Child Care Cost Calculator
Calculate annual childcare costs and how they are split between parents for child support purposes.
Results
Visualization
How It Works
Childcare costs are a major add-on expense in child support calculations. Most states split work-related childcare costs proportionally based on each parent's income share. This includes daycare, after-school programs, and summer care.
The Formula
Total Annual = (Daycare x 12) + (After-School x 10 months) + (Summer x Weeks)
Variables
- Daycare — Full-time childcare during working hours (12 months)
- After-School — Care after school until parent picks up (10 school months)
- Summer Camp — Full-day camp during summer break
- Income Share — Each parent's proportion of combined income
Example
1 child in $1,200/mo daycare + 1 in $400/mo after-school + 8 weeks summer at $300/week: $14,400 + $4,000 + $4,800 = $23,200/year. At 60/40 split: $13,920 and $9,280.
Tips
- Only work-related childcare is included in child support calculations.
- The child care tax credit can offset 20-35% of qualifying expenses.
- Some employers offer dependent care FSAs saving up to $5,000/year in taxes.
- Costs typically decrease as children enter school.
- Document all childcare expenses with receipts for court.