Child support in Mississippi
Mississippi figures child support as a percentage of the paying parent's income: 14% for 1 child, 20% for 2 and 22% for 3. To open a case, contact the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Division of Child Support Enforcement at 877-882-4916.
- 1 child14%
- 2 children20%
- 3 children22%
- 4 children24%
- 5 children26%
Percent of income by number of children.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
Estimate child support in Mississippi
Enter the income and the number of children. We apply Mississippi's guideline percentage. It is a starting point, not the amount a court or agency will order.
Open a child support case in Mississippi
- Phone
- 877-882-4916
- Apply
- Apply online
- How to open a case
Fill out the Application for Child Support Services and send it to MDHS by upload, mail or in person. MDHS can then establish paternity and ask the chancery court for an order, or you can file a complaint for support in court yourself. A notarized stipulated agreement approved by a judge can also become an enforceable order.
Source: form 675, available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese
- Application fee
$25 application fee, unless you receive a state-supported benefit such as SNAP, TANF or Medicaid. A locate-only application is free.
- Yearly fee
$35 a year if you have never received TANF, MDHS has paid you at least $550 between October 1 and September 30, and you are not getting SNAP for children under 18 when the $550 is reached. MDHS deducts it from support collected.
- Forms
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Unmarried parents can sign A Simple Acknowledgment of Paternity (ASAP), usually at the hospital, at no cost when filed with the birth certificate. Otherwise MDHS can help establish paternity in court, including DNA testing ($25 application fee unless you get SNAP, TANF or Medicaid).
Mississippi child support by topic
How support is calculated in Mississippi
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Mississippi
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Mississippi
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Mississippi
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Mississippi
- Model
- Percentage of income
- How it works
Support is a percentage of the paying parent's adjusted gross income: gross income minus taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement contributions, and any court-ordered support for other children. The monthly amount is that income times the percentage for the number of children.
- Percentages
1 child 14%; 2 children 20%; 3 children 22%; 4 children 24%; 5 or more children 26% of adjusted gross income
- Low income
If the paying parent's adjusted gross income is under $10,000 or over $100,000 a year, the court must make a written finding on whether using the guidelines is reasonable.
Law: Miss. Code Ann. §43-19-101(4)
- Official calculator
- Official Mississippi child support guidelines
- Health insurance and medical costs
Every support order must include reasonable medical support. The court must make findings on whether health insurance is available to the parties and what it costs, and then provide for coverage or, if it isn't available at a reasonable cost, for payment of the child's medical expenses.
Law: Miss. Code Ann. §43-19-101(6)
Law: Miss. Code Ann. §§43-19-101, 43-19-103
Change a child support order in Mississippi
- When a change is allowed
Through MDHS, you can ask for a review every three years from the date the order was entered or last changed, and no proof of a change is needed. Inside the three years, you must show a substantial change in circumstances, such as a big change in the paying parent's income, the child's greater needs with age, or special health needs. Only a court can change the amount.
- How to ask
Send MDHS a Custodial Parent Review Questionnaire or Non-custodial Parent Review Questionnaire, or file a petition to modify in chancery court.
Law: MDHS Division of Child Support Enforcement review policy; Miss. Code Ann. §43-19-101
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Mississippi
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding
- Unemployment benefit withholding
- Federal and state tax refund intercept
- Credit bureau reporting (60 days unpaid)
- Workers' compensation and personal injury claim liens
- Bank account freeze and seizure
- Driver's, hunting and professional license suspension
- Passport denial ($2,500 or more owed)
- Contempt of court
- License suspension
One or more months behind in paying current support and arrears in full, failing to obey a subpoena or warrant in a paternity or support case, or a payment left unpaid 30 days after agreeing to a payment plan.
- Contempt of court
MDHS can take a parent who owes back support to court for contempt after trying other remedies; the court can jail the parent until a set amount is paid. You can ask MDHS to file by sending the Custodial Parent Contempt Questionnaire.
Source: Form 471
- Interest on unpaid support
When a court sets (adjudicates) the amount of past-due support with interest, MDHS policy is to use 8% simple interest unless the court judgment sets a different rate; principal and interest are stated separately.
Law: MDHS Child Support Policy Manual, Vol. VI, ch. 4
When child support ends in Mississippi
- Support ends
21 (the age of majority in Mississippi), unless the order says otherwise
- Exceptions
Support ends automatically earlier if the child marries, joins the military full time, or is sentenced to two or more years for a felony. A court can also end it if a child 18 or older stops attending school full time (unless disabled), or moves out, works full time and stops school before 21, or cohabits without the paying parent's approval. Support is suspended while a child who is not emancipated is incarcerated.
