Arkansas Child Support — Calculator, Laws & Guide (2026)

Understanding Arkansas child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Arkansas child support guide covers how payments are calculated, what income counts, when support can be modified, and how orders are enforced. Whether you are going through a divorce, seeking a modification, or dealing with non-payment, this guide explains Arkansas’s child support system in plain language.

Verified against Arkansas statutes and federal OCSE guidelines as of April 2026.

Arkansas Child Support Overview

Arkansas uses the income shares model for calculating child support. This model is based on the principle that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family were intact. Both parents’ incomes are combined, and the support obligation is divided proportionally.

Both parents’ monthly gross incomes are determined and combined. The basic child support obligation is found on the Family Support Chart based on combined income and number of children. Each parent’s share equals their percentage of combined income. Add-on expenses (health insurance premiums, extraordinary medical expenses, childcare) are divided pro rata by each parent’s income share. A parent with 60% of combined income pays 60% of the base obligation plus 60% of add-ons. The noncustodial parent’s share becomes the child support payment.

How Arkansas Calculates Child Support

The Arkansas child support calculation considers multiple factors:

1. Determine each parent’s gross income — wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, investment income, and other sources.
2. Calculate combined parental income — add both parents’ adjusted gross incomes together.
3. Apply the guideline schedule — Arkansas’s guidelines provide a base support amount based on combined income and number of children.
4. Prorate between parents — each parent’s share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income.
5. Add healthcare and childcare costs — these are added to the base amount and divided proportionally.
6. Apply adjustments — parenting time credits, other child obligations, and special circumstances may adjust the final amount.

Online calculator: Use our child support estimator below to calculate your estimated obligation.

What Counts as Income in Arkansas

Gross income from all sources. Includes: wages, salaries, tips, gratuities, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, royalties, interest, dividends, fees, gambling or lottery winnings, military specialty pay, allowance for quarters and rations, housing allowance, VA benefits, GI benefits (excluding education allotment), drill pay, and IRA/deferred compensation distributions (unless previously counted). Excludes: TANF, SSI (for self or other children not in case), food stamps, general assistance, income of other household members, child support received for other children, adoption subsidies, and foster care board payments for other children.

Imputed income: YES. Courts may impute income to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent based on earning capacity. Factors considered: education, work history, job skills, local employment opportunities, and physical or mental limitations. Minimum imputed income is typically Arkansas minimum wage for 40 hours per week. Incarceration or involuntary hospitalization is NOT considered voluntary unemployment.

Deviation factors: Shared or joint custody arrangements (141 or more overnights per year with the noncustodial parent triggers case-by-case deviation consideration, including 50/50 splits); procurement and maintenance of life, health, and dental insurance; special education needs or expenses; extraordinary medical, dental, optical, psychological, or counseling expenses; work-related day care costs; extraordinary time spent with noncustodial parent; support required and given by payor for other dependent children; where chart amount is less than actual costs of child care. All deviations require written findings and explanation.

Healthcare & Childcare in Arkansas Child Support

Health insurance: Health insurance coverage for the child(ren) is added to the child support worksheet and divided pro rata. Coverage is considered reasonable if the cost of dependent coverage does not exceed 5% of the gross income of the providing parent. If adding the child incurs no additional cost, no amount is added. Extraordinary medical expenses (uninsured) exceeding 250 per year per child may also be added to the obligation. Includes orthodontia, dental treatment, asthma treatment, physical therapy, uninsured chronic health problems, and professional counseling or psychiatric therapy for diagnosed mental disorders.

Childcare costs: Work-related or job-search-related childcare costs are the third add-on to the child support worksheet and are divided pro rata between the parents based on their income shares. Costs must be reasonable and not exceed the level required to provide quality care from a licensed provider.

When Does Arkansas Child Support End?

In Arkansas, child support generally ends when the child reaches 18. If the child is still attending high school at age 18, support continues until high school graduation or the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever comes first. Emancipation before 18 (minimum age 17) also terminates the obligation. The paying parent must provide written notice to 5 parties within 10 days of termination. Unpaid arrears remain enforceable for 5 years after the child turns 18 (A.C.A. § 9-14-236).. However, support may continue or end earlier based on:

• The child graduates from high school (if still a minor)
• The child becomes emancipated (marriage, military service, self-supporting)
• The child has special needs requiring ongoing support
• College support: NO. Arkansas does not require parents to pay child support through college or contribute to college costs. However, parents may voluntarily agree to college support as part of a divorce settlement or separation agreement, and such agreements are enforceable.

Modifying Arkansas Child Support

When to modify: A change in gross income of the payor or payee parent equal to or more than 20% constitutes a material change of circumstances sufficient to petition for modification (A.C.A. § 9-14-107). Also qualifies: a change in a parent’s ability to provide health insurance; an inconsistency between the existing award and the Family Support Chart amount (unless the inconsistency resulted from a prior rebuttal or solely from a chart revision); change in custodial arrangements; emancipation of one or more children; significant change in the child’s needs. Either parent may also request a review at least every 3 years.

How to modify: Either parent may file a motion with the court for modification of child support. Alternatively, either parent may request a review through the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). OCSE will review orders at least every 3 years or whenever there is a substantial change in circumstances. Modification is effective as of the date of service on the other party of the file-marked motion, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

Either parent can request a modification. Changes are typically not retroactive to before the date of filing the modification request.

Arkansas Child Support Enforcement

Arkansas has multiple tools to enforce child support orders when a parent fails to pay:

• Income withholding (wage garnishment — required in all orders unless good cause found); property liens; credit bureau reporting; driver’s license suspension; permanent license plate suspension; recreational license suspension; occupational
• professional
• and business license suspension; federal and state tax refund intercept; Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM) with bank account levy/seizure; passport denial (arrears of 2500 or more); court contempt actions; interstate enforcement via UIFSA. OCSE operates 26 field offices
• a Central Office
• and the Arkansas Child Support Clearinghouse for payment collection and disbursement. Online case management via MyCase (https://www.ark.org/mycase/).

Contact Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Department of Finance and Administration, Revenue Division, State of Arkansas at https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/office/child-support-enforcement/ for enforcement assistance.

Additional Arkansas rules: Arkansas transitioned from a percentage-of-income model to the Income Shares Model effective July 1, 2020 (per Arkansas Supreme Court order of April 2, 2020). An inconsistency between an existing order and the new Income Shares chart constitutes a material change sufficient to petition for modification (with exceptions). Arkansas established a shared-parenting presumption approximately one year after adopting the income shares model. The 141-overnight threshold triggers discretionary deviation consideration for shared custody. All support orders must include immediate income withholding unless good cause is found or parties agree otherwise. The paying parent must notify 5 parties within 10 days when the support obligation terminates.

Official Sources & Resources

• Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Department of Finance and Administration, Revenue Division, State of Arkansas: https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/office/child-support-enforcement/
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Arkansas Guidelines Statute: Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order Number 10 (Admin. Order No. 10), codified at Arkansas Code Title 9, Appendix. Key related statutes: A.C.A. § 9-14-107 (change in income warranting modification); A.C.A. § 9-14-236 (arrearages and limitations); A.C.A. § 9-14-237 (expiration of child support obligation).

Last verified April 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.

Estimate Your Child Support

Use our free child support estimator to calculate estimated monthly payments. Enter both parents’ incomes, number of children, and custody arrangement to see a personalized breakdown based on your state’s formula.

Related Guides

• Arkansas Divorce Process Guide
• Arkansas Child Custody Guide
• Arkansas Alimony Guide
• All Child Support Guides