Changing a child support order in Georgia (2026)
A Georgia parent can petition to modify child support only when there is a substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or in the child's needs (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(k)(1)). A parent may not file another petition within two years of the final order on their own previous petition, unless the other parent did not use, or used more than, the court-ordered parenting time, or the petition is based on an involuntary loss of income (§ 19-6-15(k)(2)).
When can a Georgia child support order be changed?
Only when there is a substantial change in either parent’s income and financial status or in the needs of the child, however long ago the order was made (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(k)(1)). The parent asking files a petition to modify, and the court works out the guideline again with current figures.
How often can a parent petition to modify?
A parent may not file a petition to modify within two years of the final order on a previous petition to modify by the same parent (§ 19-6-15(k)(2)). Three situations are exceptions:
- the other parent has failed to exercise the court-ordered parenting time;
- the other parent has exercised more parenting time than the court order provides;
- the petition is based on an involuntary loss of income, as § 19-6-15(j) describes.
How much does a change in income change the amount?
For two children, with the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month and 80 court-ordered days with the other parent:
| Other parent's income a month | 2 children |
|---|---|
| $3,000 | $629.41 |
| $4,000 | $792.45 |
| $5,000 | $931.56 |
| $6,000 | $1,067.22 |
| $7,000 | $1,223.66 |
| $8,000 | $1,363.54 |
Does a change in parenting time change support?
Yes, since 1 January 2026. The parenting time adjustment uses the court-ordered days, so a new parenting time order changes the guideline amount (§ 19-6-15(g)). Parenting time used differently from the order is also one of the exceptions to the two-year rule. See parenting time.
| Days a year with the other parent | Formula | Support a month | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 days | Parenting time formula | $1,143.60 | the other parent |
| 80 days | Parenting time formula | $1,067.22 | the other parent |
| 120 days | Parenting time formula | $869.60 | the other parent |
| 182 days | Parenting time formula | $197.13 | the other parent |
What about an order made before 2007?
When a new award differs by 15 percent or more from a Georgia order entered before 1 January 2007, it can be phased in over up to one year (up to two years from 30 percent), at the court’s discretion (§ 19-6-15(k)(3)).
What this guide does not cover
Court procedure and filing, the Division of Child Support Services’ review of orders, and arrears. The figures are estimates of the guideline amount, not legal advice.
Run your own numbers
This guide's example: in Georgia, 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 80 days a year with the other parent. The guideline amount is $1,067.22 a month. Change any number in the calculator and every step of the formula updates.
Open this family in the Georgia calculatorQuestions
How do you modify child support in Georgia?
By filing a petition to modify and showing a substantial change in either parent's income and financial status or the child's needs. The guideline is worked out again with current figures on the same worksheet.
How often can child support be modified in Georgia?
A parent cannot file a new petition within two years of the final order on their own previous petition, except when the other parent has not used, or has used more than, the court-ordered parenting time, or when the petition rests on an involuntary loss of income.
Can child support be lowered after a job loss in Georgia?
An involuntary loss of income is one of the exceptions to the two-year rule, so a petition can be filed sooner (§ 19-6-15(k)(2)(C)). The court then works out the guideline with the new income.
Sources
- O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(k), Modification, as in force on 1 January 2026, Georgia Child Support Commission copy (archived)
- Figures on this page are computed by the Coparent Math engine with Georgia's rules in force on 3 Nov 2026 unless a table says otherwise, from:
- O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 as in force on 1 January 2026 (Georgia Child Support Commission copy, archived), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Georgia Basic Child Support Obligation Table effective 1 July 2024 (Georgia Child Support Commission, archived), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Georgia Child Support Commission: 2024 updates to the child support guidelines (archived), checked 3 Nov 2026
Related guides
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Related
- Parenting time and 50/50 custody in Georgia child support (2026)Since 1 January 2026, Georgia adjusts child support for every day of court-ordered parenting time with the other parent, by a formula in O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(g). Each parent's share of the table amount is weighted by their days raised to the power 2.5. With equal time and equal incomes the amount is zero; with equal time, the parent with the higher income pays.
- Child support at low incomes in Georgia (2026): the low-income adjustmentSince 1 January 2026, a Georgia parent whose own adjusted income is below the low-income table's limit for the number of children pays the lesser of the guideline amount and the table amount (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(i.1)). At or below $1,500 a month the table is a percentage of that parent's income, 19% for one child; above it the table runs in rows. There is no flat minimum order.
In the same hub
- Back child support (arrears) in Georgia: interest, enforcement and jail (2026)In Georgia, child support expressed in a money amount accrues interest at 7 percent a year, starting 30 days after each installment is due, without any need to turn it into a judgment first; the court can apply, reduce or waive past-due interest after weighing four factors (O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12.1). The Division of Child Support Services collects arrears through income withholding, liens and bank levies, state and federal tax refund intercepts, license suspension, credit reporting and passport denial, and a court can find a parent in contempt, with a fine or jail. Past-due support cannot be reduced retroactively, and Georgia child support judgments entered after 1 July 1997 do not go dormant.