Law: Miss. Code Ann. §93-11-65
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Mississippi
- North Mississippi Rural Legal Services (northern 39 counties) · 1-800-898-8731
- Mississippi Center for Legal Services
- 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 Mississippi's agency contact.
Good to know in Mississippi
- In Mississippi, child support generally lasts until 21, not 18 (MDHS Handbook; Miss. Code Ann. §93-11-65).
- Mississippi is one of the few states that sets support as a flat percentage of the paying parent's income, from 14% for one child to 26% for five or more (Miss. Code Ann. §43-19-101).
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 Mississippi
How is child support calculated in Mississippi?
Support is a percentage of the paying parent's adjusted gross income: gross income minus taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement contributions, and any court-ordered support for other children. The monthly amount is that income times the percentage for the number of children.
What percentage of income is child support in Mississippi?
1 child 14%; 2 children 20%; 3 children 22%; 4 children 24%; 5 or more children 26% of adjusted gross income
What if the paying parent has a low income in Mississippi?
If the paying parent's adjusted gross income is under $10,000 or over $100,000 a year, the court must make a written finding on whether using the guidelines is reasonable.
How do I apply for child support in Mississippi?
Fill out the Application for Child Support Services and send it to MDHS by upload, mail or in person. MDHS can then establish paternity and ask the chancery court for an order, or you can file a complaint for support in court yourself. A notarized stipulated agreement approved by a judge can also become an enforceable order.
Does it cost money to open a child support case in Mississippi?
$25 application fee, unless you receive a state-supported benefit such as SNAP, TANF or Medicaid. A locate-only application is free.
Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Mississippi?
$35 a year if you have never received TANF, MDHS has paid you at least $550 between October 1 and September 30, and you are not getting SNAP for children under 18 when the $550 is reached. MDHS deducts it from support collected.
When can child support be changed in Mississippi?
Through MDHS, you can ask for a review every three years from the date the order was entered or last changed, and no proof of a change is needed. Inside the three years, you must show a substantial change in circumstances, such as a big change in the paying parent's income, the child's greater needs with age, or special health needs. Only a court can change the amount.
How do I ask to change child support in Mississippi?
Send MDHS a Custodial Parent Review Questionnaire or Non-custodial Parent Review Questionnaire, or file a petition to modify in chancery court.
What happens if child support is not paid in Mississippi?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Unemployment benefit withholding; Federal and state tax refund intercept; Credit bureau reporting (60 days unpaid); Workers' compensation and personal injury claim liens; Bank account freeze and seizure; Driver's, hunting and professional license suspension; Passport denial ($2,500 or more owed); Contempt of court.
Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Mississippi?
One or more months behind in paying current support and arrears in full, failing to obey a subpoena or warrant in a paternity or support case, or a payment left unpaid 30 days after agreeing to a payment plan.
Can a parent be held in contempt for not paying in Mississippi?
MDHS can take a parent who owes back support to court for contempt after trying other remedies; the court can jail the parent until a set amount is paid. You can ask MDHS to file by sending the Custodial Parent Contempt Questionnaire.
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Mississippi?
When a court sets (adjudicates) the amount of past-due support with interest, MDHS policy is to use 8% simple interest unless the court judgment sets a different rate; principal and interest are stated separately.
When does child support end in Mississippi?
21 (the age of majority in Mississippi), unless the order says otherwise
Can child support continue past the usual age in Mississippi?
Support ends automatically earlier if the child marries, joins the military full time, or is sentenced to two or more years for a felony. A court can also end it if a child 18 or older stops attending school full time (unless disabled), or moves out, works full time and stops school before 21, or cohabits without the paying parent's approval. Support is suspended while a child who is not emancipated is incarcerated.
How is paternity established in Mississippi?
Unmarried parents can sign A Simple Acknowledgment of Paternity (ASAP), usually at the hospital, at no cost when filed with the birth certificate. Otherwise MDHS can help establish paternity in court, including DNA testing ($25 application fee unless you get SNAP, TANF or Medicaid).
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Mississippi?
Every support order must include reasonable medical support. The court must make findings on whether health insurance is available to the parties and what it costs, and then provide for coverage or, if it isn't available at a reasonable cost, for payment of the child's medical expenses.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- MDHS Division of Child Support Enforcement
- Mississippi Child Support Guidelines (Miss. Code Ann. §§43-19-101, -103), MDHS
- MDHS FAQ: Annual Fee
- MDHS Understanding Child Support: A Handbook for Parents
- MDHS Child Support Policy Manual (Emancipation)
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)