Child support in Georgia
Georgia uses the income-shares model: both parents' incomes count, and each parent pays a share of the child's support. To open a case, contact the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) at 1-877-423-4746.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Georgia?
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added and looked up in the Basic Child Support Obligation Table. Each parent's share is set by their percentage of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance are added, and adjustments for parenting time and low income may apply.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15
We don't estimate Georgia's amount here: its formula uses both parents' incomes and other facts, and a home-made number could mislead you. The official tool gives the real starting number:
Open a child support case in Georgia
- Phone
- 1-877-423-4746 (1-877-GADHSGO)
- Apply
- Apply online
- How to open a case
Apply online with DCSS or print an application packet and mail it, with the fee, to the child support office in your county. People who get TANF or certain Medicaid are served without applying. You can also ask for support in superior court in a divorce, legitimation or paternity case.
- Application fee
$25, non-refundable, paid by certified check or money order when you apply. No fee if you or your children get TANF or Family Medical Assistance (Medicaid); the fee is still due if only the children get Medicaid, or if you reapply after a case was closed.
Source: DCSS FAQ; DCSS application packet
- Yearly fee
$35 Annual Maintenance Fee for each case where the applicant never received TANF and the state collected at least $550 in support.
Source: DCSS application packet
- Forms
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Unmarried parents can sign a Paternity Acknowledgment at the hospital or later at a Vital Records office, before a notary. Either parent can cancel it within 60 days of signing or before a court order on paternity, whichever comes first; after that it can only be challenged in court. In new DCSS cases where paternity is not set, DCSS does genetic testing ($40 per person, paid back by the father if he is the father, or by the mother who applied if he is not; no charge for mothers on TANF or Family Medicaid and for relative caregivers). Custody or visitation needs a separate court case, such as legitimation; DCSS does not handle visitation.
Georgia child support by topic
How support is calculated in Georgia
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Georgia
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Georgia
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Georgia
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Georgia
- Model
- Income shares
- How it works
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added and looked up in the Basic Child Support Obligation Table. Each parent's share is set by their percentage of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance are added, and adjustments for parenting time and low income may apply.
- Low income
Since January 1, 2026, a Low-Income Adjustment applies when a parent's monthly adjusted gross income is under the top of the state's low-income table. Support is the lower of the normal amount and the table amount. At $1,500 a month or less, the table amount is 19% of income for 1 child, 24% for 2, 25% for 3, 26% for 4, 27% for 5 and 28% for 6. The calculator applies it automatically.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15(i.1), (p)
- Official calculator
- Official Georgia child support calculator
- Health insurance and medical costs
The child's health insurance premiums are added to the support calculation and shared by income. Each parent's share of future uninsured health costs is set on the worksheet. If a parent can get insurance at a reasonable cost, that parent is usually ordered to provide it.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15(h)
Change a child support order in Georgia
- When a change is allowed
In court, you need a substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or in the child's needs. A parent can't file a new modification petition within 2 years of the final order on their last one, unless it is about parenting time not used or extra parenting time used, or an involuntary loss of income. Either parent can ask DCSS for a review 3 years after the order took effect, or sooner with a substantial change in circumstances.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15(k)
- How to ask
Send a written review request to the DCSS office handling your case; DCSS may recommend a higher, lower or same amount and can add health insurance. Or file a petition to modify in superior court under the same rules as a divorce case. Past-due support is not changed.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15(k); 19-11-12
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Georgia
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding (from wages, unemployment and workers' compensation)
- Federal and state tax refund intercept
- Credit bureau reporting
- Driver's, professional, occupational, hunting and fishing license suspension
- Lottery winnings intercept over $2,500
- Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed
- Liens and seizure of bank accounts, lump-sum workers' compensation and property
- Contempt of court
- Contempt of court
A parent who does not pay or keep required medical insurance can be held in contempt in superior court and fined or jailed. A judge may send a parent who can't pay to the Fatherhood Program or Parental Accountability Court.
- Interest on unpaid support
Child support awards accrue interest at 7% per year, starting 30 days after a payment is due. The court may apply, reduce or waive past-due interest.
Law: O.C.G.A. 7-4-12.1
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-11-9.3 (license suspension)
When child support ends in Georgia
- Support ends
18, or up to 20 if the child is still enrolled in and attending high school (secondary school), when the order provides for it
- Exceptions
Support also ends if the child marries, dies or is emancipated.
Law: O.C.G.A. 19-6-15(e)
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Georgia
- Georgia Legal Services Program (legal aid outside metro Atlanta)
- Atlanta Legal Aid Society (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett)
- Find free legal help at LawHelp.org
Official self-help
Free letters and checklist
Ask the agency to review (change) your order
A letter to the child support agency asking for a review and adjustment.
Ask the agency to collect unpaid support
A letter asking the agency to enforce the order and collect what is past due.
Checklist: what to bring to open a case
IDs, birth certificates, the other parent's details and your papers, with Georgia's agency contact.
Good to know in Georgia
- Georgia uses gross income, not net income, in its table (O.C.G.A. 19-6-15).
- VA disability benefits paid to the child because of the paying parent's disability can be credited against support (SB 454, 2024).
- DCSS does not handle visitation; a father who wants visitation or custody rights must go to court, for example with a legitimation case (DCSS paternity page).
Changes in 2024–2026
Senate Bill 454 brought a new Basic Child Support Obligation Table, used in the calculator from July 1, 2024 (the first update since 2006), with the table extended to $40,000 combined monthly income. It also added a credit for VA disability benefits. From January 1, 2026, a formula Parenting Time Adjustment and an automatic Low-Income Adjustment replaced the old parenting-time and low-income deviations.
