Child support in Wisconsin

Wisconsin figures child support as a percentage of the paying parent's income: 17% for 1 child, 25% for 2 and 29% for 3. To open a case, contact the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Bureau of Child Support at 1-800-991-5530.

  • 1 child17%
  • 2 children25%
  • 3 children29%
  • 4 children31%
  • 5 children34%

Percent of income by number of children.

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Bureau of Child SupportCall 1-800-991-5530Apply onlineAgency website
Estimate supportOpen a caseChange my orderCollect unpaid support

Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026. · Free letters and checklist ↓

Estimate child support in Wisconsin

Enter the income and the number of children. We apply Wisconsin's guideline percentage. It is a starting point, not the amount a court or agency will order.

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Income before taxes, per month.

Enter the income and the number of children

Open a child support case in Wisconsin

Agency
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Bureau of Child Support, working through county and tribal child support agencies
Phone
1-800-991-5530 (automated payment information line, 24/7); for your case, call your county or tribal child support agency
Apply
Apply online
How to open a case

Download the Parent (or Guardian) Application for Child Support Services, fill it out, sign the back page and give it to your county or tribal child support agency. If one parent applies, both parents get case management services. Families in many benefit programs get services automatically. Locate-only service costs $25.

Yearly fee

$35 a year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30), taken from support after the case receives $550 or more that year. Not charged if you now get or ever got W-2, SSI Caretaker Supplement, Kinship Care or AFDC cash benefits, or in tribal or spousal-support-only cases. The paying parent pays a separate $65 yearly receiving and disbursing fee.

Source: DCF Fees page

Forms
Paternity (legal fatherhood)

If both parents are 18 or older and sure who the father is, they can sign a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment (VPA), available at every Wisconsin hospital, from midwives, the local child support agency, the Register of Deeds or State Vital Records. A withdrawal form can be filed within 60 days. If paternity is disputed, the court decides; local child support agencies offer genetic testing at reduced cost, and a 99% or greater probability makes the man the legal father.

Checklist: what to bring to open a case

Wisconsin child support by topic

How support is calculated in Wisconsin

The model, the percentages or the official calculator, and low-income rules.

Change child support in Wisconsin

When you can ask, how to ask, and a review letter.

Collect unpaid support in Wisconsin

Collection tools, interest and license rules, and a letter.

When support ends in Wisconsin

The end age, high school and disability rules.

How child support is figured in Wisconsin

Model
Percentage of income
How it works

Support is based on a set percentage of each paying parent's gross monthly income (or ability to earn). When both parents have the child at least 25% of the time (92 days a year), the shared-placement formula is the main method. Special rules apply for split placement, parents supporting more than one family, and low or high incomes.

Percentages

1 child 17%, 2 children 25%, 3 children 29%, 4 children 31%, 5 or more children 34% of income

Low income

If the paying parent's income is between 75% and 150% of the federal poverty level, the court may use the low-income payer table, which sets lower amounts.

Law: DCF 150 Appendix C

Source: DCF Tools page

Official calculator
Official Wisconsin child support calculator
Health insurance and medical costs

Orders must address medical support if a parent's income is above 150% of the federal poverty level. A parent can be ordered to add the children to job-based insurance if the cost is not more than 10% of that parent's monthly income (or another amount the court sets); the court can also order a parent to pay a share of uninsured medical costs, including birth costs in some cases. (DCF Medical Support Orders)

Law: Wis. Admin. Code ch. DCF 150; Wis. Stat. 767.511

Change a child support order in Wisconsin

When a change is allowed

Only a court can change an order. The child support agency will review an order if a parent asks and it has not been reviewed in 3 years. Sooner, there must be a substantial change in circumstances, such as a pay change that would move support by more than $50 a month or a change in the child's placement. A change may be made if the order does not follow the percentage standard, lacks medical support, or would change by $50 or more a month. Reviews are not done if the paying parent voluntarily reduced income.

Source: DCF Reviewing a Court Order page

How to ask

Ask your local child support agency for a free review (up to 180 days); if both parents agree, file a Stipulation and Order to Amend Judgment (no filing fee); or file your own motion to modify with the County Clerk of Court ($30 filing fee if it needs a court date).

Forms

Law: Wis. Stat. 767.59

Can I ask for a change? Check your situation

Wisconsin's rule: Only a court can change an order. The child support agency will review an order if a parent asks and it has not been reviewed in 3 years. Sooner, there must be a substantial change in circumstances, such as a pay change that would move support by more than $50 a month or a change in the child's placement. A change may be made if the order does not follow the percentage standard, lacks medical support, or would change by $50 or more a month. Reviews are not done if the paying parent voluntarily reduced income.

Law: Wis. Stat. 767.59

Until a new order is made, the current amount is still owed. A change can count only from the date the other parent gets notice of your request, so ask soon.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)

How to ask in Wisconsin: Ask your local child support agency for a free review (up to 180 days); if both parents agree, file a Stipulation and Order to Amend Judgment (no filing fee); or file your own motion to modify with the County Clerk of Court ($30 filing fee if it needs a court date).

Ask the agency to review (change) your order

Collect unpaid child support in Wisconsin

Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:

Collection tools
  • Income withholding (increased up to 50% of current support for past-due amounts)
  • Interest on past-due support
  • State and federal tax refund intercept
  • Federal actions such as passport denial and denial of loans or grants
  • Child support liens
  • Driver's, professional, occupational and recreational license denial, suspension or non-renewal
  • Court actions such as contempt
License suspension

A lien amount equal to or greater than 300% of the monthly support due or $1,000, whichever is greater, with no alternative payment plan in place.

Source: DCF License page

Contempt of court

The child support agency can take court action, such as contempt, on a case-by-case basis.

