New Hampshire Child Support Calculator (2026)
New Hampshire calculates child support under percentage-of-income guidelines (RSA 458-C:3). Estimate the guideline amount below.
Income basis: combined monthly net income of both parents.
Enter the income above to see the guideline estimate.
Simplified guideline estimate — before health-insurance, childcare, and parenting-time adjustments. For the exact figure use the official New Hampshire calculator.
Your Case Details
Answer a few questions to see your estimated range.
Approximate gap between higher-earner and lower-earner.
Estimated Monthly Support
$840 — $1,560
State formulas vary significantly. This estimate uses national averages — your state's guidelines may produce a different number.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
New Hampshire calculates child support as a percentage of combined monthly net income of both parents under the official guidelines (RSA 458-C:3) — the exact rate depends on income level and the number of children. Use the official table or worksheet linked above for your figure; this page explains what drives it.
How New Hampshire Calculates Child Support
New Hampshire applies a single guideline percentage directly to the parents' combined monthly net income (RSA 458-C:3, I) rather than looking up a dollar figure from an income-shares schedule. RSA 458-C:3, I(a) fixes nine statutory percentage brackets by annual combined net income and number of children — from 25.6%/35.5%/42.5%/45% (1/2/3/4+ children) at $15,000-or-less, sliding down to a floor of 19%/26%/31%/33.5% at $125,000-or-more — and the Bureau of Child Support Services interpolates these into a published Guideline Calculation Table in $10 monthly-income increments (RSA 458-C:3, I(b)), so the percentage steadily declines as combined income rises, then plateaus. The resulting total obligation is split between the parents in proportion to each parent's share of combined adjusted gross income (RSA 458-C:3, II). The deviation factors (RSA 458-C:5) were last substantively amended in 2019; the percentage table itself has been unchanged since the 2012-2013 revision (Laws 2012, ch. 248, eff. July 1, 2013).
Statutory basis: RSA 458-C:3. Exact figure: official New Hampshire calculator.
Worked Example
Two children, combined annual net income of $70,000 (an exact statutory anchor point) → guideline percentage = 30% of combined net income (RSA 458-C:3, I(a)) = $21,000/year, about $1,750/month total child support obligation. If the paying parent (obligor) earns $42,000 of that $70,000 combined net income (a 60% share) and the other parent earns $28,000 (40% share), the obligor's proportional support obligation is 60% × $1,750 = $1,050/month (RSA 458-C:3, II(a)-(b)), subject to the self-support-reserve floor in RSA 458-C:3, IV.
When Courts Deviate From the Guideline
- Ongoing extraordinary medical, dental, or education expenses, including special-needs costs, for the children (RSA 458-C:5, I(a))
- Significantly high or low income of either parent relative to the guideline result (RSA 458-C:5, I(b))
- Economic consequences of stepparents, step-children, or other natural/adopted children in the household (RSA 458-C:5, I(c))
- Parenting schedule — equal or approximately-equal residential responsibility is not by itself grounds for a deviation, but courts may weigh how it affects each parent's fixed child-rearing costs (RSA 458-C:5, I(h))
- Economic consequences of disposing of the marital home for the child's benefit (RSA 458-C:5, I(e))
- Voluntary or court-ordered postsecondary/college education expenses (RSA 458-C:5, I(i))
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a maximum combined income cap on New Hampshire's child support guidelines?
No hard dollar ceiling. The statutory percentage table (RSA 458-C:3, I(a)) bottoms out at 19%/26%/31%/33.5% (for 1/2/3/4+ children) once combined net income reaches $125,000/year or more, and DHHS's published Guideline Calculation Table applies that same floor percentage at every higher income level — so the dollar obligation keeps rising even though the percentage stops decreasing. Courts can deviate downward if the resulting order substantially exceeds the children's reasonable needs (RSA 458-C:5, I(b)(1)).
What counts as 'income' for New Hampshire child support?
RSA 458-C:2, IV defines gross income broadly: wages, salary, commissions, tips, annuities, Social Security, trust/lottery/gambling winnings, interest, dividends, rental income, self-employment income, alimony, business profits, pensions, bonuses, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, and unemployment/disability benefits — but it excludes means-tested public assistance (TANF, SSI, food stamps, etc.). Courts can also impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed.
Does splitting parenting time 50/50 reduce the guideline amount in New Hampshire?
Not automatically. RSA 458-C:5, I(h)(1) — added by the 2019 amendment — specifically states that equal or approximately-equal parenting responsibility does not by itself eliminate the need for support or justify an adjustment. Courts may still consider it as a deviation factor, looking at whether the parents already apportioned variable child-related expenses, whether shared care reduces the receiving parent's fixed costs, and whether the lower-earning parent can otherwise match the other household's standard of living.
Until what age does child support last in New Hampshire, and does it cover college?
Support runs until age 18, or — if the child is still a full-time high school student at 18 — until graduation or age 19 and 2 months, whichever comes first (RSA 461-A:14). New Hampshire courts cannot order a parent to pay for college or other postsecondary education unless the parents agreed to it themselves (RSA 461-A:14; RSA 461-A:21).