Child support in Indiana
Indiana 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 Indiana Department of Child Services, Child Support Bureau at 1-800-840-8757.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Indiana?
Each parent's weekly gross income is adjusted (for example for other children or maintenance), the two are added, and the combined weekly amount is looked up in the Guideline Schedule. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance premiums are added, and a parenting time credit can apply.
Law: Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines (Indiana Supreme Court); IC 31-16-6
We don't estimate Indiana'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 Indiana
- Phone
- 1-800-840-8757 (KIDSLINE)
- Apply
- Apply online
- How to open a case
Enroll online or fill out the Child Support Enrollment Form and take or mail it to your county prosecutor's child support office. There is no fee. The county office decides which services your case needs and files in court. You can also file your own case in court.
- Application fee
$0. There is no fee to enroll (Indiana DCS).
- Yearly fee
Indiana charges the paying parent a state Annual Support Fee of $55 per child support case each year, even after current support ends if past-due support is owed on January 1. The federal $35 fee was not described separately.
Law: IC 33-37-5-6; IC 31-16-15
- Forms
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
If the parents aren't married, they can sign a paternity affidavit at the hospital within 72 hours of birth, or at the local health department any time before the child is emancipated. It establishes legal paternity without a court order. Otherwise either parent, or the county child support office if the case is open, can file a paternity action in court, where genetic testing can be ordered.
Source: DCS Paternity page
Indiana child support by topic
How support is calculated in Indiana
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Indiana
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Indiana
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Indiana
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Indiana
- Model
- Income shares
- How it works
Each parent's weekly gross income is adjusted (for example for other children or maintenance), the two are added, and the combined weekly amount is looked up in the Guideline Schedule. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance premiums are added, and a parenting time credit can apply.
- Low income
If combined weekly adjusted income is under $100, support is decided case by case. For very low incomes the court must make sure the parent keeps enough for self-support at a minimum subsistence level. A numeric order is required, though a $0 order is sometimes appropriate (Ind. Child Support Guideline 2).
- Official calculator
- Official Indiana child support calculator
- Health insurance and medical costs
The court must order one or both parents to provide health insurance when it is accessible and reasonable in cost. Cost is presumed reasonable unless the lowest out-of-pocket cost is more than 5% of the parents' combined gross income; public coverage like Medicaid or Hoosier Healthwise counts. If insurance isn't available, the court orders cash medical support, and uninsured costs are shared (Ind. Child Support Guideline 7).
Law: Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines (Indiana Supreme Court); IC 31-16-6
Change a child support order in Indiana
- When a change is allowed
An order can be changed if there is a substantial and continuing change of circumstances that makes it unreasonable, or if the order is at least 12 months old and the guideline amount now differs from it by more than 20% (Ind. Child Support Guideline 4; IC 31-16-8-1).
- How to ask
Either parent can file a petition to modify in court, or ask the county prosecutor's child support (Title IV-D) office to review the order. The IV-D office must review TANF cases every 3 years. If one of several children is emancipated, support does not drop automatically; you must ask for a modification.
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Indiana
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding (wages, unemployment and other benefits)
- Federal and state tax refund intercept
- Lottery winnings and insurance settlement intercept
- Credit bureau reporting (arrears over $1,000)
- Driver's, professional, hunting and fishing license suspension
- New-hire matching
- Data matches with federal and state agencies
- Liens on real and personal property (no minimum amount)
- Casino, sports wagering and daily fantasy sports winnings intercept
- License suspension
The county prosecutor's child support office can start action to suspend a driver's, professional or occupational license when you owe at least $2,000 or are 3 months behind on court-ordered support.
Source: OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Indiana profile
- Interest on unpaid support
Interest is not automatic. The court may order interest on unpaid support of up to 1.5% a month.
Law: IC 31-16-12-2, as reported by Indiana in the OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide
Law: IC 31-16-12; DCS Child Support Orders page; OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide, Indiana profile
When child support ends in Indiana
- Support ends
19 (the child is emancipated by law at 19)
- Exceptions
Support continues for an incapacitated child during the incapacity, by court order. A court may end support earlier if the child joins active military duty, is not under a parent's care, or is at least 18, out of school for 4 months and able to self-support. College expenses are handled separately under Guideline 8.
