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

Understanding Nevada child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Nevada 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 Nevada’s child support system in plain language.

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

Nevada Child Support Overview

Nevada uses the percentage of income model. Child support is calculated as a set percentage of the non-custodial parent’s income, based on the number of children. This model is simpler but considers only one parent’s income.

How Nevada Calculates Child Support

The Nevada 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 — Nevada’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 Nevada

Gross income before federal and state taxes from all sources. Includes: wages, salary, overtime (if consistent), commissions, bonuses, investment income, rental income, alimony received, periodic pension and retirement payments, unemployment benefits, Social Security disability (SSDI), VA disability, military allowances, and workers’ compensation. Excludes: child support received from another case, public assistance benefits (SNAP, TANF), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). No deduction is taken for income taxes or FICA — the full gross amount is used.

Imputed income: YES. If a court determines a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed without good cause, the court may impute income based on the parent’s earning capacity. Factors considered include: assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job skills, educational attainment, literacy, age, health, criminal record and other employment barriers, record of seeking work, local job market conditions, availability of employers willing to hire the parent, and prevailing earnings in the local community. The current law no longer requires proving the parent was unemployed specifically “for the purpose of avoiding child support” — the older, harder-to-prove standard was dropped.

Deviation factors: Under NRS 125B.080(9), courts may deviate from guideline amounts based on: (1) special educational needs of the child; (2) the age of the child; (3) the responsibility of the parents for the support of other children; (4) the value of services contributed by either parent; (5) any public assistance paid to support the child; (6) the cost of health insurance premiums paid by a parent for the child; (7) the cost of transportation of the child for visitation if the custodial parent moved out of the jurisdiction; (8) the amount of time the child spends with each parent; (9) any other necessary expenses for the benefit of the child including extraordinary medical or dental expenses. Unreimbursed medical, surgical, dental, orthodontic, and optical expenses are borne equally by both parents absent extraordinary circumstances. The court must make specific written findings of fact justifying any deviation.

Healthcare & Childcare in Nevada Child Support

Health insurance: The court may order either parent to provide health insurance coverage for the child. The cost of health insurance premiums is divided between parents proportional to their incomes and may be deducted from the support obligation. A parent who pays the child’s health insurance premiums can deduct at least half of the premium amount from his or her child support payment. Unreimbursed medical, surgical, dental, orthodontic, and optical expenses are shared equally by both parents absent extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary healthcare costs not covered by insurance may be grounds for an upward deviation from guideline support.

Childcare costs: Work-related childcare expenses (required for a parent to maintain employment or attend school) are divided between parents in proportion to their respective incomes, added on top of the base child support amount. Childcare costs can also serve as a basis for an upward deviation from the standard guideline amount under NRS 125B.080.

When Does Nevada Child Support End?

In Nevada, child support generally ends when the child reaches 18. If the child is still enrolled in high school at age 18, support continues until the child graduates or turns 19, whichever occurs first. Support extends indefinitely for a child with a disability who is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected to result in death or last 12+ months continuously, until the child is no longer disabled or becomes self-supporting.. 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. Nevada law does not authorize courts to order parents to contribute to college or post-secondary education costs through child support. However, parents may voluntarily agree to share college expenses as part of a divorce settlement or stipulated agreement, and Nevada courts will enforce such voluntary agreements as contract terms.

Modifying Nevada Child Support

When to modify: A modification may be requested based on: (1) a 20% or greater change in the obligor’s gross monthly income; (2) the passage of 3 years since the current order was established or last modified (either parent may request a review even without a 20% income change); (3) a change in the custody or timesharing arrangement; (4) other substantial changes in circumstances such as a child’s changed needs, a parent’s disability, or a change in healthcare costs.

How to modify: Either parent may request a modification by filing a motion with the family court that issued the original order. Alternatively, parents with cases managed by DWSS Child Support Enforcement can request an administrative review through DWSS. In Clark County, modifications can be requested through the District Attorney’s Family Support Division. Either parent may request a review of the support order every 3 years through the enforcement agency. The court must find a change in circumstances before modifying the order. Accrued arrears cannot be retroactively reduced.

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

Nevada Child Support Enforcement

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

• Income withholding/wage garnishment (up to 65% of net pay); federal and state tax refund intercept; driver’s license suspension (triggered when obligor is 1000 or more behind and 2 or more months delinquent); professional and occupational license suspension; passport denial (federal
• on arrears exceeding 2500); property liens (NRS 125B.142 — recorded order becomes lien on real and personal property); contempt of court proceedings (fines and/or jail for willful nonpayment); credit bureau reporting; financial institution data match and account seizure

Contact Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS), Child Support Enforcement Program, under the Department of Health and Human Services at https://dwss.nv.gov/support/ for enforcement assistance.

Additional Nevada rules: (1) Nevada eliminated the maximum child support cap effective February 1, 2020 — prior law capped support at specific dollar amounts per child. (2) The tiered percentage system (NAC 425.140) replaced the former flat-percentage system under NRS 125B.070. (3) Joint physical custody offset applies only when each parent has 40% or more of overnights — below that threshold, the standard formula applies to the noncustodial parent. (4) Minimum support is 100 per month per child under NRS 125B.080(4). (5) Nevada uses gross income with no deduction for taxes or FICA, unlike many states that use net or adjusted gross income.

Official Sources & Resources

• Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS), Child Support Enforcement Program, under the Department of Health and Human Services: https://dwss.nv.gov/support/
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Nevada Guidelines Statute: NRS Chapter 125B (Obligation of Support), specifically NRS 125B.070 (definitions and presumptive amounts), NRS 125B.080 (determination of amount and deviation factors). Administrative regulations: NAC Chapter 425 (Support of Dependent Children), specifically NAC 425.140 (tiered percentage schedule effective February 1, 2020). Interstate enforcement: NRS Chapter 130 (UIFSA).

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

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