How Child Support Is Calculated in Delaware

Delaware uses its own Delaware Child Support Formula, set out in Family Court Civil Rules 500 through 510 and revised effective February 1, 2026. Each parent gets a self-support allowance ($1,600), then a primary support amount for the children is shared by the parents' share of net available income, followed by a standard of living adjustment. The Family Court provides manual and automated (Excel) child support calculators.

Apply to the Delaware Division of Child Support Services (DCSS), part of the Department of Health and Social Services, through the online Delaware Child Support Portal. You first create a My.Delaware account, then add the "DCSS App Services" app (new applicants) to apply. DCSS says application fees must be paid by check or money order. DCSS has offices in New Castle, Dover and Georgetown, open weekdays 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; the automated line is (302) 577-7171.

Both parents must support a child under 18. Support continues past 18 if the child is a high school student who is likely to graduate; that duty ends when the child receives a high school diploma or turns 19, whichever happens first.

You may petition Family Court to modify a support order if at least 2.5 years have passed since the last order, or if there has been a substantial change in circumstances (such as a job loss or income change, a change in custody or household size, or changes in health insurance); Family Court may accept a petition sooner if the change is significant. DCSS can help file the petition. Mediation is scheduled first; if there is no agreement, a Family Court Commissioner holds a hearing. Support is recalculated with the Delaware Child Support Calculator, and a new order is issued only if the result changes support by 10% or more.

DCSS lists these tools: automatic income withholding in all child and medical support orders; suspension of driver's, professional/occupational and recreational licenses for parents who owe $3,500 or more and have paid nothing in 60 or more days, or have an outstanding warrant for failing to appear (after a Notice of Intent and a chance to pay, make a payment agreement or request a hearing within 20 days); passport denial at $3,500 or more owed; interception of lottery winnings ($150 or more owed); state tax refund intercept ($150 or more owed) and federal tax refund intercept ($500 or more, or $150 in TANF/foster care cases); and interception of unemployment benefits. A $25 fee is deducted from lottery and tax intercepts over $100. DCSS can also file an enforcement petition in Family Court; the first one usually goes to mediation.

The Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) is the state child support agency. Its services include establishing paternity or parentage, enforcing and modifying child support orders, medical support and administrative hearings. Apply for child support and manage a case online through my.delaware.gov; payment options (online, mail and in person) are explained on the DCSS How to Make a Payment page. DCSS Customer Service Unit: (302) 577-7171, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Family Court of the State of Delaware publishes a Child Support Calculator based on the Delaware Child Support Formula (the Melson Formula), offered online, as an automated Excel file and as a manual worksheet, with instructions (Form 509i) in English and Spanish. The formula was revised effective February 1, 2026 (Family Court Civil Rules 500-510) and is a rebuttable presumption: the court adopts its result unless it finds the result contrary to the child's best interest or unfair to the parties. Every support order, including consent orders, must have a support calculation attached. A Family Court mediator uses the formula to calculate support; if parents do not agree, a temporary order may issue and a Commissioner holds a hearing.