Connecticut Child Support Calculator: How Support Is Calculated in CT

Connecticut calculates child support using the Income Shares Model under C.G.S. § 46b-215a. The core principle is that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family were intact. Both parents' incomes are combined, a presumptive support amount is looked up on the state schedule, and each parent pays their proportional share.

The math is straightforward once you understand the inputs. Here's how it works step by step.

Step 1: Determine Gross Weekly Income

Each parent calculates their gross weekly income from all sources: wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income, rental income, investment returns, and government benefits. If a parent receives income on a monthly, biweekly, or annual basis, it must be converted to a weekly figure.

Connecticut's Financial Affidavit (Form JD-FM-6) requires all income and expenses reported on a weekly basis — a structural quirk that trips up many self-represented litigants, since most people think in monthly terms.

Step 2: Calculate Net Weekly Income

From gross weekly income, subtract allowable deductions:

• Federal and state income taxes (based on actual filing status and withholdings)
• FICA (Social Security and Medicare taxes)
• Mandatory retirement contributions
• Union dues (the 2026 guidelines remove the requirement that dues be "mandatory")
• Court-ordered support for other children
• Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) employee contributions

The result is each parent's net weekly income.

Step 3: Look Up the Presumptive Obligation

Combine both parents' net weekly incomes and locate the total on the Child Support Guidelines schedule. The schedule provides a presumptive basic child support obligation based on combined income and the number of children.

Prior to August 1, 2026, the schedule capped out at $4,000 combined net weekly income (roughly $208,000 annually). For families above this threshold, judges had broad discretion to set support.

The August 2026 Overhaul

Effective August 1, 2026, Connecticut implements the most comprehensive revision to its child support guidelines in over a decade. Key changes include:

Expanded income schedule. The statutory schedule now covers combined net incomes up to $6,000 per week (approximately $312,000 annually), replacing judicial discretion with a mandatory presumptive figure for higher-income families.

Three-parent worksheet. A new Form CCSG-1A handles child support calculations involving three legally recognized parents — Connecticut is the first state to integrate a multi-parent formula directly into its guidelines.

Stricter imputation standards. When a court attributes earning capacity to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent, it must now evaluate eight specific criteria, including employment history, job skills, health, criminal record, and local job availability. Full-time employment for imputation purposes is defined as 32 hours per week.

PFML treatment. Benefits under Connecticut's Paid Family and Medical Leave program are counted as gross income, while mandatory employee contributions are allowable deductions.

Step 4: Calculate Each Parent's Share

Divide each parent's net weekly income by the combined net weekly income to get their percentage share. Multiply that percentage by the presumptive basic support obligation.

In a standard primary physical custody arrangement, the noncustodial parent pays their proportional share to the custodial parent. The custodial parent's share is assumed to be spent directly on the child.

Add-On Expenses

The basic support obligation covers only room and board. Three additional expenses are calculated separately on Form JD-FM-220 and divided proportionally:

• Health insurance premiums for the child's coverage
• Work-related childcare costs necessary for employment or job searching
• Unreimbursed medical expenses including co-pays, dental, vision, and therapy

When the Guidelines Don't Apply

For combined net weekly incomes above $6,000 (post-August 2026), the guideline formulas stop. The court treats the maximum schedule amount as a floor and exercises discretion to set support above it based on the child's established standard of living.

Either parent can also request a deviation from the presumptive amount if applying the guidelines would be inequitable. The most common deviation in Connecticut is the shared physical custody deviation, which applies when both parents have at least 35% overnight parenting time.

The Connecticut Child Custody & Parenting Plan Guide includes a step-by-step child support planning worksheet that walks you through the gross-to-net conversion, calculates your proportional share, and flags whether your overnight schedule qualifies for a shared custody deviation.

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