How to calculate Nevada child support?

1. Start with the paying parent’s gross monthly income (NAC 425.025).
2. Apply the NAC 425.140 percentages for your number of children to the first $6,000, then the reduced rates to the next $4,000 and to anything above $10,000, and add the three amounts together.
3. If custody is joint, repeat step 2 for the other parent and subtract the smaller amount from the larger. The higher earner pays the difference.
4. If the paying parent earns $998 to $1,995 a month, compare the result with the 2026 low-income schedule under NAC 425.145, which the court may apply instead.

Nevada replaced its old flat percentages with this tiered formula in NAC Chapter 425, effective February 1, 2020.

The percentages stack. A parent earning $8,000 a month with one child pays 16% of the first $6,000 ($960) plus 8% of the next $2,000 ($160), for a total of $1,120. The calculator above does that arithmetic for you.

How does joint physical custody change the calculation?

When parents share joint physical custody, NAC 425.115 directs the court to calculate each parent’s obligation as if the other parent had primary custody, then subtract the smaller amount from the larger. The parent with the higher income pays the difference. If incomes are equal, no base support is owed under the formula, although child care and medical support can still be ordered.

Nevada courts have treated roughly 40% of the overnights as the working line between joint and primary physical custody. That figure comes from case law, principally Rivero v. Rivero, 125 Nev. 410 (2009), and was later described as a guideline rather than a bright line in Bluestein v. Bluestein (2015). It does not appear in the regulation. Use the arrangement stated in your current order when choosing a setting. Actual parenting time can become relevant if custody or support is later disputed or modified, so if your order and your real schedule disagree, an attorney should look at both.

Worked example: two children, joint custody

Parent A earns $7,500 a month. Parent B earns $4,000 a month. Two children.

• Parent A: 22% of $6,000 = $1,320, plus 11% of $1,500 = $165. Total $1,485.
• Parent B: 22% of $4,000 = $880.
• Difference: $1,485 minus $880 = $605 a month, paid by Parent A.

If Parent B had primary custody instead, Parent A would pay the full $1,485, and Parent B’s income would not reduce the formula amount. For more income-specific examples, see how much child support you will pay in Nevada by income.

What is the Nevada low-income child support schedule?

NAC 425.145 provides a separate schedule for paying parents with limited means. If the court finds that the paying parent’s total economic circumstances limit his or her ability to pay the formula amount, support is set from the schedule instead. The Administrative Office of the Courts publishes the schedule each year, and the 2026 schedule covers gross monthly income from $998 (75% of the one-person federal poverty guideline) to $1,995 (150%). At the bottom of the range the schedule amount is about two thirds of the formula amount; at $1,995 it equals the formula. Below $998 the court sets support based on the paying parent’s actual ability to pay. When the income you enter falls in the schedule range, the calculator shows the formula amount as the main result and the 2026 schedule amount beside it, because the court decides which one applies.

Is there a cap on child support in Nevada?

No. Nevada removed its dollar caps when NAC 425 took effect in 2020. Instead of a cap, income above $10,000 a month is charged at the lowest tier (4% for one child, up to 7% for four). Support keeps rising with income, just more slowly. The formula amount is a presumption that can be rebutted under NAC 425.100 when it exceeds the child’s needs, and NAC 425.150 lists the specific factors a court may use to adjust it.

How much child support will I pay if I make $2,000 a week?

$2,000 a week is about $8,667 a month ($2,000 times 52, divided by 12). For one child with the other parent holding primary custody, that is 16% of $6,000 ($960) plus 8% of $2,667 ($213), roughly $1,173 a month. For two children, about $1,613. Under joint custody the other parent’s income offsets part of that. Enter the monthly figure in the calculator to see your own arrangement, or compare other income levels on our child support by income page.

What can change the calculated amount?

The formula is the starting point, not the final word. The court may adjust support for the factors listed in NAC 425.150, including the child’s special educational needs, the relative income of both households, the cost of transportation for visitation, and support obligations for other children. Two categories are addressed separately from the base percentage formula and can change the total obligation:

• Child care (NAC 425.130): the court must consider the reasonable child care costs paid by either parent and divide them equitably.
• Medical support (NAC 425.135): the court must address health insurance for the child. Unreimbursed medical expenses are commonly divided as well.

A judge can also impute income to a parent who is unemployed or underemployed without good cause (NAC 425.125), which is why the gross monthly income you enter may not be the number the court ultimately uses.

What is the best way to calculate child support?

Start with the formula, using documented gross income figures for both parents. Then review the result against the NAC 425.150 factors and the child care and medical add-ons. When child support is being established or modified in a contested Clark County case, the parties file sworn financial disclosures under the Eighth Judicial District Court rules, and the court works from those numbers, so the estimate that holds up is the one built from the income you can document. A calculator gets you within range in a minute; an attorney tells you which adjustments a judge in the Eighth Judicial District Court is likely to apply to your facts.

Can I change an existing child support order?

Yes. Under NRS 125B.145, either parent may request a review of the order every three years, and that review does not require a change in circumstances. A change of 20% or more in the gross monthly income of a parent subject to the order also requires review. Outside the three-year review, NAC 425.170 requires a change in circumstances to modify an order, and the 2020 change to the guidelines does not count as one by itself. Orders entered before February 2020 were set under the old flat-percentage rules, so a review under the current formula can move the number substantially in either direction.

Common questions about Nevada child support

How long does child support last in Nevada?

Until the child turns 18, or, if the child is still in high school at 18, until the child graduates or turns 19, whichever comes first (NAC 425.160). Under NRS 125B.110, support continues for a child who became disabled before reaching adulthood until the child is no longer disabled or becomes self-supporting.

Does the receiving parent’s income matter?

For the base calculation in a primary custody case, the percentage formula uses only the paying parent’s gross monthly income. The receiving parent’s income can still matter if the court considers an adjustment, because the relative income of both households is a factor under NAC 425.150. In a joint physical custody case, both incomes are used and offset against each other.

Is overtime counted as income?

Generally yes. NAC 425.025 includes overtime that is substantial, consistent, and can be accurately determined. Overtime that does not meet that test is not automatically included, and the court decides how much weight to give it.

Is Nevada child support based on net or gross income?

Gross income. The NAC 425.140 percentages apply to income before taxes and other deductions, not to take-home pay.

Is this the same as the state’s official calculator?

Both apply NAC 425.140. Nevada’s official calculator asks for each parent’s income and the number of children in each parent’s custody. This one adds an explicit joint-versus-primary custody selector so the NAC 425.115 offset is applied automatically, shows the tier-by-tier breakdown, shows the 2026 low-income schedule amount when it may apply, and lets you copy or print the result.