The Arizona Child Support Calculator, Explained

What the calculator does

The Arizona Child Support Guidelines use an income shares model: both parents’ gross monthly incomes are combined, the guidelines table sets the total obligation a child of that income level should receive, and the obligation divides between the parents in proportion to income. The court-published calculator on azcourts.gov automates the math, and the result is the presumptive order under A.R.S. § 25-320 — the number the court enters unless a deviation is justified in writing.

The inputs that move the number

• Gross income of each parent — wages, self-employment income, bonuses, commissions, rental income, recurring gifts
• Parenting-time days — more days with the paying parent reduces the transfer payment
• The children’s portion of medical, dental and vision insurance premiums, credited to whoever pays it
• Work-related childcare costs
• Spousal maintenance paid or received, and support obligations for children of other relationships

Two inputs generate most disputes. Self-employment income — what the business actually yields after legitimate expenses, not what the tax return optimizes it down to. And attributed income: a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed can be assigned income at their earning capacity, so quitting a job does not shrink the obligation.

What the calculator does not decide

The output is presumptive, not final: courts can deviate with written findings, the parenting-time input depends on a schedule that may itself be the dispute, and enforcement, modification, and the fifteen-percent rule all live outside the spreadsheet — they are covered on our child support page. Run the calculator to orient yourself; treat the result as a starting point, not an answer.