to the higher earner. Child care and the children’s health insurance premium are allocated by income share. A self-support reserve of $1,255 a month protects low-income obligors, and above $30,000 of combined income a formula (for two children $4,981 plus 4.0% of the excess) gives a preliminary amount that the court adjusts for the child’s reasonable needs. The guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption.
How the Pennsylvania formula works
- Net income, the schedule and shares. See how the income shares formula works.
- Shared custody. See shared custody and the 40 percent adjustment.
- The reserve and high incomes. See the self-support reserve and high incomes.
What this calculator checks
The calculator follows the 2026 rules (575 schedule rows read from the Pennsylvania Code) and reproduces every worked example in the rules’ commentary, and it was checked against an independent re-implementation. You enter net income as the rules define it; it does not compute taxes. It does not apply spousal support offsets, split custody, other children, Social Security derivative benefits or deviations.
Child support across Pennsylvania
The guidelines apply in every county court of common pleas and domestic relations section, from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading or Scranton. A court that deviates must state its reasons in writing or on the record.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Pennsylvania?
Both parents' monthly net incomes are added, the schedule gives the basic obligation for the number of children, and the obligor pays his or her percentage of it, with child care and health insurance added by income share.
What is the Pennsylvania self-support reserve?
$1,255 a month of net income, which low-income obligors keep; in the shaded area of the schedule the obligation is the lesser of the obligor-only schedule amount and the formula result.
How does shared custody change Pennsylvania child support?
With 40% or more of the overnights, the obligor's percentage share is reduced by the time percentage minus 30 points.
Does Pennsylvania child support use gross or net income?
Net income, after the deductions listed in Rule 1910.16-2(c).
What is the highest income in the Pennsylvania schedule?
$30,000 of combined monthly net income; above it a high-income formula applies.