Child support in Rhode Island
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) at (401) 458-4400.
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓
How much child support in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island Family Court guidelines use both parents' monthly gross income, minus allowed deductions. The combined adjusted income is matched to the child support table, work-related child care is added, and each parent's share is set by his or her percentage of the combined income. The paying parent's share becomes the recommended order, and cash medical support can be added.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(a); Family Court administrative order on child support guidelines; Child Support Guideline Worksheet FC-78
We don't estimate Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island
- Phone
- (401) 458-4400
- How to open a case
Ask the Office of Child Support Services for help setting up a case, or file a complaint for support (or support as part of a divorce or miscellaneous petition) in Family Court. The Child Support Guideline Worksheet (FC-78) must be filed with the complaint, answer or modification.
- Paternity (legal fatherhood)
Called parentage. Parents can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, or parentage can be set by genetic testing or a Family Court order under the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act.
Rhode Island child support by topic
How support is calculated in Rhode Island
The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.
Change child support in Rhode Island
When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.
Collect unpaid support in Rhode Island
Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.
When support ends in Rhode Island
The end age, high school and disability rules.
How child support is figured in Rhode Island
- Model
- Income shares
- How it works
Rhode Island Family Court guidelines use both parents' monthly gross income, minus allowed deductions. The combined adjusted income is matched to the child support table, work-related child care is added, and each parent's share is set by his or her percentage of the combined income. The paying parent's share becomes the recommended order, and cash medical support can be added.
- Official calculator
- Official Rhode Island child support worksheet
- Health insurance and medical costs
Every Family Court support order must require one or both parents to get health insurance for the child when it is available through work at no cost or reasonable cost; reasonable cost is defined in the guidelines. A National Medical Support Notice goes to the employer.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(d)(2), ch. 15-29
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(a); Family Court administrative order on child support guidelines; Child Support Guideline Worksheet FC-78
Change a child support order in Rhode Island
- When a change is allowed
Every 3 years from the date the order was set or last changed, either parent (or the state) can ask for a review, and the court adjusts the order to match the guidelines with no need to prove a change in circumstances. Before 3 years, the court may change the order if there has been a substantial change in circumstances. A change can go back only to the date the other parent got notice of the motion. A parent jailed 180 days or more can have the order reviewed; jail is not treated as voluntary unemployment.
- How to ask
File a motion to modify in Family Court with a new Child Support Guideline Worksheet (FC-78), or ask OCSS to request a review.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.7; 15-5-16.2(c)(2)-(3)
Can I ask for a change? Check your situation
Collect unpaid child support in Rhode Island
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:
- Collection tools
- Income withholding
- Suspension of driver's, professional, occupational and recreational licenses
- Liens (at least $500 in arrears)
- Credit reporting
- Assigning the paying parent's personal property to pay arrears
- Security deposit or bond
- Contempt of court
- Financial institution data match and account seizure
- Lottery winnings intercept
- Passport denial
- License suspension
More than 90 days' worth of unpaid current support, or not keeping up with a payment agreement or required health insurance
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-11.1-2
- Interest on unpaid support
12% a year on unpaid child support, unless the Family Court relieves the paying parent of interest for good cause.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.5
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 15-11.1, 15-16, 15-19, 15-21, 15-25; 15-5-16.2(d)
When child support ends in Rhode Island
- Support ends
18. If the child is in high school at 18, the court may order support until 90 days after graduation, but never past the 19th birthday.
- Exceptions
The court may order support past that point for a child with a severe physical or mental impairment who still lives with or is cared for by a parent, if the disability began before emancipation.
Law: R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(b)
When does support end? Check your situation
Free help in Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island's agency contact.
Good to know in Rhode Island
- Unpaid support carries 12% yearly interest unless the court excuses it for good cause (R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.5).
- After the youngest child is emancipated, wage withholding continues and goes toward any arrears until they are paid (R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(c)(2)).
- The state can automatically ask the court to modify support when a paying parent will be jailed 180 days or more (R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2(c)(3)).
Changes in 2024–2026
A 2024 law changed the rule for parents in prison: a parent jailed for criminal nonsupport or for willful contempt is no longer automatically barred from asking to modify support, but the court may still deny the motion.
Law: P.L. 2024, ch. 52 and 53, effective June 4, 2024; R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2
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 Rhode Island
How is child support calculated in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island Family Court guidelines use both parents' monthly gross income, minus allowed deductions. The combined adjusted income is matched to the child support table, work-related child care is added, and each parent's share is set by his or her percentage of the combined income. The paying parent's share becomes the recommended order, and cash medical support can be added.
How do I apply for child support in Rhode Island?
Ask the Office of Child Support Services for help setting up a case, or file a complaint for support (or support as part of a divorce or miscellaneous petition) in Family Court. The Child Support Guideline Worksheet (FC-78) must be filed with the complaint, answer or modification.
When can child support be changed in Rhode Island?
Every 3 years from the date the order was set or last changed, either parent (or the state) can ask for a review, and the court adjusts the order to match the guidelines with no need to prove a change in circumstances. Before 3 years, the court may change the order if there has been a substantial change in circumstances. A change can go back only to the date the other parent got notice of the motion. A parent jailed 180 days or more can have the order reviewed; jail is not treated as voluntary unemployment.
How do I ask to change child support in Rhode Island?
File a motion to modify in Family Court with a new Child Support Guideline Worksheet (FC-78), or ask OCSS to request a review.
What happens if child support is not paid in Rhode Island?
Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Suspension of driver's, professional, occupational and recreational licenses; Liens (at least $500 in arrears); Credit reporting; Assigning the paying parent's personal property to pay arrears; Security deposit or bond; Contempt of court; Financial institution data match and account seizure; Lottery winnings intercept; Passport denial.
Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Rhode Island?
More than 90 days' worth of unpaid current support, or not keeping up with a payment agreement or required health insurance
Is there interest on unpaid child support in Rhode Island?
12% a year on unpaid child support, unless the Family Court relieves the paying parent of interest for good cause.
When does child support end in Rhode Island?
18. If the child is in high school at 18, the court may order support until 90 days after graduation, but never past the 19th birthday.
Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Rhode Island?
If the child is in high school at 18, the court may order support until 90 days after graduation, but never past the 19th birthday.
Can child support continue past the usual age in Rhode Island?
The court may order support past that point for a child with a severe physical or mental impairment who still lives with or is cared for by a parent, if the disability began before emancipation.
How is paternity established in Rhode Island?
Called parentage. Parents can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, or parentage can be set by genetic testing or a Family Court order under the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act.
Who pays for the child's health insurance in Rhode Island?
Every Family Court support order must require one or both parents to get health insurance for the child when it is available through work at no cost or reasonable cost; reasonable cost is defined in the guidelines. A National Medical Support Notice goes to the employer.
More help on our sister sites
Sources
- R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.2 Child support
- R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.5 Interest on arrearages
- R.I. Gen. Laws 15-5-16.7 Review of child support orders
- R.I. Gen. Laws 15-11.1-2 Definitions (license suspension)
- Family Court Child Support Guideline Worksheet FC-78
- R.I. Gen. Laws Title 15 index
- P.L. 2024, ch. 52 (H 7975)
- OCSS: Contact information for state and tribal child support agencies
- OCSS Intergovernmental Reference Guide (IRG) - State Profile Query
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)