Calculator · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035
Wisconsin child support calculator
Built line by line from Wisconsin’s official guideline and tested against the worked examples in DCF 150 and the Department of Children and Families’ guidance. Every step shows the provision it comes from. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.[1]
Key facts: child support in Wisconsin
| Guideline model | Percentage of income[1] |
|---|---|
| Percentages | 17% for one child, up to 34% for five or more[2] |
| Income counted | Gross income (all income, taxable or not, with listed exclusions)[3] |
| Shared parenting time | At least 25% of placement (92 days a year) for each parent[1] |
| Official calculator | Worksheets and calculators |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
How the guideline gets there
Each line is one step of Wisconsin’s guideline, with the provision it comes from. Figures are monthly unless a line says “a year”.
The steps appear as you fill in the numbers.
From the official text
What Wisconsin’s guideline says
The guideline is Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035. Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Percentages
17% for one child, up to 34% for five or more
The standard percentages of the payer’s monthly income available for child support rise with the number of children.[2]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035(2)
“(a) 17% for one child; (b) 25% for 2 children; (c) 29% for 3 children; (d) 31% for 4 children; and (e) 34% for 5 or more children.”
- Income counted
Gross income (all income, taxable or not, with listed exclusions)
Income starts from gross income, which covers wages, investment income, benefits and most other income, but excludes child support, public assistance, SSI and similar payments.[3]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.02(13)(a)10
“All other income, whether taxable or not, except that gross income does not include any of the following:”
- Shared parenting time
At least 25% of placement (92 days a year) for each parent
The shared-placement formula may be used when each parent has court-ordered placement of at least 25% (92 days) a year; each parent’s percentage amount is multiplied by 150%, then by the other parent’s share of time, and the two results are offset.[1]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035(1)(a)1, (1)(b)3
“Both parents have court-ordered periods of placement of at least 25 percent or 92 days per year based on the number of overnights or equivalent care under par. (ar) provided by each parent.”
- Top of the guidelines
No cap; lower rates may apply above $7,000 a month
There is no cap; for monthly income from $7,000 to $12,500 and above $12,500 the court may apply reduced percentages to those portions of income (the full standard always applies below $7,000).[2]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.04(5)(c)–(d)
“is greater than $12,500: 1. 10% for one child. 2. 15% for 2 children. 3. 17% for 3 children. 4. 19% for 4 children. 5. 20% for 5 or more children.”
- Low income
Reduced amounts for payers below 150% of the poverty line
If a payer’s circumstances limit ability to pay, the court may use the reduced amounts in Appendix C, which is updated every year from the federal poverty guidelines; below the table’s lowest income the court sets an amount that fits the payer’s circumstances.[4]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.04(4)(a)
“If a payer’s monthly income available for child support is below the lowest income level in Appendix C, the court may set an order at an amount appropriate for the payer’s total economic circumstances. This amount may be lower than the lowest support amount in Appendix C.”
- Departing from the guideline
Court may deviate if the percentage is unfair, with stated reasons
On request, the court may change the guideline amount if it finds the percentage unfair to the child or a party, and must state the guideline amount and its reasons.[1]
Official text · Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035(3)(a)
“the court finds by the greater weight of the credible evidence that use of the designated percentage is unfair to the child or to any of the parties.”
Guideline: Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035 (Wisconsin Legislature), checked October 26, 2026.
Confirm with the official calculator
This estimate follows the published guideline. The official calculator is what courts and the state agency use; run your numbers there before you rely on them.
Official calculator · Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
Worksheets and calculatorsLink checked October 26, 2026
Questions
How is child support calculated in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin's standard applies a fixed percentage to the paying parent's monthly income available for child support (based on gross income): 17% for one child up to 34% for five or more. When both parents have at least 25% of placement, a shared-placement formula uses both incomes, and reduced rates may apply to low-income and high-income payers.[1]
Is this the amount a court will order?
It's an estimate from Wisconsin's published guideline. A court applies the guideline to the evidence in your case and can depart from it for reasons the law allows. Confirm with the official calculator (Worksheets and calculators). Not legal advice.
Where do the numbers come from?
From the state's statute or court rule and its official tables, each linked beside the step that uses it, and from the figures you type. Nothing you type leaves your browser unless you switch on sharing and copy the link.
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 Wisconsin and child support in every state.
Sources
Wisconsin’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.
- Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035 (Wisconsin Legislature) (DCF 150.035 as amended eff. Jan. 1, 2024; Appendix C eff. Mar. 1, 2026)↩
- Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.035(2)↩
- Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.02(13)(a)10↩
- Wis. Admin. Code DCF 150.04(4)(a)↩
- DCF 150 Appendix A (percentage conversion table) and Appendix C (low-income payer schedule)
- Worksheets and calculators
- Setting Child Support Amounts (Wisconsin DCF)