How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in Delaware
Delaware sets child support with the Family Court’s Delaware Child Support Formula (the "Melson Formula"), which considers both parents' incomes and the children’s needs: each parent keeps a self-support allowance, shares the children’s primary support by income, and then contributes a percentage of remaining income as a standard-of-living adjustment. The formula is a rebuttable presumption in every case.[1]
Key facts: child support in Delaware
| Guideline model | Melson formula[1] |
|---|---|
| Low income | Self-support allowance $1,600/month per parent[1] |
| Percentages | Primary support $800 for 1 child + $420 each additional; SOLA 12% / 17% / 21% (+2% each additional)[1] |
| Income counted | Gross income minus allowed deductions and self-support allowance (net available income)[1] |
| Official calculator | Child Support Calculator – Automated/Excel (Family Court of the State of Delaware) |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
Delaware’s model
Melson formula
Melson formula (Delaware Child Support Formula): self-support allowance, primary support allowance, standard-of-living adjustment (SOLA).
Official calculator · Family Court of the State of Delaware
Child Support Calculator – Automated/Excel (Family Court of the State of Delaware)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 Delaware’s yet, so use the official calculator for a number.
From the official text
The rules behind Delaware’s numbers
The guideline is Delaware Child Support Formula, Family Court Civil Rules 500–510; Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Form 509i. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Low income
Self-support allowance $1,600/month per parent
Each parent first keeps a self-support allowance of $1,600 a month before income is counted for the children’s support.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Line 5
“The self-support allowance is the minimum amount of income necessary for a parent to remain productive in a workplace. Each parent is given a self-support allowance of $1,600.”
- Percentages
Primary support $800 for 1 child + $420 each additional; SOLA 12% / 17% / 21% (+2% each additional)
The primary support allowance is $800 for one child plus $420 for each additional child; the standard-of-living adjustment is 12% of remaining income for one child, 17% for two, 21% for three and 2 points more for each additional child.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Lines 11 and 17
“Number of Children SOLA Percentage 1 12% 2 17% 3 21% each additional +2%”
- Income counted
Gross income minus allowed deductions and self-support allowance (net available income)
The formula starts from each parent’s gross income, subtracts allowed deductions and the self-support allowance, and adjusts for other children the parent supports.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Net Available Income
“Net available income is determined by taking gross income and subtracting certain deductions and a self-support allowance, and accounting for each parent’s obligation to support other children, if any.”
- Shared parenting time
Parenting-time adjustment 10% (80–124 overnights), 30% (125–163); 164+ overnights = shared
A paying parent with 80 to 163 overnights a year keeps 10% or 30% of the other parent’s retained support; at 164 or more overnights the child is treated as shared between the households.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Line 22
“Annual Overnights Percentage Annual Overnights Percentage 79 or less 0% 125 to 163 30% 80 to 124 10% 164 or more shared”
- Minimum order
$160 for one child, $240 for more than one
Except in shared or split placement or when the paying parent is disabled, the court orders at least $160 a month for one child and $240 for more than one.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Minimum Orders
“Unless the children reside in shared or split placement or the obligated parent is disabled, the Court will impose an obligation of not less than $160 for one child and $240 for more than one child.”
- Review cycle
Allowances adjusted every February 1 with HHS poverty guidelines
All dollar allowances are updated by February 1 each year to track the federal poverty guidelines, and the whole formula is reviewed periodically.[1]
Official text · Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026)
“All monetary allowances will be adjusted no later than February 1st of every year in accordance with any changes in the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines.”
Guideline: Delaware Child Support Formula, Family Court Civil Rules 500–510; Instructions for Child Support Calculation (2026), Form 509i (Family Court of the State of Delaware), 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 Delaware and child support in every state.
Sources
Delaware’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.