Quick answer: On January 1, 2026, Georgia’s child support calculator replaced two deviations with built-in adjustments. The Parenting Time Adjustment, on new Schedule C, reduces support based on the noncustodial parent’s number of parenting days (182.5 or fewer). The Low-Income Adjustment caps support at a share of the paying parent’s adjusted gross income: 19% for one child, 24% for two, 25% for three, rising to 28% for six (Georgia Child Support Commission). Scot Sikes handles child support cases and modifications in Columbus and at Fort Benning.
Georgia calculates child support with an income-shares formula under O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15: both parents’ gross incomes are combined, a basic obligation is read from the statutory table, and the result is divided by each parent’s share of income, with additions for health insurance and work-related child care. On January 1, 2026, the official calculator changed in two ways that affect many Columbus families.
1. The Parenting Time Adjustment
- What it replaced. The old Parenting Time Deviation, which a parent had to request and justify, was removed from the calculator.
- How it works now. The adjustment is calculated on a new worksheet, Schedule C. You select which parent is the noncustodial parent, enter that parent’s parenting days, and the calculator assigns the rest of the 365 days to the custodial parent. The noncustodial parent must have 182.5 days or fewer.
- Where it shows. The amount appears on line 6 of the child support worksheet and changes as the parenting days change.
Because the adjustment now flows directly from the parenting time in the plan, the number of days written into your parenting plan matters more than before. Count holidays, summer and military leave carefully, and make sure the plan and the worksheet match.
2. The Low-Income Adjustment
The old Low-Income Deviation was also removed. The new adjustment works as a cap so a parent’s child support obligation does not exceed a set share of that parent’s adjusted gross income:
| Number of children | Maximum share of adjusted gross income |
|---|---|
| 1 | 19% |
| 2 | 24% |
| 3 | 25% |
| 4 | 26% |
| 5 | 27% |
| 6 | 28% |
The comparison happens automatically in the calculator and appears on line 11 of the worksheet.
What Has Not Changed
- Support is based on both parents’ gross income, including military base pay, BAH and BAS for service members.
- Support generally continues until the child turns 18, or up to 20 if the child is still in high school (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15).
- Other deviations, such as for extraordinary expenses, remain available where the facts support them.
- The Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit requires a financial affidavit and child support worksheet at least five days before any hearing or mediation on support (Standing Order Ex Parte No. 2025-229).
Does This Change Your Existing Order?
No. Existing orders stay in effect until a court modifies them. The new adjustments apply when support is calculated on the current calculator, such as in a new case or a modification. Whether the change makes a modification worthwhile depends on your income, your parenting time and how your current order was calculated. See post-decree modifications.
Military Families
- Use the soldier’s actual allowances. BAH depends on duty station and dependency status, so a PCS can change the numbers.
- Until there is a court order, Army families fall under AR 608-99 interim support, which uses a different formula.
- Deployment and long-distance schedules change parenting days and therefore the Parenting Time Adjustment; see relocation and PCS custody.
You can run your own estimate with the Georgia Child Support Calculator. A lawyer’s job is to make sure the income figures, parenting days and add-ons going into it are right.
Talk With Scot Sikes
Consultations with Scot Sikes are $200 and cover your specific situation, the Georgia law that applies and your realistic options. Call 706-494-6900 or use the contact page. The office is at 5 Bradley Park Court, Suite 101, Columbus, GA 31904, about 15 minutes from Fort Benning’s main gate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed in Georgia child support in 2026?
Effective January 1, 2026, the calculator replaced the Parenting Time Deviation with a built-in Parenting Time Adjustment (Schedule C) and replaced the Low-Income Deviation with a Low-Income Adjustment that caps support as a share of the paying parent’s adjusted gross income.
How does the Parenting Time Adjustment work?
You enter the noncustodial parent’s parenting days (182.5 or fewer), and the calculator computes an adjustment shown on line 6 of the worksheet. The more parenting days the plan gives the noncustodial parent, the more the adjustment matters.
What is the low-income cap for child support in Georgia?
The 2026 Low-Income Adjustment keeps support from exceeding 19% of the paying parent’s adjusted gross income for one child, 24% for two, 25% for three, 26% for four, 27% for five and 28% for six.
Does the 2026 change lower my current child support automatically?
No. Your existing order stays in effect until a court modifies it. The new adjustments apply when support is recalculated, such as in a modification case.
Does BAH count as income for child support in Georgia?
Yes. Military allowances such as BAH and BAS are included with base pay when calculating a service member’s gross income for Georgia child support.
How long does child support last in Georgia?
Generally until the child turns 18, or until 20 if the child is still enrolled in high school (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15).
More answers: see our Columbus, GA and Fort Benning family law FAQ.
About the author. Scot Sikes founded the Law Offices of Scot Sikes in Columbus, Georgia, in 2006. He earned his J.D. at Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law, was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1999, and served as an Army judge advocate (trial counsel, Senior Defense Counsel and Deputy Staff Judge Advocate) before retiring from the U.S. Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in 2017. His practice centers on family law, military divorce and military family law in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, and courts have qualified him as an expert witness on dividing military property in divorce. Read Scot Sikes’s full profile. Law Offices of Scot Sikes, 5 Bradley Park Court, Suite 101, Columbus, GA 31904 · 706-494-6900.
Last updated November 2026. Sources: Georgia Child Support Commission: Parenting Time Adjustment and Low-Income Adjustment (effective 1/1/2026); Georgia Child Support Calculator; O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 (child support guidelines); Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Standing Order, Civil Action/Domestic Relations (Ex Parte No. 2025-229); Army Regulation 608-99, Family Support, Child Custody, and Parentage (13 Nov. 2020). This page is general information about Georgia law, not legal advice for your situation.