Bellevue Child Support Attorney
Experienced Child Support Representation in Bellevue, WA
Child support can have a significant financial impact on both parents. Washington law uses a statewide child support schedule, but determining the correct amount may involve questions about income, deductions, parenting time, additional child-related expenses, and possible deviations from the standard calculation. A Bellevue child support attorney can help you evaluate how these rules apply to your circumstances.
Calculating Child Support
Under the Washington State Child Support Schedule, the basic child support obligation is determined primarily from the parents’ combined monthly net income and the number of children for whom support is being calculated. Each parent’s share of that obligation is then determined according to that parent’s proportionate share of the combined net income.
Washington’s Division of Child Support provides an online tool that can help estimate support obligations. The calculator is available through the
Washington State Child Support Calculator.
An online estimate is only a starting point; the final support order may differ because of additional expenses, statutory limitations, or deviations.
Washington’s Child Support Schedule changed substantially on January 1, 2026, including expansion of the Economic Table to combined monthly net incomes of $50,000 and an increase in the self-support reserve. For a detailed discussion of those changes, including a worked example and their effect on existing support orders, see our
Washington Child Support Law Changes 2026 article.
For a step-by-step explanation of the support calculation itself, see our guide on
How Child Support Is Calculated in Washington State.
Determining Income for Child Support
Determining monthly net income is often one of the most important parts of a child support case. Gross monthly income generally includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, deferred compensation, overtime, capital gains, retirement benefits, maintenance actually received, and income from self-employment or a business, subject to the exclusions contained in Washington law.
Deductions from gross income are more limited. For example, Washington law permits a deduction of up to $5,000 per year for voluntary retirement contributions actually made when the contributions show a pattern during the year preceding the action establishing child support, unless the court determines that the contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support. See
RCW 26.19.071.
Income analysis can become considerably more complicated when a parent is self-employed, owns a business, receives bonuses or commissions, has fluctuating or seasonal income, receives equity compensation, or is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Business expenses, nonrecurring income, and income imputation can all affect the calculation.
The final income figures can materially affect the child support obligation.
Founding attorney Boaz Weintraub is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law’s Graduate Program in Taxation and co-author of the child support chapter of the Washington State Family Law Deskbook. That background is particularly useful in child support matters involving tax returns, business income, compensation arrangements, and other complex financial records.
Postsecondary Educational Support
Washington courts may order parents to contribute toward a dependent child’s college or vocational education after the child reaches the age of majority. Unlike the basic child support obligation for a minor child, the Washington Child Support Schedule is advisory rather than mandatory for postsecondary educational support.
Under
RCW 26.19.090,
the court considers a number of factors, including the child’s needs, prospects, desires, aptitudes and abilities; the nature of the education sought; the expectations of the parents when they were together; and the parents’ education, standard of living, and current and future resources.
The child generally must be enrolled in an accredited academic or vocational school, actively pursuing an appropriate course of study, and in good academic standing. Postsecondary educational support ordinarily may not extend beyond the child’s twenty-third birthday except in exceptional circumstances.
When a child support order reserves the right to request postsecondary educational support, the request should be made before the existing child support obligation terminates, in accordance with the terms of the order.
We have extensive experience addressing child support and postsecondary educational support, including support agreements, adjustments, modifications, and enforcement matters.
Talk to a Bellevue Child Support Attorney
Weintraub Law Office assists clients with child support matters in Bellevue and throughout King and Snohomish Counties. We also maintain offices in Seattle and Bothell.
Call Weintraub Law Office at
(425) 374-4045
or
schedule a consultation
to discuss your child support matter.
Last updated: August 2026