Federal rules in every state
- Applying. If you don't get TANF, Medicaid or foster care help, a state may charge an application fee of up to $25 to open a child support case. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(i)
- Yearly fee. If you never got TANF and the agency collected at least $550 for you in a year, the state charges a $35 yearly fee. It can come out of your support, but never out of the first $550. Law: 42 U.S.C. 654(6)(B)(ii)
- Review every 3 years. If your case is with the child support agency, either parent can ask it to review the order every 3 years and adjust it to the guidelines. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(10)(A); 45 CFR 303.8
- Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)
- Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- How long support lasts. How long support lasts follows the law of the state that made the order, even if you move. Law: 28 U.S.C. 1738B(h)(2)
Questions about child support in Georgia
How is child support calculated in Georgia?
Both parents' gross monthly incomes are added and looked up in the Basic Child Support Obligation Table. Each parent's share is set by their percentage of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance are added, and adjustments for parenting time and low income may apply.
Is there an official child support calculator for Georgia?
What if the paying parent has a low income in Georgia?
Since January 1, 2026, a Low-Income Adjustment applies when a parent's monthly adjusted gross income is under the top of the state's low-income table. Support is the lower of the normal amount and the table amount. At $1,500 a month or less, the table amount is 19% of income for 1 child, 24% for 2, 25% for 3, 26% for 4, 27% for 5 and 28% for 6. The calculator applies it automatically.
How do I apply for child support in Georgia?
Apply online with DCSS or print an application packet and mail it, with the fee, to the child support office in your county. People who get TANF or certain Medicaid are served without applying. You can also ask for support in superior court in a divorce, legitimation or paternity case.
Does it cost money to open a child support case in Georgia?
$25, non-refundable, paid by certified check or money order when you apply. No fee if you or your children get TANF or Family Medical Assistance (Medicaid); the fee is still due if only the children get Medicaid, or if you reapply after a case was closed.
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Georgia?
$35 Annual Maintenance Fee for each case where the applicant never received TANF and the state collected at least $550 in support.
When can child support be changed in Georgia?
In court, you need a substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or in the child's needs. A parent can't file a new modification petition within 2 years of the final order on their last one, unless it is about parenting time not used or extra parenting time used, or an involuntary loss of income. Either parent can ask DCSS for a review 3 years after the order took effect, or sooner with a substantial change in circumstances.
How do I ask to change child support in Georgia?
Send a written review request to the DCSS office handling your case; DCSS may recommend a higher, lower or same amount and can add health insurance. Or file a petition to modify in superior court under the same rules as a divorce case. Past-due support is not changed.
What happens if child support is not paid in Georgia?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding (from wages, unemployment and workers' compensation); Federal and state tax refund intercept; Credit bureau reporting; Driver's, professional, occupational, hunting and fishing license suspension; Lottery winnings intercept over $2,500; Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed; Liens and seizure of bank accounts, lump-sum workers' compensation and property; Contempt of court.
Can a parent be held in contempt for not paying in Georgia?
A parent who does not pay or keep required medical insurance can be held in contempt in superior court and fined or jailed. A judge may send a parent who can't pay to the Fatherhood Program or Parental Accountability Court.
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Georgia?
Child support awards accrue interest at 7% per year, starting 30 days after a payment is due. The court may apply, reduce or waive past-due interest.
When does child support end in Georgia?
18, or up to 20 if the child is still enrolled in and attending high school (secondary school), when the order provides for it
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Georgia?
18, or up to 20 if the child is still enrolled in and attending high school (secondary school), when the order provides for it
Can child support continue past the usual age in Georgia?
Support also ends if the child marries, dies or is emancipated.
How is paternity established in Georgia?
Unmarried parents can sign a Paternity Acknowledgment at the hospital or later at a Vital Records office, before a notary. Either parent can cancel it within 60 days of signing or before a court order on paternity, whichever comes first; after that it can only be challenged in court. In new DCSS cases where paternity is not set, DCSS does genetic testing ($40 per person, paid back by the father if he is the father, or by the mother who applied if he is not; no charge for mothers on TANF or Family Medicaid and for relative caregivers). Custody or visitation needs a separate court case, such as legitimation; DCSS does not handle visitation.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Georgia?
The child's health insurance premiums are added to the support calculation and shared by income. Each parent's share of future uninsured health costs is set on the worksheet. If a parent can get insurance at a reasonable cost, that parent is usually ordered to provide it.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- O.C.G.A. 19-6-15 (as posted by the Georgia Child Support Commission, eff. 1/1/2026)
- Georgia Child Support Commission: 2024 updates (SB 454)
- Changes to the calculator effective 01/01/2026
- DCSS: Understanding child support
- DCSS: FAQ
- DCSS: Application for services
- DCSS: Paternity establishment
- SB 382 (2006), text of O.C.G.A. 7-4-12.1
- DCSS application packet I (fees)
Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.
- State plan requirements: application fee, annual fee, safeguards, 42 U.S.C. 654
- Required state laws: arrears as judgments, review every 3 years, UIFSA, 42 U.S.C. 666
- Federal tax refund offset, 42 U.S.C. 664
- Passport denial for child support arrears, 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
- Garnishment limits for support orders, 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
- Full faith and credit for child support orders, 28 U.S.C. 1738B
- Office of Child Support Enforcement (federal)