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Vermont child support: available income, the 30% rule, and a worked example

Vermont asks a simple question: what would these parents spend on their children if they still lived under one roof? The answer comes from a state table built on available income, which is pay after taxes and a few other deductions. Once each parent has the children at least 30% of the year, the amount is recalculated for two households.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined available income (15 V.S.A. 654 and 656)
Guideline tableTable of Intact Family Expenditures on Children, revised January 2, 2024; runs from $625 to $30,024.99 of combined available income a month
Shared custodyEach parent has 30% or more of the overnights: the table amount rises by 50% and is credited by time; a partial adjustment applies at 25% to 29%
Self-support reserve$1,596 a month since February 2, 2026 (120% of the federal poverty guideline for one person)
Support endsAge 18 or the end of high school, whichever is later
ModificationReal, substantial and unanticipated change; a gap of more than 10% from the guideline qualifies; the change requirement can be waived after 3 years
AgencyOffice of Child Support, Vermont Department for Children and Families

The intact family idea behind Vermont's numbers

Vermont adopted the income shares model in 1985. The law tells the Agency of Human Services to base the guideline on the percent of combined available income that parents living in the same Vermont household ordinarily spend on their children, and to revisit it at least every four years. The current table was revised on January 2, 2024, and the Office of Child Support lists the next review for January 2028.

The starting figure is gross income from almost any source: wages, bonuses, self-employment profit, Social Security, unemployment, workers' compensation, even gifts and prizes. Means-tested benefits such as SSI and food stamps are left out. A parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed can have income imputed, and non-income-producing assets worth $10,000 or more (other than the home and up to $15,000 of a vehicle) are treated as earning the long-term Treasury rate.

Gross income then becomes available income. Instead of asking each parent to figure their own taxes, Vermont publishes tax conversion tables: the custodial parent reads the column for the number of children, which builds in head of household status, and the noncustodial parent reads a single column on the far right. A separate table is used when custody is shared. From the after-tax figure, each parent subtracts child or spousal support actually paid for others, the children's health insurance premium, and an allowance for additional dependents at home. The two available incomes are added, the total is looked up in the blue Table of Intact Family Expenditures, and child care and extraordinary costs are added before the result is split by income.

Worked example: Vermont

  1. Parent A ends up with $5,000 a month of available income after the tax conversion table and deductions; Parent B, who has the children most of the time, ends up with $3,000. Together that is $8,000.
  2. On the Table of Intact Family Expenditures, the $7,975 to $8,024.99 row shows $2,114 a month for two children. That is what Vermont estimates the family would spend on them under one roof.
  3. Parent A earns 62.5% of the combined available income, so Parent A's share is $1,321 and Parent B's share, presumed to be spent directly on the children, is $793.
  4. With sole custody to Parent B, Parent A pays $1,321 a month, about $15,852 a year, as long as that leaves Parent A at least the $1,596 self-support reserve. Child care and extraordinary costs would be added to the $2,114 before splitting.

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 30% line: shared custody in Vermont

Vermont measures custody by overnights. When each parent keeps the children overnight for 30% or more of a calendar year, the shared custody worksheet applies. The table amount is multiplied by 1.5 to reflect the cost of running two homes, each parent takes an income share of that larger figure, and the parent with less time gets credit for the share of the 1.5 figure that matches their time with the children. The law adds a ceiling: no parent pays more under the shared formula than the sole custody guideline would require.

In the example, if Parent A has 120 overnights a year and Parent B has 245, Parent A's payment falls from $1,321 to about $939. With an exactly equal schedule it drops to about $396. If the parent with more time also has a much larger share of the income, the formula can come out negative; the shared custody instructions then have that parent pay the other the resulting amount or $50, whichever is greater.

Between 25% and 29% of the year there is a smaller, partial adjustment from a shared costs table adopted by rule, meant to keep parents from fighting over a handful of visits. Below 25%, the sole custody worksheet applies. CoreParent's calculator applies the full rule from 30% and does not model the partial band.

