How we research our guides

Child support is set by each state's law and guidelines, inside a federal framework that every state must follow. This page explains where our information comes from and how the tools work.

Sources

Each state page is built from official sources only: the state's statutes and court rules, the state child support agency, state court self-help pages and official forms. Federal facts come from the official text of 42 U.S.C. 652, 653, 654, 664 and 666, 28 U.S.C. 1738B, 15 U.S.C. 1673(b) and 45 CFR parts 302 and 303, and from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement. Each page lists its sources and the date it was checked.

How we check

• Every state file is researched and then checked by a second, independent reviewer against the official text, with special care for guideline percentages, application fees, rules for changing an order, interest on unpaid support, the age support ends and agency contacts.
• A state page is published only after that check. Until then, the state appears on our map and in our tables as “not covered yet,” with a link to the state's child support agency or LawHelp.org.
• Where something could not be confirmed, we leave it out instead of guessing.

The estimator

The estimator appears only for states that set support as a percentage of income, and only when the state's percentages are written in our checked data. It multiplies the income you enter by the state's percentage for the number of children, and applies the state's cap or tiers where our data states them. It is always labelled as an estimate: courts and agencies add health insurance and child care, adjust for other children and parenting time, and can order a different amount. For income-shares and Melson states we don't make our own number; we explain the model and link the state's official calculator or worksheet.

The helpers, letters and checklist

The "when does support end" and "can I ask for a change" helpers only show the state's rule from our data and federal law; they never decide your case. The letters fill a standard letter with what you type. They are made on your device in English, because US agencies work in English; on Spanish pages a Spanish explanation is shown beside them. When you download, copy or print a letter or the checklist, we save the details you entered, as our privacy policy explains.

Report an error

Email us at hello@robinclaim.com with a link to the official source and we'll check it.