Rhode Island child support calculator (2026 guidelines)
Rhode Island guidelines effective July 1, 2023. Change state
For 2 children, with Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, Rhode Island's guideline amount is $1,111 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
Rhode Island uses the income shares model; its current guidelines took effect July 1, 2023.
This is the guideline amount, not a court order.
Calculate your Rhode Island guideline amount
Guideline child support
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Rhode Island child support at a glance
| Children | $30,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $439 | $638 | $838 | $1,052 |
| 2 children | $662 | $973 | $1,273 | $1,596 |
| 3 children | $793 | $1,174 | $1,533 | $1,921 |
| 4 children | $885 | $1,312 | $1,713 | $2,145 |
| 5 children | $974 | $1,443 | $1,884 | $2,359 |
How Rhode Island calculates child support
Rhode Island uses the income shares model: the schedule gives the basic obligation for the parents' combined monthly adjusted gross income, and each parent pays their percentage share.
Gross income from almost all sources counts, before taxes, including alimony received. Required deductions come off first: support paid under other orders, the children's health insurance premium or cash medical, half the schedule amount for other children living with a parent, and each parent's share of net child care.
Support is not reduced for ordinary parenting time. With shared placement, when each parent has at least 179 overnights a year, each parent's share of the total obligation is worked out and the parent with the larger amount pays the difference.
The schedule has a self-support reserve built in, so there is no separate low-income test. Below $1,350 of combined income a month the court sets support case by case.
Work-related child care, less the federal child care credit, is added to the basic obligation and shared by income. A noncustodial parent whose children are on RIte Care or on the custodial parent's insurance pays a cash medical contribution of 5% of gross income, capped at the premium.
Support paid under other orders is deducted from income, and a parent may deduct up to half of the schedule amount for other children living with them.
The schedule runs to $40,000 of combined income a month. Above that the top amount is multiplied by the ratio of combined income to the table top.
Combined income is rounded up to the next fifty-dollar row of the schedule, each parent's share is a whole percentage, and amounts are kept to the cent.
Parenting time in Rhode Island
Support is not reduced for ordinary parenting time. With shared placement, when each parent has at least 179 overnights a year, each parent's share of the total obligation is worked out and the parent with the larger amount pays the difference.
| Overnights with Parent A | Guideline amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,111 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 52 | $1,111 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 104 | $1,111 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 128 | $1,111 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 182 (about equal) | $370 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
Low and high incomes in Rhode Island
For 2 children with Parent B earning $40,000, the guideline amount is about $455 a month when Parent A earns $20,000 a year and about $2,952 a month when Parent A earns $250,000.
The schedule has a self-support reserve built in, so there is no separate low-income test. Below $1,350 of combined income a month the court sets support case by case.
The schedule runs to $40,000 of combined income a month. Above that the top amount is multiplied by the ratio of combined income to the table top.
Child support by number of children in Rhode Island
- 1 child$730 a month
- 2 children$1,111 a month
- 3 children$1,340 a month
- 4 children$1,496 a month
- 5 children$1,646 a month
Parent A earns $60,000, Parent B $40,000; the children live mostly with Parent B.
Official sources and verification
- Law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-16.2; R.I. Family Court Admin. Orders 2012-05, 2017-01, 2018-01, 2018-02 and 2023-02
- Rhode Island child support guidelines
- Child Support Guideline Worksheet (FC-78, revised July 2023)
- Rhode Island Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support Services
- Changing a Rhode Island child support order
Guidelines effective July 1, 2023. Verified against the official Rhode Island sources on October 7, 2026. How we calculate →
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island uses the income shares model: the schedule gives the basic obligation for the parents' combined monthly adjusted gross income, and each parent pays their percentage share. Gross income from almost all sources counts, before taxes, including alimony received. Required deductions come off first: support paid under other orders, the children's health insurance premium or cash medical, half the schedule amount for other children living with a parent, and each parent's share of net child care.
What is the child support for one child in Rhode Island on $50,000?
If Parent A earns $50,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the child lives mostly with Parent B, Rhode Island's guideline amount for one child is about $638 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). Courts can deviate from the guideline amount.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Rhode Island?
Not necessarily. With about equal parenting time, 2 children, Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, the guideline amount is about $370 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). Support is not reduced for ordinary parenting time. With shared placement, when each parent has at least 179 overnights a year, each parent's share of the total obligation is worked out and the parent with the larger amount pays the difference.
What is the minimum child support in Rhode Island?
The schedule has a self-support reserve built in, so there is no separate low-income test. Below $1,350 of combined income a month the court sets support case by case.
When does child support end in Rhode Island?
In Rhode Island a child is of full legal age at 18. The Family Court may continue support for a child attending high school at 18 until 90 days after graduation, but not past age 19, and may order support beyond that for a child with a severe physical or mental impairment that began before emancipation who still lives with or is cared for by a parent. The statute makes no provision for college support. The order keeps running by wage withholding after the youngest child is emancipated until any arrears are paid.