Child Support and Custody in Rhode Island

In Rhode Island, where your child sleeps at night directly determines who pays child support and how much. The physical placement arrangement drives the math — and understanding the formula before you negotiate placement can save you from surprises.

The Income Shares Model

Rhode Island uses the Income Shares Model under Family Court Administrative Order 2023-02. The basic idea: calculate what both parents would have spent on the child if the household stayed intact, then divide that amount based on each parent's share of combined income.

The steps work like this:

1. Each parent's gross income is adjusted for taxes, union dues, and pre-existing support orders
2. The adjusted incomes are combined (rounded up to the next $50 increment)
3. The state's basic obligation schedule sets the total support amount for that income level and number of children
4. Each parent's share is their percentage of combined income

The court orders support in weekly terms. To convert: divide the monthly obligation by 4.3333.

The schedule caps out at a combined adjusted gross income of $40,000 per month. Above that, the judge exercises discretion. On the low end, a mandatory Self-Support Reserve of $1,333 per month ensures the paying parent can meet basic survival needs, with a minimum support order of $50 per month.

The Shared Placement Offset

Here's where custody arrangement has its biggest financial impact. Under Administrative Order 2018-01, if each parent has at least 49% of overnights (179 per year), a specialized offset formula applies:

Each parent's theoretical support obligation is calculated separately. Then the lower amount is subtracted from the higher. The higher-earning parent pays only the difference.

The result is substantially less than the standard formula. This makes the 49% overnight threshold a critical number in custody negotiations — the difference between 48% and 49% of overnights can mean hundreds of dollars per month.

Add-On Expenses

Beyond the basic obligation, the court considers:

• Health insurance: Required if available at "reasonable cost" (not exceeding 5% of the parent's gross income). The child's share of the premium is split based on income percentages.
• Routine medical costs: The basic schedule includes $250 per child per year for ordinary unreimbursed medical and dental expenses. Anything above that threshold is split proportionally.
• Work-related childcare: Net of the federal dependent care tax credit, added directly to the obligation and split by income share.

The DR-6 Financial Form

Every child support calculation starts with the DR-6 — Rhode Island's mandatory financial disclosure form. You'll list all income sources, assets, liabilities, and expenses. It's notarized, and inaccuracies can damage your credibility if they're discovered later. Complete every line with verifiable data.

The Rhode Island Custody & Parenting Plan Guide includes a child support estimator worksheet and a step-by-step DR-6 walkthrough, so you can run the numbers before your hearing and understand exactly where you stand.

See more Rhode Island guides →