This calculator provides only an estimate of a potential child support amount for each parent. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Actual child support awards may vary based on additional factors and the discretion of the court.
How Much Is Child Support in Mississippi?
Mississippi calculates child support based on a percentage of the non-custodial parent’s adjusted gross income. For one child, the guideline is 14%. Therefore, a parent earning $50,000 annually would pay approximately $7,000 per year, while one earning $100,000 would pay about $14,000 annually.
How Is Child Support Calculated in Mississippi?
Child support is calculated using a percentage of both parents’ incomes, with most states using either an “income shares” model (combining both incomes and assigning proportional responsibility) or a “percentage of income” model (taking a fixed percentage of the paying parent’s income). Courts consider factors like custody arrangements (with the parent having less physical time typically paying more), additional expenses including healthcare, childcare, and education costs, and may adjust for special circumstances like disabilities or multiple support obligations.
Factors in the Mississippi Child Support Formula
Parent Net Income is the amount of money each parent earns after mandatory deductions like taxes, Social Security, and Medicare. This is the income figure used in child support calculations because it represents what’s actually available to support the child. In some jurisdictions, this may also account for:
- Existing child support obligations for other children
- Health insurance premiums for the child
- Mandatory retirement contributions
- Union dues
Parenting time (monthly overnights) refers to how many nights per month the child spends with each parent. This is typically counted as overnights – where the child sleeps – rather than daytime visits. This factor is important because:
- It helps determine the residential status of each parent
- It affects the child support calculation since more overnights usually means more direct expenses for that parent
- Many formulas reduce support payments as parenting time increases
Number of qualifying children is simply how many children are covered by the child support order. This matters because:
- Support amounts typically increase with each additional child
- However, there’s usually a diminishing scale (e.g., support for two children isn’t double the amount for one child)
- Age can sometimes be a factor, with older children potentially requiring higher support amounts