Georgia child support changes for 2026: Parenting time adjustment explained
Legal Tips
Georgia changed its child support formula on January 1, 2026. For many parents, the biggest change is the new parenting time adjustment.
Before 2026, courts could account for parenting time through a deviation. That step was optional, and it was not applied the same way in every case. Now court-ordered parenting time is built into the worksheet. The state added Schedule C, which uses parenting days to adjust each parent’s share of the basic support obligation.
More time does not automatically mean a much lower payment. Less time for the other parent does not automatically mean the primary household loses a lot of support. Parenting time is one input. Income, health insurance, childcare, and other adjustments still matter.
What changed on January 1, 2026?
Georgia still uses an Income Shares model. Both parents’ adjusted gross incomes are combined, a basic amount comes from the state table, and each parent is assigned a share based on their portion of combined income. If one parent earns 60 percent of the combined income, that parent is generally responsible for 60 percent of the basic obligation.
| Before 2026 | Starting January 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Parenting time could be handled through a deviation after the basic calculation | Parenting time is a regular worksheet step through Schedule C |
| A judge or jury decided whether to apply it | The calculator applies it when court-ordered parenting days are entered |
| Results could vary from case to case | The same formula is used as a standard step |
A user enters the noncustodial parent’s court-ordered parenting days. The calculator assigns the remaining days to the custodial parent and adjusts each parent’s portion of the Basic Child Support Obligation.
The Georgia Child Support Commission’s summary of the 2026 changes explains how Schedule C fits into the updated calculator.
Why parenting time affects child support
The Basic Child Support Obligation table estimates what parents at a given income would spend in one household. When parents live separately, the other parent still has costs during their time: food, transportation, and a place for the child to sleep.
The parenting time adjustment reduces the noncustodial parent’s share of the basic obligation for those court-ordered days. It is not a receipt-by-receipt reimbursement, and it is not a flat discount per overnight. Two families with the same schedule can get different results if their incomes or child-related expenses differ.
Who is the noncustodial parent?
In Georgia’s worksheet, the noncustodial parent is usually the parent with whom the child lives less than half the time.
If the child lives equally with both parents, Georgia generally treats the higher-earning parent as the noncustodial parent. If income is also equal, the court decides who gets that label for the calculation.
The label is for the worksheet. It does not describe the parent’s role in the child’s life. The noncustodial parent usually pays support, but not always. If the completed worksheet produces a negative obligation, the custodial parent may become the payer.
Which parenting days count?
The 2026 adjustment uses court-ordered parenting time, not the schedule parents happen to be following.
| Counts | Does not count |
|---|---|
| Court-ordered overnights, averaged over two years | An informal schedule the parents later started following |
| Regular, recurring daytime hours, totaled and divided by 24 | An occasional afternoon |
| An average of court-ordered days when children have different schedules | A parent privately changing the payment because actual time drifted from the order |
If the order and the real schedule are far apart, that may matter in a modification case. It does not let either parent start paying a different amount on their own. Split parenting, where different children primarily live with different parents, can require separate worksheets.
How the formula works
Schedule C does not multiply support by a parenting-time percentage. Georgia raises each parent’s parenting days to the power of 2.5, then uses those figures with each parent’s share of the Basic Child Support Obligation. Parents do not need to do that math. The calculator does.
The full calculation generally follows this sequence:
- Find each parent’s monthly gross income and apply permitted adjustments.
- Combine those incomes and look up the Basic Child Support Obligation.
- Split that amount by each parent’s income share.
- Apply the parenting time adjustment on Schedule C.
- Add health insurance and work-related childcare.
- Apply credits, deviations, and the low-income adjustment when they apply.
Parenting time can change the result, but it cannot be evaluated by itself.
A simple example
Say one child lives primarily with Parent A. The order gives Parent B alternating weekends, some holidays, and several weeks in the summer. Averaged out, that is 100 court-ordered days for Parent B and 265 for Parent A.
