Child support in Nevada is calculated by taking one parent’s monthly gross income and applying a tiered percentage set by regulation — not a judge’s gut feeling and not a flat rate. The framework lives in Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 425, adopted by the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, effective February 1, 2020. Here is how the number is actually built.
Please read: Family Court Help Line is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This article explains published regulations and public procedure. It is not a substitute for a licensed Nevada attorney, and nothing here predicts or guarantees what a court will order.
The Short Version
Nevada used to run child support on a flat percentage of income. That is gone. Today NRS 125B.080 directs courts to apply the guidelines established by the Administrator under NRS 425.620 — and those guidelines are the NAC 425 brackets.
Step 1: Determining Monthly Gross Income
Under NAC 425.120, monthly gross income is set by stipulation or by the court after reviewing financial information. The court can order either parent to produce records, including tax returns.
What Counts — and What Does Not
NAC 425.025 lists what goes in: salary and wages, including overtime “if such overtime pay is substantial, consistent and can be accurately determined”; interest and investment income, but not the principal; Social Security disability and old-age benefits; periodic pension and annuity payments; net workers’ compensation proceeds and injury awards that replace income; unemployment insurance; military allowances and veterans’ benefits.
Two categories catch people off guard. Voluntary contributions to a deferred compensation or retirement account count as income — you cannot lower support by shifting money into a 401(k). Undistributed income of a business you control also counts, unless it is already treated as an asset for imputing income.
NAC 425.025(2) excludes child support received, foster and kinship care payments, SNAP, county cash benefits, SSI and state supplemental payments, most public assistance, and injury damages not replacing income.
Step 2: Applying the NAC 425.140 Brackets
The percentage drops as income rises, so this is a marginal calculation — like tax brackets, not a single flat rate.
| Children | First $6,000/mo | $6,000–$10,000 | Above $10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16% | 8% | 4% |
| 2 | 22% | 11% | 6% |
| 3 | 26% | 13% | 6% |
| 4 | 28% | 14% | 7% |
| Each additional | +2% | +1% | +0.5% |
A Worked Example
Say a parent in Henderson earns $8,000 a month gross and owes support for two children.
The first $6,000 is charged at 22 percent: $1,320. The next $2,000 is charged at 11 percent: $220. The base obligation is $1,540 per month.
Notice what did not happen. Nobody took 22 percent of the whole $8,000. Running the top rate across all income is the most common mistake people make checking their own order.
Step 3: Adjusting for Custody
The custody arrangement changes who pays. Under NAC 425.115, if one parent has primary physical custody, that parent is the obligee and the other is the obligor, and only the obligor’s obligation gets calculated.
If the parents share joint physical custody, both obligations are calculated, then offset — “the party with the higher child support obligation pays the other party the difference.” The higher earner still pays, but only the gap, not the full bracket amount.
When each parent has joint custody of some but not all of the children, each parent’s total is figured on the children they owe support for, then the same offset applies. For broader context on how Nevada treats each parent’s standing, see our overview of equal parental rights in Las Vegas.
Step 4: The Low-Income Schedule
NAC 425.145 exists so the guidelines do not push a low-earning parent below survival. If the court finds that a parent’s total economic circumstances limit the ability to pay the bracket amount, support “must be established by using a low-income schedule which is based on the current federal poverty guidelines.”
The schedule is published by the Administrative Office of the Courts on or before March 31 each year, so the numbers shift annually — use the current-year schedule on the AOC site, not a figure someone quoted you. Below the lowest level on the schedule, the court sets an appropriate amount balancing self-support against the obligation to the child.
Step 5: Deviation Factors
A judge can adjust the guideline amount, but only on specific findings of fact. NAC 425.150 lists the factors:
- Special educational needs of the child
- Legal responsibility of either parent to support others
- The value of services contributed by either parent
- Public assistance paid to support the child
- Cost of transporting the child to and from visitation
- The relative income of both households
- Other necessary expenses for the child
- The obligor’s ability to pay
That transportation factor does real work in Clark County, where one parent may be in Summerlin and the other in North Las Vegas or out toward Pahrump. The drive is a real recurring cost.
