Child Support Calculation Worksheet - Iowa

IMPORTANT: THIS IS A PREPARATION GUIDE — NOT THE OFFICIAL COURT WORKSHEET

Iowa requires the use of official Form 1 — Child Support Guidelines Worksheet for child support calculations.
This template provides the substantive content and calculation methodology to help you
prepare — but you must transfer your figures to the official worksheet before filing.
The official form is available at https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/representing-yourself/child-support.
Do not file this document directly with the court.

CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATION WORKSHEET

State of Iowa — Income Shares Model (Iowa Court Rules Chapter 9)

Table of Contents

1. Case Information
2. Children Subject to This Order
3. Gross Income Determination
4. Adjusted Net Monthly Income
5. Basic Child Support Obligation
6. Additional Expenses
7. Shared Parenting and Adjustments
8. Total Child Support Obligation
9. Deviation Factors
10. Duration and Modification
11. State-Specific Notes
12. Sources and References

1. Case Information

2. Children Subject to This Order

Total Number of Children: [____]

Custody Arrangement:
☐ Primary Physical Care — Parent A
☐ Primary Physical Care — Parent B
☐ Court-ordered joint (equally shared) physical care
☐ Split Physical Care

3. Gross Income Determination

Parent A — Monthly Gross Income

Parent B — Monthly Gross Income

4. Adjusted Net Monthly Income

Combined Adjusted Net Monthly Income: $ [________________________________]

Use the current official guidelines worksheet and Rule 9.5 for each parent's permitted deductions and any spousal-support adjustment; this table is an input summary, not a substitute for that calculation.

Percentage of Combined Income:

• Parent A: [____] %
• Parent B: [____] %

5. Basic Child Support Obligation

6. Additional Expenses

Health Insurance

Childcare Costs (Add-On)

Extraordinary Expenses

7. Shared Parenting and Adjustments

☐ Court order provides joint (equally shared) physical care: use the Rule 9.14(3) method below
☐ Other court-ordered care arrangement: use the applicable Rule 9.14 method
☐ Noncustodial parent has more than 127 court-ordered overnights: check the separate Rule 9.9 extraordinary visitation credit

Court-Ordered Joint Physical Care Calculation

Parent obligated to pay: ☐ Parent A ☐ Parent B

Separate extraordinary visitation credit, if applicable under Rule 9.9: [NUMBER] court-ordered overnights; [15% / 20% / 25% / NOT APPLICABLE] credit on the noncustodial parent's share of the basic support obligation. Do not treat the 128-overnight threshold as an order for joint physical care or apply this credit as a substitute for the joint-care method.

8. Total Child Support Obligation

Monthly Child Support Payment: $ [________________________________]
Parent Obligated to Pay: ☐ Parent A ☐ Parent B

9. Deviation Factors

☐ No variance requested

☐ Variance requested based on:

☐ Extraordinary educational expenses
☐ Extraordinary medical expenses
☐ Special needs of the child
☐ Income of the child
☐ Tax consequences
☐ Shared physical care arrangement
☐ Travel expenses for visitation
☐ Substantial hardship to either parent
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Proposed variance amount: $ [________________________________]

Justification:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

10. Duration and Modification

Duration of Support:

• Support generally continues while the child is under age 18.
• For a child between ages 18 and 19, support includes a child engaged full-time in completing high school graduation or equivalency requirements when completion is reasonably expected before age 19. Iowa Code § 598.1(9).
• A court may also order support for a child of any age who is dependent because of physical or mental disability. Iowa Code § 598.1(9).
• ☐ Child is emancipated
• ☐ Child marries
• ☐ Child enters active military duty
• ☐ Post-secondary education support ordered (Iowa Code § 598.21F)
• ☐ Other terminating event: [________________________________]

Modification:

☐ This is a modification of a prior order dated [__/__/____]
☐ Existing order amount: $ [____________] per month
☐ Recalculated amount: $ [____________] per month
☐ Substantial change in circumstances: ☐ Yes ☐ No

11. State-Specific Notes

1. Income Shares Model: Use the parents' adjusted net monthly incomes, calculated under Iowa Court Rule 9.5, in the applicable Rule 9.14 method and schedule.

2. 2026 Schedule Update: The Iowa Supreme Court updated the Schedule of Basic Support Obligations effective January 1, 2026, reflecting a 21% increase in consumer prices. Average obligation increases are 7.6% (one child), 10.5% (two children), and 11.6% (three children).

3. Childcare as Add-On: Effective with the 2026 update, childcare costs are treated as a straightforward add-on to the basic obligation rather than requiring a variance justification.

4. Care Method and Visitation Credit: Rule 9.14(3)'s offset method applies to court-ordered joint (equally shared) physical care. Rule 9.9 separately provides a credit when the noncustodial parent's court-ordered visitation exceeds 127 overnights a year.

5. Farm Income: Iowa includes net farm income in gross income calculations, which is particularly relevant given the state's agricultural economy.

6. Post-Secondary Education: Iowa courts may order parents to contribute to post-secondary education costs under Iowa Code § 598.21F.

12. Sources and References

• Iowa Court Rules Chapter 9 — current edition linked September 30, 2026
• Iowa Judicial Branch — Child Support
• Iowa Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

CERTIFICATION

I declare under penalty of perjury that the information provided in this worksheet is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Parent A Signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]

Parent B Signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]

Attorney for Parent A: [________________________________] Bar #: [____________]

Attorney for Parent B: [________________________________] Bar #: [____________]