Child support above the Virginia schedule (2026)

How is child support calculated above the Virginia schedule?

The schedule in Code of Virginia § 20-108.2 B lists the basic obligation for combined monthly gross incomes up to $42,500. For higher incomes, the statute says to take the amount for $42,500 and add a percentage of the combined income above $42,500:

Children	Percentage of combined income above the schedule
1	2.6%
2	3.4%
3	3.8%
4	4.2%
5	4.6%
6	5%

That gives the basic obligation for both parents. From there the steps are the same as at any income: add the children’s health coverage and work related child care, and split the total by each parent’s share of combined income (§ 20-108.2 G 1).

Here is one family with combined income above the schedule, step by step:

Two children, combined income above the schedule

In Virginia: 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $20,000 a month and the other parent $30,000, before tax; 0 days a year with the other parent.

1. Add the two incomesCode of Virginia § 20-108.2

   $20,000 + $30,000 = $50,000 a month. The other parent's share is $30,000 ÷ $50,000 = 60%.

   60%

2. Look up the schedule§ 20-108.2 B, schedule of support

   $50,000 is above the last row of the schedule: the top row $4,792 + 3.4% × $7,500 = $5,047.00.

   $5,047.00

3. Work out the sole-custody figure§ 20-108.2 G, sole and shared custody

   $5,047.00 × 60% = $3,028.20.

   $3,028.20

4. Check for shared custody§ 20-108.2 G, sole and shared custody

   0 days with the other parent is not more than 90, so the sole-custody figure applies.

   $3,028.20 a month

Is there a cap on child support in Virginia?

No. Some states stop applying their formula at an income cap. Virginia’s statute does not: the percentage of the extra income applies however high combined income goes. The percentages are small, so the amount keeps rising but more slowly than income.

With the parent the children live with earning $15,000 a month and no shared custody:

Combined income from just below to well above the top of the schedule

Other parent's income a month	1 child	2 children	3 children
$20,000	$1,640.57	$2,385.14	$2,943.43
$27,500	$2,139.18	$3,100.71	$3,796.29
$35,000	$2,450.70	$3,532.90	$4,306.40
$45,000	$2,820.75	$4,040.25	$4,899.00
$60,000	$3,320.80	$4,717.60	$5,681.60
$85,000	$4,080.85	$5,734.95	$6,844.20

For how Texas and New York treat high incomes, see Texas vs Virginia and New York vs Virginia.

What income counts for high earners?

Gross income includes all income from all sources: salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains and rental income (§ 20-108.2 C). Reasonable business expenses are deducted for a business owner, along with half of any self employment tax paid. See self employed and imputed income.

Can a court order more or less than the guideline for a high income family?

The guideline amount is presumed correct at every income level (§ 20-108.1 B). A court that orders a different amount must make written findings that the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate, state the guideline amount, and give the justification, based on the factors in § 20-108.1 B. The ones most often relevant to high incomes are:

• the standard of living the children had during the marriage (factor 10);
• extraordinary capital gains, such as from the sale of the marital home (factor 7);
• the children’s special needs and their own financial resources (factors 8 and 9);
• the earning capacity, obligations, resources and needs of each parent (factor 11);
• court ordered direct payments for the children, such as education expenses or life insurance (factor 6);
• a written agreement of the parents on the amount (factor 14).

Does shared custody change support at high incomes?

The shared custody formula works the same way: the basic obligation, including the part above the schedule, is multiplied by 1.4 and split by each parent’s time and income (§ 20-108.2 G 3). Because the basic obligation is large, the change at the shared custody line is large too:

Days a year with the other parent	Formula	Support a month	Paid by
0 days	Sole custody	$3,028.20	the other parent
90 days	Sole custody	$3,028.20	the other parent
91 days	Shared custody	$2,477.87	the other parent
146 days	Shared custody	$1,413.16	the other parent
182 days	Shared custody	$716.26	the other parent

See shared custody in Virginia.

How did the 2025 update change support for high incomes?

Chapter 702 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly (Senate Bill 805) updated the schedule amounts and extended the schedule from $35,000 to $42,500 of combined monthly income, according to the Child Support Guidelines Review Panel’s December 2025 report. Under the Constitution of Virginia, laws from a regular session take effect on 1 July, so the new schedule applies from 1 July 2025. Families with combined income between those two figures now use schedule amounts instead of the percentage rule. The calculator holds only the schedule in force from 1 July 2025, so it does not show what the earlier schedule gave.

What this guide does not cover

This guide does not cover spousal support, how a court weighs the deviation factors in a particular case, or how support for income above the guideline is litigated. The engine also leaves out these parts of Virginia’s guideline:

• Half of any self-employment tax paid is also deducted from income (not modeled).
• Reasonable and necessary unreimbursed medical and dental costs are shared in proportion to gross income as they are incurred, outside the monthly amount (§ 20-108.2 D, not modeled).
• Deductions for other children are not modeled: support paid for other children under an order or written agreement, and the schedule amount for a parent's own children living with that parent (§ 20-108.2 C).
• Disability benefits paid to the children from a parent's entitlement count as that parent's income and are credited against support (§ 20-108.2 C); not modeled.
• Low income is not modeled beyond the minimum: when the paying parent's gross income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, a court may set less than the statutory minimum, and the minimum does not apply to some parents (for example those imprisoned for life or totally and permanently disabled) (§ 20-108.2 B). Shared custody support is not presumed correct when either parent's income is that low (G 3 (d)).
• Days are counted as whole days; the half-day rule for an overnight of less than 24 hours (§ 20-108.2 G 3 (c)) is not modeled.
• Split custody, different schedules for different children, and mixes of sole, split and shared custody (§ 20-108.2 G 2, 4 to 6) are not modeled.

The figures are estimates of the guideline amount, not legal advice. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.