NAC 425.150 also lets the court count a child’s Social Security benefit — paid on a parent’s disability or retirement entitlement — in that parent’s gross income, then subtract the benefit from the obligation. It can never require the receiving parent to repay the paying parent.
Child Care and Medical Support
Both sit outside the bracket math. NAC 425.130 requires the court to consider reasonable child care costs paid by either or both parents and “make an equitable division thereof.”
NAC 425.135 requires every Nevada order to state that medical support must be provided. Coverage is “reasonable in cost” when the premium — or the cost of adding the child to existing coverage — is not more than 5 percent of that parent’s monthly gross income, and the court finds the plan reasonable after reviewing copays, deductible, and out-of-pocket maximum.
How to Request a Review or Modification
Through the Court
Under NRS 125B.145, either parent or legal guardian may file a request and have the order reviewed at least every three years. Each review needs its own request — it is not automatic.
Outside that window, an order may be reviewed any time on changed circumstances. The statute sets a bright line: “a change of 20 percent or more in the gross monthly income of a person who is subject to an order for the support of a child shall be deemed to constitute changed circumstances.” NAC 425.170 adds that a child or parent starting to receive public assistance is itself a change in circumstances — and that a revision to the regulations, by itself, is not.
In Clark County you file a Motion to Modify Child Custody, Visitation and/or Child Support with a Financial Disclosure Form and recent paystubs. The Nevada Family Law Self-Help Center publishes both at no charge.
Through the Clark County District Attorney
If the DA’s Family Support Division has your case, you can ask them to run the review instead. Per the county’s modification page, either parent submits a Review & Adjustment Application with proof of income to DAFSReview@ClarkCountyDANV.Gov, by fax at (702) 366-2329, or in person at 1900 E Flamingo Rd, Suite 100, Las Vegas. There is no fee, but the county states the process “can take up to 6 months to complete.”
Start early. Support keeps accruing at the old amount while a review is pending.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is child support for one child in Nevada?
The base obligation is 16 percent of the first $6,000 of the paying parent’s monthly gross income, 8 percent of any portion between $6,000 and $10,000, and 4 percent above $10,000. Custody, the low-income schedule, and deviation factors can change the final figure.
Does Nevada child support use gross or net income?
Gross. NAC 425.140 applies the percentages to monthly gross income, before taxes. Taxes, rent, and car payments are not deducted first. Some categories are excluded from gross income entirely under NAC 425.025, including SNAP, SSI, and child support received.
Do you still pay child support with 50/50 custody in Nevada?
Often yes. Under NAC 425.115, joint physical custody means both parents’ obligations are calculated, then offset — the parent with the higher obligation pays the difference. If incomes are close, that difference may be small. Equal timeshare does not automatically zero out support.
How often can a child support order be reviewed in Nevada?
NRS 125B.145 lets either parent request court review at least every three years, with a separate request each time. Outside that cycle, a change of 20 percent or more in the gross monthly income of a person subject to the order is deemed changed circumstances.
Does overtime count toward Nevada child support?
It can. NAC 425.025 includes overtime in gross income when it is substantial, consistent, and can be accurately determined. Occasional or unpredictable overtime is treated differently than a steady, documented pattern.
Get Help Understanding Your Numbers
Most people who call us are asking a narrow question: did my order get built correctly, and what do I file if it did not? Family Court Help Line walks parents in Las Vegas, Clark County, and across Nevada through the process — what the forms require, what the hearing looks like, how to prepare a financial disclosure — and we serve both parents equally.
Call Family Court Help Line at (702) 609-3688 or send us a message through our contact form. You can also read how we help families navigate Las Vegas family court and how we work with underserved communities across Clark County.
Disclaimer: Family Court Help Line is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or representation. The regulations and procedures above are current as published by the sources cited and may change. We make no promise or guarantee about the outcome of any case. For advice on your situation, consult a licensed Nevada attorney.
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