- Child support at high incomes in Georgia (2026)Georgia's table runs to $40,000 of combined monthly gross income, up from $30,000 before 1 July 2024. Above it, the court sets the basic obligation at the highest amount in the table, and the court or jury may deviate upward for high-income parents (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(i)(2)(A)). There is no percentage for the income above the table.
- How much is child support in Georgia by income? (2026)In Georgia the amount depends on both parents' incomes, the number of children and court-ordered parenting time. With the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month, no parenting time and no extra costs, a parent earning $6,000 pays $771.00 for one child and $1,143.60 for two.
- Child support for more than one child in Georgia (2026)Georgia's table gives one figure for all the children in the case, for 1 to 6 children, and each extra child adds less than the one before. With incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 and no parenting time, the other parent pays $771.00 for one child, $1,143.60 for two and $1,345.20 for three.
- Self-employment and imputed income for child support in Georgia (2026)For a self-employed parent, Georgia counts gross receipts minus the ordinary and reasonable expenses needed to produce the income, leaving out excessive promotional, travel, vehicle or personal expenses, depreciation on equipment, home office costs and accelerated depreciation (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(f)(1)(B)). Half of self-employment tax is then deducted. A court can impute income when there is no reliable evidence of income, or when a parent is willfully or voluntarily unemployed or underemployed (§ 19-6-15(f)(4)).
- Health insurance and child care in Georgia child support (2026)Georgia adds work related child care and the children's share of the health insurance premium to the guideline amount, divides them between the parents by income, and credits each parent with what they pay (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(h)). Child care is averaged to a monthly amount, only what parents actually pay counts, and uninsured medical costs are shared outside the monthly amount.
The same topic in other states
- Changing a child support order in Alabama (2026)An Alabama child support order changes only when a parent files a petition to modify and proves a material change in circumstances that is substantial and continuing since the last order. If the guideline amount differs from the existing order by more than ten percent, there is a rebuttable presumption that the order should be modified. The new amount applies only to payments due after the petition was filed (Rule 32(A)(3)).
- Changing a child support order in Florida (2026)Either parent can ask the court to increase or decrease child support when the circumstances or financial ability of either party change (Fla. Stat. § 61.14(1)(a)). The guidelines can show a substantial change on their own when the difference between the existing order and the guideline amount is at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater (§ 61.30(1)(b)). A modification can apply back to the date the petition was filed.
- Changing a child support order in Texas (2026)A Texas court can modify a child support order in two cases: when the circumstances of the child or a person affected by the order have materially and substantially changed, or when it has been three years since the order was made or last modified and the monthly amount differs from the current guideline amount by either 20 percent or $100 (Texas Family Code § 156.401). Only a new order changes the amount; parents can apply to the Attorney General's Child Support Division for a review or file in court.
- Modifying a child support order in New York (2026)A New York child support order can be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances, when three years have passed since it was entered, last modified or adjusted, or when either parent's gross income has changed by 15 percent or more since then (Family Court Act § 451(3); Domestic Relations Law § 236(B)(9)(b)(2)). Parents can opt out of the three-year and 15 percent grounds in a validly executed agreement or stipulation. Separately, the Child Support Program reviews orders it handles every two years for a cost of living adjustment.
- How a Virginia child support order is changed (2026)A Virginia child support order changes only when a court revises it, either on a parent's petition or after a review by the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE), and the court needs a material change in circumstances. A change can reach back only to the date the other parent was given notice of the petition (Code of Virginia § 20-108). In DCSE reviews, a material change is deemed to exist when the guideline amount differs from the current order by at least 10 percent and at least 25 dollars a month (§ 63.2-1921 C).
Comparisons
- Florida vs Georgia child support: which state is higher? (2026)Neither is always higher. Without shared time the two are close at middle incomes: for two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month, the guideline is $1,192.96 in Florida and $1,143.60 in Georgia. Time with the other parent makes the bigger difference: Georgia lowers support for every court-ordered day, while Florida changes nothing until 73 overnights a year and then drops faster. At low incomes Georgia's low-income table can bring support below Florida's.
- Georgia vs Alabama child support: which state is higher? (2026)For most families without shared time, Georgia's guideline is higher. Both states start from the two parents' gross incomes, but their tables differ: for two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month, it is $1,143.60 in Georgia and $1,020.00 in Alabama. Georgia lowers support for every court-ordered day with the other parent, while Alabama changes its formula only for a court order of 50/50 custody. At low incomes the order can flip, because Alabama's self-support reserve and Georgia's low-income table cut in at different points.