How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in Arkansas
Arkansas courts use the Supreme Court’s Administrative Order No. 10: both parents' gross monthly incomes are combined, the Family Support Chart gives a basic obligation for the number of children, and each parent’s share is prorated by income, with allowed health-insurance, medical and child-care costs added.[1]
Key facts: child support in Arkansas
| Guideline model | Income shares[1] |
|---|---|
| Income counted | Gross income[1] |
| Top of the guidelines | Chart covers combined gross income up to $30,000/month ($360,000/year)[1] |
| Minimum order | $125/month presumptive minimum when payor earns under $900/month[1] |
| Official calculator | Child Support Calculator v2.0 (Arkansas Judiciary) |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
Arkansas’s model
Income shares
Income shares: combined gross monthly income, then Family Support Chart, prorated by each parent’s share.
Official calculator · Arkansas Judiciary (Administrative Office of the Courts)
Child Support Calculator v2.0 (Arkansas Judiciary)Link checked October 26, 2026
Why no calculator here? We publish a calculator only after it reproduces the state’s official numbers exactly. We haven’t matched Arkansas’s yet, so use the official calculator for a number.
From the official text
The rules behind Arkansas’s numbers
The guideline is Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 10, Child Support Guidelines (revised Oct. 6, 2022), Arkansas Judiciary. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Income counted
Gross income
The guidelines use each parent’s actual gross income (or potential income if unemployed or underemployed); taxes and FICA are already built into the chart.[1]
Official text · Ark. Admin. Order No. 10, § III (Definitions)
“Gross income is used to avoid disputes over issues of deductibility that would arise if a net income was used.”
- Top of the guidelines
Chart covers combined gross income up to $30,000/month ($360,000/year)
Above $30,000 a month of combined income, the highest chart amount is used and the court may set more at its discretion.[1]
Official text · Ark. Admin. Order No. 10, § I
“These Guidelines provide calculated amounts of child support for a combined parental gross income of up to $30,000.00 per month, or $360,000.00 per year.”
- Minimum order
$125/month presumptive minimum when payor earns under $900/month
When the paying parent’s gross monthly income is under $900, a minimum award of $125 a month is presumed unless rebutted.[1]
Official text · Ark. Admin. Order No. 10, § II.3
“When the payor parent’s monthly gross income is less than $900.00, a presumptive minimum award of $125.00 per month must issue unless a party can rebut the presumptive amount by a preponderance of the evidence.”
- Shared parenting time
Equal time: offset; at least 141 overnights each: discretionary credit
With roughly equal time the smaller obligation is deducted from the larger; when each parent has at least 141 overnights a year, the court may consider an additional adjustment.[1]
Official text · Ark. Admin. Order No. 10, Shared Custody Adjustment
“In cases where the parties share less than an approximately equal amount of time, but each parent has responsibility of the child(ren) for at least 141 overnights per calendar year, the parties shall complete the Worksheet and Affidavit of Financial Means.”
- Low income
Self-support reserve built into the chart (payor income under $900/month)
For a payor with gross monthly income under $900, the chart applies a self-support reserve based on the federal poverty guidelines adjusted for Arkansas prices.[1]
Official text · Ark. Admin. Order No. 10, § II.3
“In cases where the payor parent’s monthly gross income is less than $900.00, the Chart applies a self-support reserve (SSR).”
Guideline: Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 10, Child Support Guidelines (revised Oct. 6, 2022), Arkansas Judiciary, checked October 26, 2026.
Estimate and general information only — not legal advice. MediationList is a directory, not a law firm, and doesn’t endorse any mediator. Guidelines change; confirm with the official calculator (sources checked October 26, 2026). See also divorce laws in Arkansas and child support in every state.
Sources
Arkansas’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.