Estimate child support with the State of Minnesota’s online calculator. For an accurate estimate, you will need good information about the other parent's finances.

Child support is based on Minnesota child support guidelines. In addition to both parents’ monthly gross income, the guidelines consider:

• Potential income if a parent is not working full time
• Court-ordered child support for non-joint children
• Court-ordered spousal maintenance
• A parenting expense adjustment of 12 percent if there is court-ordered parenting time between 10 and 45 percent established or being established for joint children
• A self-support reserve so child support does not exceed the paying parent’s ability to pay according to federal poverty guidelines
• A minimum basic support amount for paying parents who do not have the ability to pay the child support amount as determined by the guidelines
• If a parent is incarcerated and has no assets from which to pay child support

The costs of child care and health care are divided between parents, based on each parent’s percentage of income. It is possible that a parent with custody could pay medical support and that amount could be used to decrease the other parent’s child support obligation.