NEW Indiana Child Support Calculator

The Indiana Supreme Court has now posted to its website the Practitioner's version of the Indiana Child Support Calculator. The step-by-step Parent's version has been available for sometime.


The Practitioner's calculator was demonstrated to us at the last meeting of the Domestic Relations Committee of the Indiana Judicial Center. The calculators include the 2009 changes made to the Indiana Child Support Guidelines effective 01 January 2010.

One of the main benefits of these calculators is the ability to save calculations in the application. Tracking software also allows the INSC to determine where the calculators are being used. I see a great benefit in this in that counties who show a disproportionately high or low rate of use compared to population could be used to determine what practices are leading to those rates.

Under the Indiana child support modification law a parent is entitled to seek a change in modification of child support under two theories. 1) a showing of changed circumstances so substantial and continuing as to make the terms unreasonable; or 2) that a party has been ordered to pay an amount in child support that differs by more than twenty percent (20%) from the amount that would be ordered by applying the child support guidelines; and the order to be modified or revoked was issued at least twelve months before the petition requesting modification was filed.

It is good to be in the habit of using the calculator annually to see if you current amount you are ordered to pay differs by at least 20%. Use New Year's Day, your birthday, anniversary of the divorce or some other date to regularly do this. Just because your job stays the same doesn't mean other factors aren't changing. I have seen people continue paying for child care up to seven years after their children began attending school.

I have previously written why now may be a good time to seek a support modification. If you are unemployed then you certainly want to do this. While you are here on-line take a few moments to try out the new calculator. You may just find that you are entitled to a reduction in payments.

If you need help with the process of a modification please contact me.

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©2010 Stuart Showalter, LLC. Permission is granted to all non-commercial entities to reproduce this article in it's entirety with credit given.