Minnesota Child Support Guidelines Calculator Glossary

Annual Number of Overnights or Overnight Equivalents

The number of overnights is based on a two-year average. The number of overnights for Parent A plus Parent B must equal 365 for each child. Enter 0 (zero) for Parent A and 365 for Parent B if there is no court ordered parenting time. Annual overnights may also include overnight equivalents determined in the court order.

Benefits from Social Security or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) due to parent's eligibility

The monthly Social Security or Veterans Affairs benefits amount provided for the joint child(ren) due to a parent’s eligibility. The amount of the benefit the Social Security Administration or Veterans Affairs provides for the child(ren) is included in the gross income of the parent on whose eligibility the benefits are based. Benefit amounts due to the disability of a child(ren) are not part of gross income.

Enter the child(ren)'s benefit amount in the column of the parent on whose eligibility the benefits are based for question 10.

Child Care Assistance

The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps families with low incomes pay for child care so parents can work or go to school, and children have more opportunities to thrive as learners.

Choose Yes if the Child Care Assistance Program pays all or a portion of the child care costs for the joint child(ren).

A parent who receives child care assistance must be Parent B on the calculator.

Child Care Costs

Child care costs include the total amount paid for child care for the joint child(ren).

Include the costs paid by child care assistance in the total amount paid.

If child care costs vary during the year, use the total yearly child care costs and divide by 12 to determine the average monthly cost.

The calculator can only calculate child care support costs for one parent.

Child Support

Child support is money parents pay to their child's other parent or caregiver to support their child. It's an amount for basic support, child care support, and medical support in accordance with an award in a legal proceeding for the care, support and education of a child of the parties.

Court File Number

The number the court assigned to the court case. Leave the court file number space blank if the court has not assigned a file number yet.

Dental Coverage

Dental benefits provided by health care coverage.

Enter the actual cost of dental coverage for the joint child(ren) if it is a separate amount from other health care coverage. Enter the amount in the column of the parent who provides the coverage.

General Assistance (GA)

The General Assistance (GA) program helps people without children pay for basic needs. It provides money to people who can’t work enough to support themselves, and whose income and resources are very low.

If a parent receives General Assistance, indicate Yes for that parent on question six.

Do not enter potential income on question nine for a parent who receives GA.

Health Care Coverage

Health care benefits provided by a health plan, including medical assistance.

Enter the monthly cost of health care coverage for the joint child(ren). Do not include costs for medical assistance.

Income Available for Support

The parental income for determining child support (PICS) of the parent minus the amount of the child(ren)’s derivative social security or veterans benefits paid due to a parent’s eligibility and minus 120 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for one person. If the parent eligible for social security or VA benefits is also the child’s representative payee, the child’s benefits are not subtracted from PICS.

IV-D Case

A child support case opens when one party signs up for services or when Child Care Assistance, Medical Assistance, or the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) refers their case to the child support program after a party starts receiving assistance.

The IV-D case number is a 12-digit number which can be found on communication from the child support agency or Minnesota Child Support Online (MCSO).

Joint Child(ren)

A dependent child of both parents in the child support proceeding.

Medical Assistance

Minnesota's Medicaid program for low-income families with children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

If either parent provides private health care coverage, select 'No' on question 22.

Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)

Minnesota's welfare reform program for low-income families with children. MFIP may be state funded or funded by the federal government as part of the Temporary Assistance to Families in Need (TANF) program.

Enter Yes for question six if a parent receives an MFIP or TANF cash grant. Enter No for question six if a parent receives the food or housing grant portion of MFIP or TANF but does not receive a cash grant.

Do not enter potential income on question nine for a parent who receives an MFIP or TANF cash grant.

Monthly Gross Income

The amount of monthly income a parent receives, including Social Security or Veteran’s Benefits the parent receives for their child, and potential income after deducting spousal maintenance obligations.

Gross income does not include child support a parent receives, a spouse's income, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, or public assistance benefits.

Monthly Income Received

Monthly income received includes any form of periodic payment to a parent including, but not limited to, salaries, wages, commissions, spousal maintenance payments received under a previous order or the current proceeding, workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, annuity payments, military and naval retirement, pension and disability payments, Social Security benefits received by a parent based on the parent's own eligibility, and income from self-employment or operation of a business.

