How is child support calculated in Georgia?

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Georgia   child support   is governed by   O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15  , a comprehensive   Income Shares   statute enacted in 2007.    1. Calculation Steps   1. Determine each parent's   monthly gross income   (§ 19-6-15(f)). 2.   Combine   gross incomes. 3. Find the   Basic Child Support Obligation (BCSO)   on the schedule in subsection (o) for the combined income and number of children. 4. Multiply by each parent's   percentage share   of combined income →   Pro Rata Share  . 5. Add the   Presumptive Amount   of each parent's share of work-related childcare and health insurance. 6. Apply allowed   deviations   (subsection (i)) — high income, low income, parenting time, alimony, child's extraordinary expenses, etc. 7. The   non-custodial parent   pays the final amount.    2. Gross Income Definition (§ 19-6-15(f))   Includes salaries, commissions, self-employment, bonuses, overtime, severance, recurring gifts, pensions, capital gains, Social Security disability/retirement, workers' comp, unemployment, fringe benefits reducing personal expenses, and imputed income for unemployed/underemployed parents (§ 19-6-15(f)(4)).    3. Add-Ons (§ 19-6-15(h))   -   Work-related childcare   -   Health insurance   premium for the child (parent's portion attributable to child) -   Extraordinary educational   expenses -   Extraordinary medical   expenses    4. Parenting Time Deviation (§ 19-6-15(i)(2)(K))   Georgia does not have a strict shared-parenting offset. Instead, the court may   deviate   from the presumptive amount based on parenting-time arrangements, with written findings.    5. Duration (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(e); § 19-7-2)   Support continues until the child: - Reaches   age 18  , OR - If still enrolled in secondary school, until graduation, but   not past age 20  .  For a permanently mentally or physically incapacitated adult child, support may continue under O.C.G.A. § 19-7-2.    6. Modification (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(k))   Modification requires a   substantial change   in either parent's income or financial status, or in the needs of the child. A petition cannot generally be brought within   2 years   of a prior modification, except for specific exceptions (involuntary loss of income, etc.). Title IV-D agency reviews available every   3 years  .    7. Low-Income Deviation   Available when the obligor would be left below self-support reserve.  This is legal information, not legal advice.