California child support calculator
Estimate guideline child support using the statewide formula. The court will run the same formula with the official Dissomaster software using full add-ons (health insurance, childcare, mandatory deductions).
How the California formula works
California uses a statewide statutory formula codified at Family Code §4055. The base formula is CS = K [HN − (H%)(TN)], where TN is combined monthly net disposable income, HN is the high earner's net, H% is the high earner's share of physical custody time, and K is an adjustment factor that scales with income. For multiple children, the base amount is multiplied by 1.6 (2 kids), 2.0 (3), 2.3 (4), 2.5 (5), or 2.625 (6+).
What this calculator can't do
Real cases rarely look like the textbook formula. Mandatory add-ons (childcare, uninsured medical), discretionary add-ons, hardship deductions, low-income adjustments under §4055(b)(7), and disputes over what counts as "income" can move the number meaningfully. Use a real Dissomaster run before relying on a number.
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Life rarely prepares us for the moments when family changes shape. Whether you’re facing a divorce you didn’t see coming, worrying about your children’s future, or simply trying to figure out what comes next, please know you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate this on your own. At San Diego Family Law Associates, we’ve walked alongside countless San Diegans through these same uncertain chapters, and we’d be honored to walk with you, too.
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