Use gross salary and gross wage amounts before any deductions and before participation in any employer-sponsored benefit plan that allows an employee to pay for the benefit or expense using pre-tax dollars.

Multiply weekly income by 4.33 to arrive at a monthly amount.

Self-Employment Income: Income from self-employment includes operation of a business and joint ownership of a partnership or closely held business. Income means gross receipts minus costs of goods sold minus ordinary and necessary business expenses required for self-employment or business operation. Self-employment income does not include accelerated depreciation (§179), investment tax credits or other business expenses that are inappropriate or excessive. Business expenses allowed by the IRS are not necessarily business expenses allowed for child support purposes.

Nonjoint Child(ren)

The legal child(ren) of one, but not both of the parents in this support proceeding.

A parent may receive a deduction for nonjoint children. If the court orders the parent to pay child support for a nonjoint child, enter the amount of the court order as a deduction on question 13 of the calculator. If the court has not ordered the parent to pay child support for a nonjoint child, that parent may also receive a statutory deduction. Enter the number of children without a court order for support on question 14 of the calculator.

Minnesota’s child support guidelines do not consider a stepchild(ren) to be a nonjoint child(ren).

Overnight Equivalents

Significant time periods on separate days when the child is in a parent's physical custody and under the direct care of that parent, but does not stay overnight, as determined by a court.

Parent A

The parent who:

Does NOT receive benefits from MFIP, MA, or Child Care Assistance for the joint child(ren)
Is incarcerated (in jail or prison)
Has fewer court-ordered overnights with the joint child(ren) or
Has the higher income

Parent B

The parent who:

Receives benefits from MFIP, MA or Child Care Assistance for the joint child(ren)
Is NOT incarcerated (in jail or prison)
Has more court-ordered overnights with the joint child(ren) or
Has the lower income.

Parental income for determining child support (PICS)

A calculated amount of gross income minus deductions for nonjoint children.

Percentage of Parenting Time

The amount of time the child(ren) is scheduled to spend with a parent according to a court order.

If there is a court order awarding a parenting expense adjustment select the appropriate percentage range.

Potential Income

Minnesota's guidelines consider potential income for a parent who is voluntarily unemployed, underemployed or employed on a less than full-time basis, or if there is no direct evidence of any income. This is in addition to any monthly income a parent receives. The guidelines and court presume a parent can be gainfully employed on a full-time basis.

The court determines potential income using one of three methods:

The parent's probable earnings level;
If the parent is receiving unemployment or workers' compensation, the court may calculate income using the actual amount of the benefit a parent receives;
The amount of income the parent could earn working 30 hours a week at 100% of the current federal or state minimum wage, whichever is higher

Do not use potential income for a parent if the response for that parent is Yes on questions six or seven.

Representative Payee

The parent who actually receives the Social Security or Veterans' benefits for a child, regardless of which parent is eligible for the benefits.

Minnesota's guidelines subtract Social Security benefits or Veterans' benefits one parent receives as a representative payee for a joint child due to the other parent's disability or retirement from the other parent's net child support obligation and from the parental income for determining child support (PICS) along with 120% of the federal poverty guidelines to determine income available for support.

Spousal Maintenance

The court-ordered amount one spouse pays for the support and maintenance of the other. This amount can be for a former spouse or the spouse in the current action.

Minnesota's guidelines include spousal maintenance in the gross income of the parent who receives it.

Spousal maintenance is a deduction from gross income for the parent who is ordered to pay it.

If Parent A pays spousal maintenance to Parent B:

Enter the amount Parent A pays in question 12 and enter that same amount as part of Parent B's monthly income they receive (question eight).

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program administered by the Social Security Administration which pays monthly benefits to people with limited income and resources who are blind, 65 years old or older, or have a qualifying disability.

Enter Yes on question six for a parent who receives SSI.

Do not enter potential income on question nine for a parent who receives SSI.

Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)

A federal program that provides states and territories with flexibility in operating programs Congress designed to help low-income families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency. States use TANF to fund monthly cash assistance payments to low-income families with children, as well as a wide range of services. Minnesota’s TANF program is called Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP).

If a parent receives a TANF or MFIP cash grant, enter Yes for that parent on question six. If a parent receives the food or housing grant portion of TANF or MFIP but does not receive a cash grant, enter No for that parent on question six.

Do not enter potential income on question nine for a parent who receives a TANF or MFIP cash grant.