Child support in Philadelphia: how it is calculated
Child support in Philadelphia is set by Pennsylvania's statewide guidelines — Philadelphia County courts apply the same table as every other county. Here is the calculation, with the statute it comes from.
Where a Philadelphia case goes
A Philadelphia case is filed in the Pennsylvania court for Philadelphia County, which applies the state guideline below. Local practice affects timing and paperwork, not the guideline amount. Philadelphia has about 1,573,916 residents (Census Bureau, 2024 estimate).
Open the full Pennsylvania child support calculator → — same formula, with every input, the statute (231 Pa. Code Rules 1910.16-3 and 1910.16-3.1) and the date it was last checked.
Formula
Schedule by combined net income ($1,300–$30,000/mo), payer owes income share
Type
Income-shares model
Does Philadelphia have its own rule?
No. 231 Pa. Code Rules 1910.16-3 and 1910.16-3.1 applies across Pennsylvania, so a case from Philadelphia is decided by the same numbers as one filed anywhere else in the state. What changes locally is the courthouse, the clerk's procedure and how long the docket takes — not the amount.
What the statute says
231 Pa. Code Rules 1910.16-3 and 1910.16-3.1 — Pennsylvania basic child support schedule. Pennsylvania uses combined monthly NET income (Rule 1910.16-2). The schedule runs from $1,300 to $30,000 in $50 steps; above $30,000, Rule 1910.16-3.1 sets the obligation at the $30,000 amount plus 4.0% (one or two children) to 6.3% (six children) of the excess, subject to a reasonable-needs review. Below $1,300 the low-income rules in Rule 1910.16-2(e) and the self-support reserve apply. The schedule already assumes the paying parent has the children 30% of overnights; 40% or more triggers a further reduction.
Last checked 2026-09-08. Read the source →
Also for Philadelphia
Other Pennsylvania cities
Pittsburgh · Allentown · Reading · Erie · Bethlehem · Scranton · Lancaster · Harrisburg · York · Wilkes-Barre · Altoona · State College
Everything StateTally tracks for Pennsylvania → · Child Support in every city →