How Child Support Is Calculated in Mississippi

Mississippi uses a percentage-of-income model based on the paying parent's adjusted gross income: 14% for one child, 20% for two, 22% for three, 24% for four, and 26% for five or more. Adjusted gross income is gross income from all sources minus taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement contributions, and certain other support obligations. The guideline is a rebuttable presumption; a court may depart from it only with a written or on-the-record finding that it would be unjust or inappropriate. No official online calculator was found.

Child support services are provided by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Division of Child Support Enforcement. MDHS links to Quick Apply on the state's ACCESS portal for applications. A parent applying for services pays a $25 application fee unless they receive a state-supported benefit such as SNAP, TANF or Medicaid. A 'locate only' application is free; if the other parent is found, you can pay the $25 fee to pursue a support order.

The duty to support a child ends when the child is emancipated. Unless the support judgment says otherwise, emancipation happens when the child turns 21, marries, joins the military full-time, or is convicted of a felony and sentenced to two or more years. The court may also find a child emancipated earlier if the child is 18 or older and stops full-time school enrollment (unless the child is disabled), or moves out, sets up independent living, gets a full-time job and stops school before 21, or lives with another person without the paying parent's approval. Emancipation does not erase past-due support.

Support can be changed only by a court order. Parents have the right to request an MDHS review every three years from the date the order was entered or last modified; reviews on that three-year cycle do not require proof of a substantial change in circumstances. Either parent may ask for a review sooner if circumstances warrant, but then a substantial change must be shown, such as a big change in the paying parent's income, increased needs as children get older, or special health needs of the child or a parent. Reviews are requested with the MDHS review questionnaire forms, and both parents get notice of the results and a chance to agree or disagree before a court approves the final order.

MDHS can enforce support through income withholding (including wages, workers' compensation, retirement and other payments), withholding from unemployment benefits, interception of federal and state tax refunds, contempt of court (which can lead to jail until a set amount is paid, after other remedies have been tried), credit bureau reporting (after a payment is at least 60 days late, with advance notice), freezing and seizing bank and credit union accounts, and suspension of state-issued licenses such as driver's, hunting and professional licenses when a parent is one or more months behind, misses a payment plan payment by 30 days, or ignores a child support subpoena or warrant. Parents who owe $2,500 or more will have their passport revoked or application denied.

The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Division of Child Support Enforcement, helps establish paternity, obtain child support orders, locate the other parent, enforce and review orders, and handle interstate cases. Families applying for SNAP or TANF complete the Notice of Child Support Enforcement (MDHS EA Form 941); others submit the Child Support application (Form 675) with a $25 application fee by mail or in person to MDHS-Division of Child Support, 950 E. County Line Road, Suite #G, Ridgeland, MS 39157. Support is paid to MDHS and received by direct deposit or a Way2Go Debit MasterCard; documents can be uploaded at cs-upload.mdhs.ms.gov. Child Support Call Center: 877-882-4916.

Mississippi does not use an income-shares worksheet; the Mississippi Department of Human Services publishes the Mississippi Child Support Guidelines (Miss. Code Ann. 43-19-101 and 43-19-103), which set support as a percentage of the paying parent's monthly adjusted gross income: 14% for one child, 20% for two, 22% for three, 24% for four and 26% for five or more. Adjusted gross income is gross income minus taxes, Social Security and mandatory retirement/disability contributions and existing court-ordered support for other children (and possibly an amount for other children living with the parent), divided by 12. The guidelines are a rebuttable presumption; the court or agency may depart from them with a written or on-the-record finding that they would be unjust or inappropriate.