Guideline Support Calculators

There is a federal requirement that all states have a uniform child support guideline. To assist parents, attorneys, and the courts in determining the correct support amount under California’s child support guideline, various electronic calculators have been developed. The child support “guideline” on which the calculators are based is not an optional guide but is the name for the state law setting out a standardized formula for calculating child support. As required by Family Code section 3830 and California Rule of Court 5.275, the Judicial Council certifies the programs that provide child support calculations consistent with the applicable statutes and rules of court.

The standards for computer software to assist in determining appropriate child and spousal support obligations can be found in Rule 5.275. Inquiries on obtaining certification for a support calculator can be submitted by email to ab1058@jud.ca.gov.

Recertification of Guideline Support Calculators

Currently, there are six guideline child support calculators certified for use in California court proceedings. Any certification provided by the Judicial Council expires one year from the date of its issuance unless another expiration date is set forth in the certification. The Judicial Council may provide for earlier expiration of a certification if (1) the provisions involving the calculation of tax consequences change or (2) other provisions involving the calculation of support change. The certifications for currently approved calculators are set to expire on March 31, 2025. To be recertified, the software developers must submit their calculator to the Judicial Council for review to ensure that any changes to tax rates and laws, the update to the low-income adjustment threshold, and any other relevant changes impacting guideline calculations are incorporated. Once a calculator is submitted, Judicial Council staff tests the calculator to ensure it correctly determines guideline support.

The table below lists the calculators currently certified by the Judicial Council for use in California’s courts and their recertification status. This table is updated as changes occur in the recertification status of the calculators. The table was last updated 11/13/2024. 

DissoMaster will NOT be recertified for the upcoming year beginning April 1, 2025, as the product and product suite will be discontinued and no longer supported or maintained.

California Rule of Court 5.275(j) requires that only one program, the California Child Support Guideline Calculator, can be used in Title IV-D proceedings (cases where the local child support agency provides services). As a condition of federal funding of the child support program in California, the State of California through DCSS was required to develop a statewide automated case management system that included an integrated child support calculator. DCSS created two versions of the California Child Support Guideline Calculator. The first version is integrated into DCSS' case management system for use by local child support agency staff and child support commissioners in calculating support for cases open with the local child support agency. The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement requires that courts use the internal guideline calculator. For questions about accessing the internal guideline calculator please email ab1058@jud.ca.gov. The second version is the public calculator, which is on the DCSS website and is freely accessible to all.

The court, parties, and attorneys are free to use any support calculator software certified by the Judicial Council in non-Title IV-D cases involving child support and temporary spousal support.

Family Code section 4055(b)(7) creates a rebuttable presumption that the obligor is entitled to a low-income adjustment (LIA) in all cases in which the net disposable income per month of the obligor is less than full-time minimum wage in California. The low-income adjustment reduces the child support amount that would otherwise be determined by the guideline calculators. Between March 1, 2013 and August 31, 2024, the Judicial Council was annually required to determine the amount of the net disposable income threshold for the low-income adjustment based on the change in the annual California Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CCPI), as published by the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Statics (CDIR).  Starting September 1, 2024 the threshold is the monthly gross income earned from full-time minimum wage at 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

The most current minimum wage pursuant to Labor Code section 1182.12 is $16.00 per hour effective January 1, 2024, resulting in the current LIA threshold amount of $2,773.00.

The table below lists the LIA threshold amount for each year since 1994.

Judicial Council staff may convene summit meetings of calculator developers to discuss issues and to ensure consistency and integrity among the certified child support calculators. In addition, Judicial Council staff takes reports from the public, attorneys, the courts, and calculator developers regarding any differences in the results produced by calculators based on the same set of facts.

Differing results or other issues should be reported by e-mail to ab1058@jud.ca.gov. When reporting different results, please provide copies of the differing calculations, the assumptions input into the calculators, and your contact information. The provided information will be tested and verified by appropriate staff who will provide developers with a uniform and consistent approach reconciling the reported issue.