Arkansas Child Support Calculator & Guide (2026)

At a glance

Model	Income shares on combined gross monthly income (Administrative Order No. 10, required since July 1, 2020)
Chart	Monthly Family Support Chart in $50 rows up to $30,000 combined; orders are rounded down to the whole dollar
Self-support reserve	$900 a month, built into the chart's shaded area
Minimum order	Presumptive $125 a month when the payor's gross income is under $900 a month
Shared time	About equal time: obligations offset on the worksheet. 141+ overnights each: the court may adjust
Support ends	Age 18, or if still in high school, graduation or the end of the school year after the 19th birthday, whichever is earlier
Agency	Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration

How Arkansas calculates child support

Under Act 907 of 2019, the Arkansas Supreme Court replaced the old payor-income charts with a monthly Family Support Chart based on the income shares model. Each parent's child support gross income is gross income minus court-ordered support they currently pay for other children. The two figures are combined and the chart gives the basic obligation for that income and number of children.

The Child Support Worksheet then divides the basic obligation by income share, adds three possible add-ons (health insurance, extraordinary medical costs, and work-related child care), credits the payor for add-ons the payor already pays, and produces the presumed order on line 13. Orders are rounded down to the nearest whole dollar.

The chart is monthly and stops at $30,000 of combined income; above that, the highest chart amount is the starting point and the court uses its discretion. To match a paycheck, the order converts the monthly amount using 4.334 weeks per month, 26 biweekly or 24 semimonthly periods a year. The weekly and biweekly charts still posted from 2007 belong to the old system and should not be used.

Worked example: Arkansas

Parent A has $6,000 a month in gross income and Parent B has $4,000; combined gross income is $10,000.
On the Family Support Chart, the $10,000 row shows $1,501 for two children.
Parent A's share of income is 60%. 60% of $1,501 is just over $900, and Arkansas rounds down, so Parent A's share is $900; Parent B's is $600.
With Parent B as the custodial parent and no add-ons, the presumed order on line 13 is $900 a month, $10,800 a year.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

Shared time in Arkansas: equal time and the 141-overnight rule

The chart assumes the payor has the children fewer than 141 overnights a year. When the parents share approximately equal time, the court computes each parent's obligation on the worksheet and offsets the smaller against the larger. In our example that leaves Parent A paying about $300 a month.

When both parents have the children at least 141 overnights a year but time is not equal, there is no formula: the court may consider the time with the payor as a reason to adjust, weighing how different the incomes are and who pays the fixed costs that are not duplicated between homes. In split custody, each parent's obligation is computed and the two are offset.

Health insurance, medical costs and child care

The chart already builds in $250 per child per year of ordinary out-of-pocket medical costs. The children's share of the health insurance premium is an add-on divided by income, and coverage is considered reasonable when dependent coverage costs no more than 5% of the gross income of the parent providing it. Extraordinary medical costs, such as orthodontia or counseling, may be added. Reasonable child care a parent pays because of work or a job search is the third add-on, also split by income.

Low income and the $125 minimum

The chart protects a self-support reserve of $900 a month, based on the federal poverty guidelines adjusted for Arkansas price levels. In the shaded area only the payor's income is used and add-ons are left out. When the payor's monthly gross income is under $900, a presumptive minimum order of $125 a month applies unless a party rebuts it.

Other children

Current support a parent pays under an earlier court order for other children is deducted from gross income, and earlier orders keep priority. Taking on a later support obligation is not, by itself, a material change that justifies lowering an existing order.

When support ends and reviews

Support ends when the child turns 18. If the child is still in high school, it continues until graduation or the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever comes first.

Changing an order requires a material change in circumstances. According to the OCSE handbook, an order in an agency case can be reviewed once every three years.

Collection and enforcement

The Office of Child Support Enforcement, part of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, establishes and enforces orders. The Arkansas courts host an official calculator (version 2.0) built on the 2020 income shares guidelines; it is meant for cases without joint custody and gives an estimate only.

Documents you will need

Pay Stubs, last 2-3 months
W-2 Forms, last 2 years
Federal Tax Return, most recent year
Health Insurance Premium Statement
Childcare Receipts / Provider Statement
Existing Support Order (if applicable)
Schedule C (Self-Employment Income)
Business Bank Statements, 3 months
Profit & Loss Statement

Arkansas child support FAQ

Is there an Arkansas child support calculator for 2026?

Yes. The Arkansas courts' Child Support Calculator v2.0 uses the income shares guidelines in effect since July 1, 2020. It is designed for cases without joint custody and gives an estimate only.

How is child support calculated in Arkansas?

Combine both parents' gross monthly incomes, find the basic obligation on the Family Support Chart, divide it by income share, add health insurance, extraordinary medical and child care, credit what the payor already pays, and round down to the dollar.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Arkansas?

At $10,000 of combined gross monthly income the chart shows $1,501 for two children. A payor with 60% of that income would owe $900 a month before add-ons.

Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Arkansas?

No. With approximately equal time, the two parents' obligations are offset and the parent with the larger one pays the difference. With 60/40 incomes and two children at $10,000 combined, that is about $300 a month.

Does Arkansas still use a percentage of the payor's income?

No. The percentage-based charts were replaced by the income shares Family Support Chart for orders from July 1, 2020. Calculators or articles that apply a flat percentage to the payor's net income are out of date.

Next steps

Run your estimate in CoreParent's child support calculator and keep your assumptions next to your parenting plan.
Custody schedules that change the overnight count: every other weekend, alternating weeks, 3-4-4-3 schedule.
Find a Arkansas family law attorney in our directory.
States with a similar model: North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma.
How custody is decided state by state: custody by state.

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

All states

This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Arkansas.

Arkansas child support: the income shares chart that replaced the old percentages