If Parent B instead has 145 court-ordered days, the adjustment recognizes that Parent B is covering more of the child’s ordinary expenses. It still does not produce a final payment on its own. Incomes, insurance, childcare, and other adjustments have to go in too.
“I have the child 40 percent of the time, so I should pay 40 percent less” is not how Georgia’s formula works.
Does equal parenting time mean no child support?
No. A 50/50 schedule still looks at income. The higher-earning parent may owe support even when time is equal. Insurance and childcare can move the number too. If time and income are both equal, the starting obligation may be small, but other expenses can keep it from being zero.
What if there is no court order for parenting time?
The adjustment applies only when a court has ordered parenting time. A stable informal schedule is not the same thing. Without a court-ordered schedule, the calculation runs without the adjustment.
Parents can still run estimates while they negotiate. Those numbers can help in mediation. They should not decide the parenting schedule. The schedule needs to work for the child. The financial calculation follows.
Existing orders do not change automatically
The 2026 law did not replace your current payment. The order stays in effect until a court modifies it. Paying less because a new estimate looks lower can create an arrearage.
The new calculation may still be worth reviewing when:
- The order was entered before January 1, 2026
- The old worksheet did not include a parenting time deviation
- The noncustodial parent has substantial court-ordered time
- The ordered schedule no longer matches the schedule being followed
- Income, insurance, childcare, or the child’s needs have changed
A review can produce a lower amount, a higher amount, or no change. Run the likely calculation before assuming that filing will help.
Georgia also limits repeat modification petitions. In general, a parent cannot file another petition within two years after the final order on that parent’s previous petition. There are exceptions, including when the noncustodial parent has not exercised the ordered time, has exercised more time than the order provides, or has had certain involuntary losses of income. Whether a parent can file is a legal question. A calculator cannot answer it.
Georgia also changed the low-income calculation
Georgia replaced its low-income deviation with a low-income adjustment. When the statutory rules apply, it can limit a parent’s obligation. At the lowest incomes, that cap is a percentage of adjusted gross income:
| Number of children | Cap on the obligation |
|---|---|
| 1 | 19% |
| 2 | 24% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 4 | 26% |
| 5 | 27% |
| 6 | 28% |
The state calculator applies this comparison automatically. That is another reason a rough estimate based only on income percentages can be wrong.
What to gather before running a calculation
Inaccurate inputs produce inaccurate estimates. Collect:
- Both parents’ gross monthly incomes
- Number of children in the case
- The written parenting plan or court order
- Annual average of court-ordered parenting days
- Children’s share of health insurance premiums
- Monthly work-related childcare
- Existing support orders for other children
- Social Security or VA benefits for the children
- Self-employment income
- Extraordinary expenses that may support a deviation
Self-employment adjustments, split parenting, existing obligations, disability benefits, very high incomes, and extraordinary expenses can require a more complete worksheet than a simplified calculator provides.
Estimating Georgia child support under the 2026 guidelines
CoBalance’s free Georgia child support calculator applies the 2026 guidelines to common situations: both parents’ gross incomes, number of children, court-ordered parenting time, health insurance, and work-related childcare. It also applies the low-income adjustment when appropriate.
Everything stays in the browser. No account is required. The result includes a written explanation and a PDF you can download for planning or mediation.
It is an educational estimate. It does not create the court worksheet and does not cover every income adjustment, credit, benefit, deviation, or split-parenting arrangement. Use Georgia’s official Child Support Calculator to prepare worksheets for court.
What parents should take from the change
Court-ordered parenting time now has a fixed place in the calculation. The number of days still cannot predict the payment by itself. Income, insurance, childcare, and the low-income rules can outweigh a nearly equal schedule.
Run the complete calculation before making assumptions. If an existing order no longer matches the family’s income, expenses, or court-ordered parenting time, talk with a Georgia family law attorney before changing payments or filing for modification.
This article provides general educational information and is not legal advice. Child support outcomes depend on the facts of each case and the orders entered by the court.