Estimate Your Montana Child Support in Minutes
Before you trust a lawyer with your Divorce case, ask this:
Do you use Deliberately AI?
Lawyers who use our software prepare faster, negotiate smarter, and avoid costly mistakes long before court even starts.
Get a confidential estimate based on
Montana Family Code in under a minute.
Montana Child Support Calculator
Estimate uses a heuristic base schedule, but follows Montana’s transfer-payment structure and the 110-day shared-parenting trigger.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for educational purposes only and not legal advice. Montana uses guideline tables and worksheets; results can differ based on findings and case specifics.
Is your Family Lawyer fully prepared for your Divorce Case?
Deliberately AI’s Client Intelligence framework—used by forward-thinking family law firms to set expectations early and avoid costly surprises. Ask your lawyer to use it on your case.
Montana Family Law Technology: How Deliberately.ai Improves Case Strategy
These short videos show how our Family AI software, powered by Client Intelligence, helps family law attorneys nationwide prepare faster, stay organized, and make smarter, data-driven decisions throughout a case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Child Support in Montana
Discover what you need to know about Child Support Laws in Montana.
Montana calculates child support using the Montana Child Support Guidelines adopted by the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) under MCA 40-5-209.
Montana’s guidelines use a worksheet-based calculation to determine each parent’s total support amount and then determine a transfer payment (the net amount one parent pays the other).
A major feature of Montana’s guideline method is how it treats parenting time:
If the child resides primarily with one parent and does not spend more than 110 days/year with the other parent, there is no shared-parenting adjustment (the standard transfer payment approach applies).
If at least one child spends more than 110 days/year with both parents, the transfer payment is adjusted under the guidelines (shared parenting calculation/adjustment applies).
For an estimate tailored to your situation, you can use the Deliberately.ai child support calculator above—but only a court order is legally binding.
Child support in Montana is commonly influenced by:
Each parent’s income and guideline inputs used on the Montana worksheets
Number of children included in the calculation (worksheet structure)
Parenting time (parenting days) and whether the case crosses the 110-day shared-parenting threshold
Childcare and medical support components included in the guideline framework/worksheets
Any court-accepted reasons to deviate or make case-specific findings under Montana’s statutes/guidelines framework
Cases involving self-employment, irregular income, or disputed parenting time typically require more detailed financial documentation and review.
There is no universal amount. The final number depends on:
Both parents’ financial inputs under the Montana guideline worksheets
Parenting time and whether the calculation is treated as primary-residential (≤110 days) or shared parenting (>110 days)
The resulting transfer payment (net support owed by one parent to the other)
For a reliable estimate before filing or negotiating, use the Deliberately.ai calculator above—keeping in mind the court has final authority.
Montana law defines “child” for support purposes to include:
A person under 18, not emancipated/self-supporting/married/in the armed forces
A person under 19 who is still in high school
A person who is mentally or physically incapacitated if the incapacity began before age 18
Your specific court order language still matters, so always check the termination provision in the judgment.
Not necessarily “automatically” in practice.
Wage withholding and enforcement processes may continue unless properly updated/terminated.
Any arrears remain owed even after the ongoing support obligation would otherwise end.
(Your termination steps depend on your order and enforcement setup.)
Yes. Montana allows child support to be modified under MCA 40-4-208, and the modified obligation must be determined in accordance with the guidelines adopted under MCA 40-5-209.
In general, modifications require a legally sufficient basis and typically apply going forward rather than rewriting past-due support.
Child support can be established and enforced through Montana courts and/or through Montana’s Child Support Services Division (CSSD), depending on your situation and whether services are being provided.
If income, parenting time, or worksheet inputs are likely to be contested, consulting a Montana family lawyer before filing can help avoid delays and mistakes.
Timeframes depend on:
Whether the matter is uncontested
Whether the case is handled through CSSD administrative processes versus district court steps
Whether income/parenting time inputs are disputed
CSSD describes a typical review/adjustment process and notes it can take up to 180 days (sometimes shorter/longer depending on the case).
Montana’s guidelines are built around a structured calculation (worksheets) that results in:
Each parent’s total support amount
The transfer payment owed (net support paid by one parent to the other)
The guideline framework also addresses expenses commonly handled in child support calculations, including childcare and medical support inputs (as reflected in worksheets/instructions).
Each parent’s total support amount
The transfer payment owed (net support paid by one parent to the other)
The guideline framework also addresses expenses commonly handled in child support calculations, including childcare and medical support inputs (as reflected in worksheets/instructions).
It can—but only if:
Those costs are included in the guideline inputs/worksheet calculation, and
The court order accounts for them.
Paying expenses outside the order does not automatically reduce the guideline obligation.
Montana uses guideline-defined income inputs through the worksheet system to compute each parent’s support obligation and transfer payment.
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, courts/agencies can address that through case-specific findings and guideline application (fact-dependent).
Enforcement may include tools like:
Income withholding (commonly used)
Federal tax refund intercept and other enforcement actions available through CSSD
License suspension authority for failure to pay child support
Arrears can build until paid.
Arrears generally:
Remain owed until paid in full
May be collected through enforcement tools
Do not disappear when the child ages out of the ongoing support definition
Yes. Income withholding is common, and additional collection/enforcement tools may be available depending on the case.
Possibly. Montana’s definition of “child” includes a person who is mentally or physically incapacitated when the incapacity began before age 18.
These situations can be legally complex, so legal guidance is recommended.
Not automatically.
Montana applies a shared-parenting adjustment when at least one child spends more than 110 days/year with both parents, and the transfer payment is adjusted under the guidelines.
Even with shared parenting, support may still be owed depending on the guideline calculation.
Parents generally cannot privately override a court order. Child support is enforced through the court/agency system, and changes must be approved through the proper legal process to be enforceable.
A lawyer isn’t required for straightforward cases, but it’s strongly recommended when:
Income is disputed or self-employment is involved
Arrears exist
A guideline deviation is requested
Parenting time/custody issues are contested
You will typically need:
Recent pay stubs
Tax returns / proof of income
Proof of childcare and health insurance costs (if applicable)
Existing court orders (if any)
Documentation supporting parenting time schedule (parenting days can matter due to the 110-day rule)
Thought Leadership in Legal Document Management
Browse the articles below to discover smarter ways to streamline your workflow, reduce time spent on paperwork, and focus on what matters most—your clients and their cases.
How Long Does a Child Support Modification Take in Louisiana?
Michigan calculates child support using the Michigan Child Support Formula (MCSF), which Michigan courts are required to use when setting or changing child support.
Michigan’s approach is based on an income-shares model, meaning the formula estimates what parents would have contributed toward the child if they lived together, then allocates responsibility between parents.
The calculation is based on:
Both parents’ incomes (used to determine each parent’s support share)
Number of children
A statewide support schedule/formula inputs (per MCSF)
Parenting time / overnights (Michigan applies a parental time offset when overnights can be determined)
Medical support (health insurance and ordinary medical considerations)
Work-related childcare expenses
Other adjustments and court-approved deviations under the MCSF
For an estimate tailored to your situation, you can use the Deliberately.ai child support calculator above—but only a court order is legally binding.