How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in Connecticut
Connecticut courts must consider the Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines issued by the Commission for Child Support Guidelines, which follow the income shares model and work from the parents' combined net weekly income. The guideline amount is presumed correct unless the court finds on the record that it would be inequitable or inappropriate under the commission’s deviation criteria.[1]
Key facts: child support in Connecticut
| Guideline model | Income shares[1] |
|---|---|
| Income counted | Net income (gross income minus allowable deductions), weekly[2] |
| Top of the guidelines | Schedule ends at $4,000 combined net weekly income (2015 guidelines)[2] |
| Shared parenting time | Substantially equal time and contact[2] |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
Connecticut’s model
Income shares
Income shares: combined net weekly income, then Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations, split by each parent’s share.
No official calculator confirmed yet
Read the guideline: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-215b (Connecticut General Assembly); Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines, Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-1 et seq.The state child support agency or your court clerk can run the official numbers.
Why no calculator here? We publish a calculator only after it reproduces the state’s official numbers exactly. We haven’t matched Connecticut’s yet.
From the official text
The rules behind Connecticut’s numbers
The guideline is Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-215b (Connecticut General Assembly); Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines, Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-1 et seq.. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Income counted
Net income (gross income minus allowable deductions), weekly
The guidelines use each parent’s net weekly income, defined as gross income minus allowable deductions.[2]
Official text · Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-1(18)
““Net income” means gross income minus allowable deductions.”
- Top of the guidelines
Schedule ends at $4,000 combined net weekly income (2015 guidelines)
Above $4,000 of combined net weekly income, support is set case by case between the $4,000 amount and the $4,000-level percentage applied to the parents' full income.[2]
Official text · Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-2b(a)(2)
“The amount shown at the $4,000 net weekly income level shall be the minimum presumptive support obligation. The maximum presumptive support obligation shall be determined by multiplying the combined net weekly income by the applicable percentage shown at the $4,000 net income level.”
- Shared parenting time
Substantially equal time and contact
Shared physical custody means the child’s residence is shared so the child has substantially equal time and contact with both parents; exactly equal time is not required.[2]
Official text · Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-1(23)
““Shared physical custody” means a situation in which the physical residence of the child is shared by the parents in a manner that ensures the child has substantially equal time and contact with both parents.”
- Review cycle
Commission issues updated guidelines every four years
State law requires the Commission for Child Support Guidelines to review and issue updated guidelines every four years, based on both parents' incomes and the obligor’s ability to pay.[1]
Official text · Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-215a(a)
“The Commission for Child Support Guidelines is established to issue child support and arrearage guidelines to ensure the appropriateness of criteria for the establishment of child support awards and to review and issue updated guidelines every four years.”
Guideline: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-215b (Connecticut General Assembly); Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines, Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 46b-215a-1 et seq., 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 state child support agency or your court (sources checked October 26, 2026). See also divorce laws in Connecticut and child support in every state.
Sources
Connecticut’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.