How Child Support Is Calculated in Arizona

Arizona's Child Support Guidelines follow the income shares model, using both parents' incomes. The current guidelines took effect January 1, 2022 (revised September 21, 2022). The Superior Court in Maricopa County provides official 2022 calculators for statewide use: an interview-style version for self-represented people and an Excel version.

Apply to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Child Support Services (DCSS). You can apply online through the AZCARES Child Support Customer Portal, or complete the paper Request for Title IV-D Child Support Services form and submit it by email, by mail (P.O. Box 40458, Phoenix, AZ 85067) or in a secure drop box at a local DCSS office. Helpful items include the other parent's name, Social Security number and employer if known, each child's birth certificate, and copies of any paternity, support or divorce orders. After the application is processed, a case is opened and both parents receive a letter about next steps.

Child support normally ends when the child reaches the age of majority (18). If the child turns 18 while attending high school or a certified high school equivalency program, support continues while the child is actually attending, but only until the child turns 19. A court may order support to continue past majority for a child with severe mental or physical disabilities who cannot live independently and be self-supporting, if the disability began before the child reached the age of majority.

A child support order can be changed only on a showing of changed circumstances that are substantial and continuing; adding health insurance coverage, or a change in its availability, can qualify. Changes are not retroactive: arrears that built up before notice of the petition cannot be modified, and a change takes effect on the first day of the month after notice of the petition unless the court sets a different date for good cause, which cannot be earlier than the date the petition was filed. A parent asks for a change by filing a petition with the superior court, and the court may award attorney fees and costs to the prevailing party.

Every support order includes an order of assignment (income withholding). A child support order in a state child support (Title IV-D) case creates a lien on all of the paying parent's property, and the state can levy (seize) non-exempt property when there is a judgment or arrears equal to 12 months of support. The state can also use bank account data matches, report to credit bureaus, and, after notice, refer a parent who is at least six months behind to court, where a judge who finds willful nonpayment can suspend or restrict a driver license or recreational license; professional and occupational licenses are also subject to suspension. Knowingly failing to support a minor child is a class 6 felony. Unpaid support accrues simple interest at 10% a year.

Arizona's child support agency is the Department of Economic Security, Division of Child Support Services (DCSS). Parents can apply for DCSS services, which include locating absent parents, establishing paternity, and establishing and enforcing child support orders.

The Arizona Judicial Branch points parents to the 2022 Child Support Calculators (hosted by the Maricopa County Superior Court law library), which apply to orders entered after January 1, 2022, unless there is a default or the parties agree otherwise. There are two versions: an interview-style tool for self-represented litigants and an Excel version for judges, attorneys and others familiar with the guidelines. Older 2018-2021 calculators are kept for recomputing earlier orders. The court says the result "is only an estimate," and "The court has the final authority to determine the amount of child support awarded."