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Wyoming child support: reading the statute's tables, step by step

Wyoming writes its whole support formula into one statute, W.S. 20-2-304. Seven income brackets per family size turn the parents' combined net income into a base amount plus a marginal percentage, and the result is split by each parent's share of net income. Overnights above 25% a year switch on a shared formula.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined net income, using the tables in Wyo. Stat. 20-2-304(a)
Table formatBase dollar amount plus a marginal percentage, in brackets starting at $1,000, $2,000, $3,200, $4,000, $4,500, $8,000 and $15,000
Shared responsibilityEach parent keeps the children overnight more than 25% of the year and both contribute substantially to expenses: 150% of the table amount, cross-credited
Self-support reserveThe federal poverty line for one person; $15,960 a year ($1,330 a month) under the 2026 HHS guidelines
Support endsAge 18, or up to 20 while attending high school or an equivalent program full time; longer for a disabled child
Review and adjustmentA 20% change in the table amount, on an order at least 6 months old; a 3-year review on request
AgencyWyoming Child Support Program, Department of Family Services

From paycheck to net income, the Wyoming way

Wyoming defines income broadly: wages, commissions, independent contractor pay, workers' compensation disability payments, unemployment, annuities, retirement and disability benefits, after reasonable unreimbursed business expenses. Two details stand out. Overtime is left out unless the judge, looking back over the last 24 months, finds it can reasonably be expected to continue on a consistent basis. And means-tested help such as Pell grants, POWER cash aid, SNAP and SSI never counts.

Net income is that figure minus personal income taxes, Social Security, the cost of health coverage for all dependent children, support the parent actually pays under earlier orders for other children, other court-ordered support being paid, and mandatory pension deductions. Payments on a child support debt are not subtracted. Both parents must file a financial affidavit on the Wyoming Supreme Court's form, backed by pay stubs or self-employment records and the latest tax return, before any order is entered.

The parents' net incomes are added and placed in the table for the number of children. Each row gives a base amount for the bottom of the bracket plus a percentage of anything above it, so there is no rounding to steps. A parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed is assigned potential income based on work history, education, local wages, job availability and whether the parent can realistically earn it.

Worked example: Wyoming

  1. Parent A has $5,400 a month in net income and Parent B has $3,600, so the combined net income is $9,000.
  2. In the two-children table, $9,000 falls in the bracket that starts at $8,000: $2,048 plus 16.0% of the $1,000 above it, which is $2,208 a month in total support.
  3. Parent A earns 60% of the combined net income, so Parent A's share is $1,325 and Parent B's share is $883.
  4. If the children live with Parent B and Parent A has them 25% of overnights or fewer, Parent A pays $1,325 a month through the clerk of district court, about $15,900 a year. Parent A keeps far more than the $1,330 monthly reserve, so the low-income limit does not change the result.

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.

When both homes count: the 25% overnight rule

Wyoming's shared responsibility formula needs two things: each parent keeps the children overnight more than 25% of the year (92 nights or more), and both parents contribute substantially to the children's expenses beyond the support payment. When both are true, the table amount is multiplied by 150%, divided by net income, and each parent's share is multiplied by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent. Whoever owes more pays the difference. The statute sets no ceiling tied to the ordinary amount.

In the example, if Parent A has 120 overnights and Parent B 245, the shared amount becomes 150% of $2,208, and Parent A's net payment drops from $1,325 to about $898 a month. With exactly equal time it is about $331, the gap that remains because Parent A earns more.

When each parent has physical custody of at least one of the children, a split formula applies instead: the table amount for all the children is divided per child, assigned by where each child lives, multiplied by the other parent's share of net income, and offset.

Health coverage and the costs insurance leaves behind

Every order to establish or modify support must include medical support. The court requires one or both parents to insure the children if coverage is available at a reasonable cost and is accessible to them, and makes both parents liable for uncovered medical costs and deductibles as cash medical support, or spells out the proportion each pays. The insuring parent must send written proof of coverage within 60 days of the order. Wyoming accounts for the premium earlier: the cost of health coverage for the dependent children is one of the deductions used to figure net income.

Child care is not a separate line item in the Wyoming formula. The cost of necessary child day care is one of the factors a judge weighs when deciding whether to depart from the presumptive amount, along with the child's age, special health or educational needs, transportation for visits, and the time the child spends with each parent.

The poverty-line reserve for low earners

If the paying parent's net income minus the self-support reserve is less than the table result, support is set at that difference instead. The reserve is the current federal poverty line for one person, which HHS set at $15,960 a year for 2026, about $1,330 a month. A parent with $1,800 in net income, for example, could be ordered to pay no more than about $470 a month, whatever the table says.

Departing from the table, and agreements between parents

The table amount is rebuttably presumed correct, and every order must state it and say whether the order departs from it. A judge may deviate only on a specific finding that the presumptive amount would be unjust or inappropriate, with reasons written into the order. A parent who insists on a different amount and loses can be ordered to pay the other side's reasonable attorney fees and costs.

Parents can submit their own agreement, but it must come with financial affidavits, and any departure from the table needs a written explanation. An agreement below the presumptive amount cannot be approved while the children receive POWER aid, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI or similar benefits. When an obligor's Social Security or veteran's benefit is paid directly to the children's custodian, the full benefit counts as the obligor's income and the direct payment is subtracted from the obligor's share.

How long support lasts and the 20% test for changing it

The age of majority is 18, but a parent's duty continues to age 20 for a child attending high school or an equivalent program full time, and past majority for a child who is mentally or physically disabled and unable to support themselves. Support also ends if the parents marry each other again, the child is legally emancipated, or the child dies.

A parent, or the Department of Family Services in its cases, can petition for review once an order is more than six months old. If applying the tables would change the amount by 20% or more a month, that alone is a change of circumstances. Every three years either parent can ask for a review with no showing of change at all, and a substantial change can be raised at any time. Starting to receive POWER, Medicaid, SNAP or SSI counts as a substantial change. A new amount reaches back only to the date the other parent was served with the petition.

Payment and enforcement through DFS

Wyoming orders are written as a specific dollar amount paid through the clerk of district court, and each installment ordered paid through the clerk becomes a judgment by operation of law on the date it is due. The Wyoming Child Support Program, part of the Department of Family Services, collects mostly by income withholding and can also intercept tax refunds, deny passports, report to credit bureaus, place liens, and suspend driver's, professional and Game and Fish licenses. It also offers an online support calculator.

Documents you will need

Wyoming child support FAQ

How do I use the Wyoming child support tables?

Add both parents' monthly net incomes, find the bracket in the table for your number of children, and take the base amount plus the marginal percentage of the income above the bracket's start. Then split that total by each parent's share of net income.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Wyoming?

It depends on combined net income. At $9,000 combined, the two-children table gives $2,208 a month in total, and a parent with 60% of the income and no more than 25% of overnights pays about $1,325.

Does Wyoming count overtime for child support?

Only if the court reviews the last 24 months of overtime and finds it can reasonably be expected to continue on a consistent basis. Otherwise overtime earnings are excluded from income.

Does 50/50 custody end child support in Wyoming?

Not when incomes differ. With more than 25% of overnights each and shared expenses, the 150% shared formula applies, and the higher earner usually still pays. In our example equal time leaves about $331 a month.

When does child support stop in Wyoming?

At 18, unless the child is attending high school or an equivalent program full time, in which case it can continue until age 20. Support for a child with a disability who cannot be self-supporting can continue into adulthood.

Next steps

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 Wyoming.