Child Support

Oregon expects both parents to financially support their children, and this obligation exists whether the parties were married and then divorced, were never married and are now separated, or even if the parents never lived together before or after the birth of their child.

Child support is calculated by a federally mandated formula that each state is required to adopt. Oregon’s child support calculation was established by the Oregon Department of Justice, Child Support Division, and is updated periodically as required.

In Oregon, some of the variables that help determine the amount of any parent’s child support obligation are:

• Each parent’s gross monthly income.

• Health insurance costs for each parent, as well as for the child or children.

• Work-related childcare costs, if any.

• The number of overnights each parent spends with the child each calendar year.

• Whether either parent has children from any prior relationships.

To learn more about how Oregon calculates child support, you can access Oregon’s Child Support Guidelines and Child Support Calculator here.

If both parents agree, then it is possible for one parent to pay the other parent either more or less than the amount determined by the Oregon child support calculator. Sometimes the court itself will order one parent to pay more or less than that calculation. Such adjustments always depend upon the facts in your specific case.

Under Oregon law, child support obligations for either parent typically end when the child turns 18. However, if the child is enrolled in any educational program, the child may themself request that child support be provided to them by both parents until age 21.