These child support guidelines shall take effect on December 1, 2025, and shall be applied to all child support orders and judgments entered as of December 1, 2025. In recognition of the priority of the interests of the children of the Commonwealth, these guidelines are formulated to be used by all of the justices of the Trial Court.
There shall be a rebuttable presumption that these guidelines apply in all cases establishing or modifying a child support order, regardless of whether the parents of the child are married or unmarried, the order is temporary or final, or the Court is deciding whether to approve an agreement for child support. There shall also be a rebuttable presumption that the amount of the child support order calculated under these guidelines is the appropriate amount of child support to be ordered.
These guidelines are based on various considerations, including, but not limited to, each parent’s earnings, income, and other evidence of ability to pay. These guidelines are intended to be of assistance to attorneys and to parties in determining what level of payment would be expected given the relative income levels of the parties.
In all cases where an order for child support may be established or modified, a guidelines worksheet must be filled out and submitted, regardless of the income of the parties. The Findings and Determinations for Child Support and Post-Secondary Education form (CJ-D 305) must also be filled out and submitted whenever a deviation from these guidelines is agreed to or requested, and/or when any other section of the Findings and Determinations for Child Support and Post-Secondary Education form may apply to a case.