Source: DCF Enforcing Child Support Orders page

Interest on unpaid support

0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support. It is charged even while you pay on the debt, but not on unpaid birth costs or fees. (DCF Collecting Past-Due Child Support)

Law: Wis. Stat. ch. 767, 49.22

Ask the agency to collect unpaid support

When child support ends in Wisconsin

Support ends

18, or 19 if the child is still enrolled in high school or working toward a high school equivalency (GED)

Exceptions

Past-due support can still be enforced up to 20 years after the youngest child turns 18.

Law: Wis. Stat. 767.511(4)

When does support end? Check your situation

Wisconsin's rule: 18, or 19 if the child is still enrolled in high school or working toward a high school equivalency (GED)

Law: Wis. Stat. 767.511(4)

Your own order may set a different end date, for example when the parents agreed to one. Read it.

Free help in Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin's agency contact.

Good to know in Wisconsin

  • Wisconsin uses gross income, not net income, to set support. (DCF Setting Child Support Amounts)
  • Since May 23, 2021, courts can no longer order new 'family support' (combined child support and maintenance). (DCF; 2021 Wisconsin Act 35)
  • Parents paying support must report a job loss, new job or change in income to the child support agency within 10 days. (DCF Updating Personal Information)

Changes in 2024–2026

DCF 150 (the Child Support Standard) was revised effective January 1, 2024: new rules on imputing income based on a parent's ability to earn (including factors such as education, earnings history and incarceration; incarceration is not treated as voluntary unemployment), clearer equivalent-care rules for shared placement, and a clarified serial-family formula. DCF began its next quadrennial review in spring 2025.

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 Wisconsin

How is child support calculated in Wisconsin?

Support is based on a set percentage of each paying parent's gross monthly income (or ability to earn). When both parents have the child at least 25% of the time (92 days a year), the shared-placement formula is the main method. Special rules apply for split placement, parents supporting more than one family, and low or high incomes.

What percentage of income is child support in Wisconsin?

1 child 17%, 2 children 25%, 3 children 29%, 4 children 31%, 5 or more children 34% of income

Is there an official child support calculator for Wisconsin?

Yes: Official Wisconsin child support calculator.

What if the paying parent has a low income in Wisconsin?

If the paying parent's income is between 75% and 150% of the federal poverty level, the court may use the low-income payer table, which sets lower amounts.

How do I apply for child support in Wisconsin?

Download the Parent (or Guardian) Application for Child Support Services, fill it out, sign the back page and give it to your county or tribal child support agency. If one parent applies, both parents get case management services. Families in many benefit programs get services automatically. Locate-only service costs $25.

Is there a yearly fee for child support services in Wisconsin?

$35 a year (Oct. 1-Sept. 30), taken from support after the case receives $550 or more that year. Not charged if you now get or ever got W-2, SSI Caretaker Supplement, Kinship Care or AFDC cash benefits, or in tribal or spousal-support-only cases. The paying parent pays a separate $65 yearly receiving and disbursing fee.

When can child support be changed in Wisconsin?

Only a court can change an order. The child support agency will review an order if a parent asks and it has not been reviewed in 3 years. Sooner, there must be a substantial change in circumstances, such as a pay change that would move support by more than $50 a month or a change in the child's placement. A change may be made if the order does not follow the percentage standard, lacks medical support, or would change by $50 or more a month. Reviews are not done if the paying parent voluntarily reduced income.

How do I ask to change child support in Wisconsin?

Ask your local child support agency for a free review (up to 180 days); if both parents agree, file a Stipulation and Order to Amend Judgment (no filing fee); or file your own motion to modify with the County Clerk of Court ($30 filing fee if it needs a court date).

What happens if child support is not paid in Wisconsin?

Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding (increased up to 50% of current support for past-due amounts); Interest on past-due support; State and federal tax refund intercept; Federal actions such as passport denial and denial of loans or grants; Child support liens; Driver's, professional, occupational and recreational license denial, suspension or non-renewal; Court actions such as contempt.

Can a license be suspended for unpaid child support in Wisconsin?

A lien amount equal to or greater than 300% of the monthly support due or $1,000, whichever is greater, with no alternative payment plan in place.

Can a parent be held in contempt for not paying in Wisconsin?

The child support agency can take court action, such as contempt, on a case-by-case basis.

Is there interest on unpaid child support in Wisconsin?

0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support. It is charged even while you pay on the debt, but not on unpaid birth costs or fees. (DCF Collecting Past-Due Child Support)

When does child support end in Wisconsin?

18, or 19 if the child is still enrolled in high school or working toward a high school equivalency (GED)

Does child support continue while my child finishes high school in Wisconsin?

18, or 19 if the child is still enrolled in high school or working toward a high school equivalency (GED)

Can child support continue past the usual age in Wisconsin?

Past-due support can still be enforced up to 20 years after the youngest child turns 18.

How is paternity established in Wisconsin?

If both parents are 18 or older and sure who the father is, they can sign a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment (VPA), available at every Wisconsin hospital, from midwives, the local child support agency, the Register of Deeds or State Vital Records. A withdrawal form can be filed within 60 days. If paternity is disputed, the court decides; local child support agencies offer genetic testing at reduced cost, and a 99% or greater probability makes the man the legal father.

Who pays for the child's health insurance in Wisconsin?

Orders must address medical support if a parent's income is above 150% of the federal poverty level. A parent can be ordered to add the children to job-based insurance if the cost is not more than 10% of that parent's monthly income (or another amount the court sets); the court can also order a parent to pay a share of uninsured medical costs, including birth costs in some cases. (DCF Medical Support Orders)

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Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.

Federal sources

Other states

Estimate support