Experienced Child Support Attorneys Offering Skilled Guidance In The Greater Philadelphia Area
At Astor Weiss Kaplan & Mandel, LLP, our attorneys provide guidance and representation in a wide variety of family law concerns, including child support. While Pennsylvania’s child support calculations are formulaic in nature, it is important to work with a skilled attorney to ensure that the financial information submitted to the court accurately reflects each parent’s financial status and the financial needs of the children.
After reading through this page, feel free to contact us for answers to your child support questions and to discuss your legal needs.
A Basic Overview Of Pennsylvania Child Support
In Pennsylvania, once parties separate from the same household, certain rights are triggered, including the right to child support. The baseline amount of child support is determined by the Pennsylvania Child Support Guidelines. This system uses an “income shares model” that calculates standard child-rearing costs based on the parents’ combined net monthly incomes.
The right of the child to support continues until the child reaches age 18 or graduates from high school, whichever occurs later. One major exception to keep in mind is that child support obligations may extend beyond these normal termination dates if the child has a physical or mental disability.
Major Updates To The Child Support Guidelines
To ensure support awards stay accurate to the modern cost of living, Pennsylvania overhauls its math charts every four years. A series of major changes took effect on January 1, 2026, completely shifting how payments are calculated, how healthcare bills are split and how custody time impacts the baseline numbers.
The three most critical updates affecting current and future support cases include:
- Increases for inflation: To counter the rising costs of housing, groceries and basic goods, the state increased the basic child support schedule. For the average family, basic support figures went up by roughly 3% to 18% depending on your specific income bracket.
- Expanded medical coverage: In the past, expenses like braces or mental health counseling required special agreements or legal fights to split. Under the 2026 rules, out-of-pocket costs for orthodontia, psychological evaluations and therapy are automatically considered shared reasonable medical expenses.
- Removal of the 30% custody assumption: The state completely deleted the old, hidden “30% custody presumption” from the core support charts. Rather than building a passive assumption into the math, calculations now start at a neutral zero-baseline. This makes the final payment numbers much more accurate to your real-world overnight custody schedule.
These update mean you must review your child support order periodically. In Pennsylvania, support orders never update on their own. An attorney can protect your parental rights and financial stability in case the other parent requests a recalculation.
Why It Is Important To Work With A Child Support Lawyer
There are many factors that are important to the calculation of child support, including:
- Health insurance costs
- The custody schedule
- Taxes
- Child care costs
- Additional child-related expenses
You may need the proactive assistance of a family law attorney when your spouse or the other parent has a complex income structure. Total income is rarely as simple as looking at a paycheck or a standard tax return. This is especially the case where the parent owns his or her own business or is a manager at a publicly traded company.
In addition, there may be special circumstances in your case that may allow for an increase or decrease in guideline support. For example, you may be entitled to additional support if your spouse or the other parent has the child less than 30% of the time.
Consider meeting with a child support lawyer to get more information on your rights and responsibilities concerning supporting your children. It is also important to review your child support order periodically since child support is always modifiable based upon a change in circumstances, such as an increase or decrease in income, a change in the custody schedule or a major change in state law like the 2026 updates.
Contact Our Firm To Discuss Your Legal Options
Astor Weiss Kaplan & Mandel, LLP has a large family law department with lawyers who are experienced in the area of child support to assist you. To schedule an initial consultation, call us at 215-790-0100 or fill out our online contact form.
