How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in Minnesota
Minnesota starts from each parent’s gross income, subtracts a credit for other (nonjoint) children to get each parent’s PICS, reads the basic support for the combined PICS and number of children from the statutory guideline, and divides it by each parent’s share of income. A cubic overnights formula then adjusts for parenting time.[1]
Key facts: child support in Minnesota
| Guideline model | Income shares[1] |
|---|---|
| Income counted | Gross income minus credit for nonjoint children (PICS)[2] |
| Shared parenting time | Parenting expense adjustment: overnights cubed formula (applies with any court-ordered parenting time)[3] |
| Top of the guidelines | Combined PICS over $20,000/month treated as $20,000[1] |
| Official calculator | Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Calculator |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
Minnesota’s model
Income shares
Income shares: combined PICS (gross income minus nonjoint-children credit), then statutory guideline table, split by percentage share, then a parenting expense adjustment.
Official calculator · Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Child Support Division
Minnesota Child Support Guidelines CalculatorLink 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 Minnesota’s yet, so use the official calculator for a number.
From the official text
The rules behind Minnesota’s numbers
The guideline is Minn. Stat. §§ 518A.34–518A.35. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Income counted
Gross income minus credit for nonjoint children (PICS)
Each parent’s parental income for determining child support (PICS) is gross income minus any credit for that parent’s nonjoint children; each parent’s percentage of the combined PICS sets their share.[2]
Official text · Minn. Stat. § 518A.34(b)
“calculate the parental income for determining child support (PICS) of each parent, by subtracting from the gross income the credit, if any, for each parent's nonjoint children under section 518A.33;”
- Shared parenting time
Parenting expense adjustment: overnights cubed formula (applies with any court-ordered parenting time)
Each parent’s annual overnights are raised to the third power and used to weight the parents' shares of basic support; the difference divided by the sum of the cubes gives the support owed and who pays. Equal time and equal incomes mean no basic support.[3]
Official text · Minn. Stat. § 518A.36, subd. 2–3
“(1) raise to the power of three the approximate number of annual overnights the child or children will likely spend with parent A; (2) raise to the power of three the approximate number of annual overnights the child or children will likely spend with parent B;”
- Top of the guidelines
Combined PICS over $20,000/month treated as $20,000
For combined PICS above $20,000 a month, presumed basic support is the amount at $20,000, unless a higher amount is shown to be needed under § 518A.43.[1]
Official text · Minn. Stat. § 518A.35, subd. 1(e)
“For combined parental incomes for determining child support exceeding $20,000 per month, the presumed basic child support obligations shall be as for parents with combined parental income for determining child support of $20,000 per month.”
- Minimum order
Lowest table row ($0–$1,399 combined): $50 for 1 child up to $100 for 6
At combined PICS of $0–$1,399 a month, the guideline basic support is $50 for one child, rising by $10 per child to $100 for six.[1]
Official text · Minn. Stat. § 518A.35, subd. 2
“$0- $1,399 $50 $60 $70 $80 $90 $100”
- Departing from the guideline
Rebuttable presumption
The guideline is a rebuttable presumption used in every judicial or administrative proceeding to set or modify support.[1]
Official text · Minn. Stat. § 518A.35, subd. 1(a)
“The guideline in this section is a rebuttable presumption and shall be used in any judicial or administrative proceeding to establish or modify a support obligation under this chapter.”
Guideline: Minn. Stat. §§ 518A.34–518A.35 (Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes), 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 Minnesota and child support in every state.
Sources
Minnesota’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.