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Minnesota child support: PICS, the guideline table, and the parenting expense adjustment

Minnesota calls its income base PICS, parental income for determining child support, and adjusts support for parenting time with a formula that has no threshold at all: every court-ordered overnight counts. Here is how the steps in Minn. Stat. 518A.34 fit together.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined PICS: gross income minus deductions for nonjoint children (Minn. Stat. 518A.26, 518A.34)
Guideline tableMinn. Stat. 518A.35, effective January 1, 2023; above $20,000 combined PICS a month, the statute points to the $20,000 row
Parenting timeParenting expense adjustment using each parent's overnights cubed, with no threshold, whenever parenting time is court-ordered
Minimum basic support$50 for one child, $60 for two, $70 for three, $80 for four, $90 for five, $100 for six or more
Support endsAge 18, or under 20 while still attending secondary school; longer for a child incapable of self-support
ModificationPresumed substantial change when the new amount is at least 20% and at least $75 a month different
AgencyCounty child support offices, with the Child Support Division of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)

How Minnesota calculates child support

Minnesota's statute lays the calculation out in order. First find each parent's gross income; spousal maintenance received counts as income and maintenance paid is subtracted. Then subtract the deduction for nonjoint children (children of either parent from another relationship) to get each parent's PICS. Add the two PICS figures and work out each parent's percentage.

Combined PICS is looked up in the guideline table in 518A.35 to find basic support for the joint children. Each parent's share follows their PICS percentage. Medical support and child care are then divided by the same percentages, and the parenting expense adjustment is applied last.

The table took effect January 1, 2023 and moves in $100 rows. For combined PICS above $20,000 a month, the statute points to the $20,000 row. The state's official guidelines calculator runs the same steps for up to six joint children.

Worked example: Minnesota

  1. Parent A has $6,000 a month in gross income and Parent B has $4,000. Neither has nonjoint children, so PICS equals gross income and combined PICS is $10,000.
  2. The 518A.35 row for $10,000 to $10,099 shows $1,722 of basic support for two joint children.
  3. Parent A's PICS share is 60%, so Parent A's basic support is $1,033 and Parent B's is $689.
  4. If no parenting time order applies, Parent A pays $1,033 a month ($12,396 a year) in basic support, plus a share of medical support and child care.

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.

The parenting expense adjustment: overnights cubed

Under 518A.36, raise the approximate number of annual overnights with each parent to the third power. Multiply Parent B's cubed figure by Parent A's basic support and Parent A's cubed figure by Parent B's basic support, subtract, and divide by the sum of the two cubes. The result is what the parent with the larger amount pays. There is no threshold and no cliff, but the adjustment applies only when there is a court order for parenting time.

In the example, with 146 court-ordered overnights for Parent A and 219 for Parent B, the formula gives a payment from Parent A of about $640 a month instead of $1,033. With equal overnights it is half the difference between the two shares, about $172. With equal time and equal PICS, no basic support is paid.

Medical support and child care

The cost of private health coverage for the joint children and all unreimbursed and uninsured health-related expenses are divided by each parent's share of combined PICS, with no deductible threshold. Coverage is presumed affordable if the premium for covering the joint child is no more than 5% of the parents' combined PICS. Reimbursement requests must be made within two years.

Work-related or education-related child care is divided by PICS share after subtracting the estimated federal and state child care credits. A low-income obligor pays the lesser of the sliding-fee copayment or their share.

Self-support reserve and minimums

Before setting support, the court subtracts a self-support reserve equal to 120% of the federal poverty guideline for one person from the obligor's PICS. If the obligor cannot pay everything, medical support is reduced first, then child care, then basic support. Minimum basic support is $50 a month for one child up to $100 for six or more, and an obligor at the minimum is presumed unable to pay child care or medical support. The minimum does not apply to an obligor who is incarcerated or receives SSI, TANF, MFIP or general assistance.

Nonjoint children

Court-ordered support a parent pays for children from another relationship is deducted from gross income. For nonjoint children living with the parent without a support order, the deduction is 75% of the guideline amount for those children computed on that parent's income alone. A new nonjoint child is not by itself presumed to justify a modification.

When support ends and how to change it

A child for support purposes is someone under 18, someone under 20 who is still attending secondary school, or someone who cannot support themselves because of a physical or mental condition.

Under 518A.39, a substantial change is presumed when applying the guidelines gives an amount at least 20% and at least $75 a month higher or lower than the current order (only 20% if the current order is under $75), or when a party's gross income drops 20% through no fault or choice of their own.

Collection and enforcement

Child support cases in Minnesota are handled by county child support offices, working with the Child Support Division of the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The division maintains the official guidelines calculator.

Documents you will need

Minnesota child support FAQ

Where is the official Minnesota child support calculator for 2026?

The Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Calculator is at childsupportcalculator.dhs.state.mn.us. It follows Minn. Stat. 518A, including the table that took effect January 1, 2023, and handles up to six joint children.

How is child support calculated in Minnesota?

Find each parent's PICS (gross income minus nonjoint-children deductions), combine them, look up basic support in the 518A.35 table, split it by PICS share, add medical support and child care by the same shares, then apply the cubed-overnights parenting expense adjustment.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Minnesota?

At $10,000 of combined PICS, basic support for two children is $1,722. A parent with 60% of PICS owes $1,033 before the parenting expense adjustment, or about $640 with 146 court-ordered overnights.

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

Only when PICS is also equal. With equal overnights the higher earner pays half the difference between the two basic support shares, about $172 a month in our 60/40 example, plus shares of medical support and child care.

What is the minimum child support in Minnesota?

Minimum basic support is $50 a month for one child, $60 for two, $70 for three, $80 for four, $90 for five and $100 for six or more, after the 120% of poverty self-support reserve is applied.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

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