Health insurance, child care and extraordinary expenses

Vermont treats the children's health insurance differently from many states: the premium a parent actually pays is subtracted from that parent's income before the table lookup, rather than added to the obligation. The court must order one or both parents to provide coverage or a cash contribution when coverage is available at reasonable cost, which is presumed only when adding the child costs 5% or less of the parent's gross income.

Child care needed for a parent's job or job-related education is added at its annualized monthly cost, without subsidies or tax credits. Extraordinary medical expenses, including uninsured medical costs above $16 a month, and extraordinary educational expenses are added too, and the total is divided in proportion to available income.

Ability to pay: the self-support reserve

The self-support reserve is set at 120% of the federal poverty guideline for one person and has been $1,596 a month since February 2, 2026. If paying the full share would push the paying parent below it, the obligation is presumed to be the difference between available income and the reserve. If that parent's available income is already below the reserve, or below the table's lowest row, the court uses its discretion under the deviation factors and orders a nominal amount.

At the other end, when combined available income goes past the top of the table, the court sets support in its discretion. When income cannot be verified, the Office of Child Support uses a presumed income figure, $99,513 a year from July 1, 2026.

Other children and deviations

Additional dependents means natural, adopted and stepchildren a parent has a duty to support who are not part of this order. The worksheet gives that parent a deduction equal to the table amount for those children figured on the parent's own income. A court may also depart from the guideline with written findings, weighing factors such as the child's resources, the standard of living the child would have had, special health or educational needs, inflation, and extraordinary travel costs of parent-child contact.

How long support lasts and changing an order

Vermont's age of majority is 18, and a court may continue support until the child turns 18 or finishes secondary education, whichever is later. The statute does not require support for college.

To modify, a parent shows a real, substantial and unanticipated change of circumstances. An order that differs by more than 10% from the current guideline amount meets that test on its own, as do receiving workers' compensation, disability or means-tested benefits, unemployment not foreseen in the order, and incarceration of more than 90 days for something other than nonpayment. If the order has not been modified in three years, the change requirement may be waived. A modification reaches back only to the date the other party was notified of the motion.

Who hears the case and who collects

Vermont created the office of magistrate inside the Family Division of the Superior Court, with jurisdiction to establish, modify and enforce child support, so a support hearing is often in front of a magistrate rather than a judge. The Office of Child Support in the Department for Children and Families is the state child support agency and runs the official online guideline calculator. Past-due support carries a surcharge instead of interest, 0.5% a month (6% a year, not compounded) since January 1, 2012, which a court can discharge if the parent shows they were unable to pay.

Documents you will need

Vermont child support FAQ

Is there an official Vermont child support calculator?

Yes. The Office of Child Support runs a free web calculator and posts the guideline packet, the tax conversion tables and the Table of Intact Family Expenditures, last revised January 2, 2024, along with the current self-support reserve and presumed income figures.

What is available income in Vermont child support?

Gross income minus federal, state and FICA taxes (read from the state's conversion tables), support actually paid for other children or a former spouse, the children's health insurance premium, and an allowance for other dependents in the home.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Vermont?

It depends on combined available income. At $8,000 a month the table shows $2,114 for two children; a parent with 62.5% of that income and the children less than 30% of the time would pay about $1,321 before child care or extraordinary costs.

How many overnights count as shared custody in Vermont?

Each parent needs the children overnight for at least 30% of the calendar year, about 110 nights, for the full shared formula. At 25% to 29% a smaller partial adjustment applies. In our example equal time brings the payment down to about $396.

Does Vermont charge interest on unpaid child support?

Not interest as such. Vermont adds a surcharge on past-due support of 0.5% a month, or 6% a year without compounding, for arrears accruing since January 1, 2012. A court may discharge it if the parent proves inability to pay.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

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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 Vermont.