How do you calculate child support in the State of Wisconsin? The answer depends on what type of placement there is.

1. Traditional placement.

Where one parent has the child 75% or more of the time, and the other parent visits, the non-custodial parent pays a percentage of their gross monthly income for child support purposes; 17% for one child, 25% for two children, 29% for three children, 31% for four children and a cap at 34% for any children above five.

1. Shared or Equal Placement.

Where parents share placement or have equal placement, there is a different formula in the State of Wisconsin for calculating child support. This formula compares both parents gross monthly incomes and the percentage of time they both spend with the minor children.

1. Equivalent Care.

Under recent changes in the law for child support in the state of Wisconsin, the court can consider what is called “equivalent care” when setting a support order. “Equivalent care” is defined under DCF 150.02 (10) as follows: “Equivalent care” means a period of time during which the parent cares for the child that is not overnight, but is determined by the court to require  the parent to assume the basic support costs that are substantially equivalent to what the parent would spend to care for the child overnight. Blocks of time with the child of at least 6 hours may be considered the equivalent of a half-day if a meal is provided during that time period. Two half-day blocks may be considered the equivalent of an overnight.