Law: IC 31-16-6-6
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Indiana
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 Indiana's agency contact.
Good to know in Indiana
- Support ends at 19 in Indiana, not 18 (IC 31-16-6-6).
- The paying parent owes a $55 Annual Support Fee per case each year (DCS).
- Child support is calculated on weekly, not monthly, income (Indiana Child Support Guidelines).
Changes in 2024–2026
Updated guidelines took effect January 1, 2024, after the 2023 review, including a new Weekly Support Schedule and changes to the health care rules (Guideline 7, effective January 1, 2024). The rules page also shows an update effective May 14, 2024.
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 Indiana
How is child support calculated in Indiana?
Each parent's weekly gross income is adjusted (for example for other children or maintenance), the two are added, and the combined weekly amount is looked up in the Guideline Schedule. Each parent pays a share based on their part of the combined income. Work-related child care and the child's health insurance premiums are added, and a parenting time credit can apply.
Is there an official child support calculator for Indiana?
What if the paying parent has a low income in Indiana?
If combined weekly adjusted income is under $100, support is decided case by case. For very low incomes the court must make sure the parent keeps enough for self-support at a minimum subsistence level. A numeric order is required, though a $0 order is sometimes appropriate (Ind. Child Support Guideline 2).
How do I apply for child support in Indiana?
Enroll online or fill out the Child Support Enrollment Form and take or mail it to your county prosecutor's child support office. There is no fee. The county office decides which services your case needs and files in court. You can also file your own case in court.
Does it cost money to open a child support case in Indiana?
$0. There is no fee to enroll (Indiana DCS).
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Indiana?
Indiana charges the paying parent a state Annual Support Fee of $55 per child support case each year, even after current support ends if past-due support is owed on January 1. The federal $35 fee was not described separately.
When can child support be changed in Indiana?
An order can be changed if there is a substantial and continuing change of circumstances that makes it unreasonable, or if the order is at least 12 months old and the guideline amount now differs from it by more than 20% (Ind. Child Support Guideline 4; IC 31-16-8-1).
How do I ask to change child support in Indiana?
Either parent can file a petition to modify in court, or ask the county prosecutor's child support (Title IV-D) office to review the order. The IV-D office must review TANF cases every 3 years. If one of several children is emancipated, support does not drop automatically; you must ask for a modification.
What happens if child support is not paid in Indiana?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding (wages, unemployment and other benefits); Federal and state tax refund intercept; Lottery winnings and insurance settlement intercept; Credit bureau reporting (arrears over $1,000); Driver's, professional, hunting and fishing license suspension; New-hire matching; Data matches with federal and state agencies; Liens on real and personal property (no minimum amount); Casino, sports wagering and daily fantasy sports winnings intercept.
Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Indiana?
The county prosecutor's child support office can start action to suspend a driver's, professional or occupational license when you owe at least $2,000 or are 3 months behind on court-ordered support.
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Indiana?
Interest is not automatic. The court may order interest on unpaid support of up to 1.5% a month.
When does child support end in Indiana?
19 (the child is emancipated by law at 19)
Can child support continue past the usual age in Indiana?
Support continues for an incapacitated child during the incapacity, by court order. A court may end support earlier if the child joins active military duty, is not under a parent's care, or is at least 18, out of school for 4 months and able to self-support. College expenses are handled separately under Guideline 8.
How is paternity established in Indiana?
If the parents aren't married, they can sign a paternity affidavit at the hospital within 72 hours of birth, or at the local health department any time before the child is emancipated. It establishes legal paternity without a court order. Otherwise either parent, or the county child support office if the case is open, can file a paternity action in court, where genetic testing can be ordered.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Indiana?
The court must order one or both parents to provide health insurance when it is accessible and reasonable in cost. Cost is presumed reasonable unless the lowest out-of-pocket cost is more than 5% of the parents' combined gross income; public coverage like Medicaid or Hoosier Healthwise counts. If insurance isn't available, the court orders cash medical support, and uninsured costs are shared (Ind. Child Support Guideline 7).
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines
- Guideline 4: Modification
- Guideline 7: Health care
- Indiana Courts child support calculator
- DCS: Enroll for child support services
- DCS: Annual support fees
- DCS: Child support orders
- DCS: Custodial party FAQ
- DCS: Paternity
- OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide - Indiana profile
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)