If you pay or receive child support in Georgia, you have probably asked: What is this money actually for? The short answer is that child support pays for a child's everyday needs. That means a roof, meals, clothes, and the basic costs of raising a kid.
But the full picture has more to it. Georgia law splits support into a base amount plus certain add-ons. Some costs are built in. Others get added on top. And a judge can adjust the number when a family has special needs.
Here is a clear breakdown of what child support covers in Georgia under current state law.
In Georgia, child support is meant to cover a child's share of these everyday costs:
On top of that base, two big costs are added by law: health insurance and work-related child care. A judge can add other expenses when they make sense. More on that below.
Georgia uses the "income shares" model. This method looks at both parents' income, not just the paying parent's. The idea is that the child should be covered by the same share of income they would have if both parents lived together. These rules are made law in Georgia Code (OCGA) section 19-6-15.
The first half of the calculation is determining the Basic Child Support Obligation, which is a tentative amount based on the parents' combined income and how many children they have. Georgia has an official table of possible basic child obligation amounts, which you can see on the Georgia Child Support Commission website.
Want the step-by-step math? We break it down in our guide on how child support is calculated in Georgia.
The base amount is built to cover a child's regular living costs. Think about the things a child needs every single month.
Shelter is the biggest piece by far. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that a middle-income family spends about $233,610 raising one child through age 17. Housing takes up 29 percent of that. Food is 18 percent, followed by child care and school, transportation, health care, and clothing.
Georgia's base support number is meant to cover the child's part of those daily costs. It is not tied to receipts. The receiving parent does not have to prove how each dollar gets spent.
Two expenses get added to the base amount in almost every case:
Georgia lets a court adjust support for costs that go beyond the basics. These are called deviations. A judge weighs them under the "best interest of the child" standard. Common examples include:
These extras are not automatic. A parent has to raise them to the court, and the judge has to put the reason in writing.
Some costs sit outside the standard support order. Georgia does not require parents to pay for their child’s college education, for example. Many parents come up with a settlement agreeing to share college costs, but a court will not usually force it.
Big one-time costs can also fall outside the base amount. A car for a teen or a costly medical procedure may need its own agreement. This is why the exact wording of your order matters so much.
Georgia updated its child support law with Senate Bill 454. Governor Kemp signed it in May 2024, and the changes rolled out in stages:
You can read more about both changes on the Georgia Child Support Commission site. If your child support order predates these changes, you may have grounds to review it. Our child support modification team with Attorney Sharon Jackson can walk you through your options.
In Georgia, support usually runs until the child turns 18. If the child is still in high school at 18, support can continue until they graduate or turn 20. Support also ends early if the child becomes emancipated, such as by marriage or military service.
Georgia now allows support for a "dependent adult child" in some cases. This covers adults who cannot support themselves because of a disability that began in childhood. We explain the rules in our guide on child support for disabled children.
Child support is a lifeline for many families. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that about one in four children under 21 lived with just one parent in 2022. Custodial parents who received support got about $3,114 that year on average. Getting the number right, including every eligible cost, makes a real difference in a child's life.
Small mistakes cause big problems. A missed child care cost or a wrong income figure can throw off the whole amount. That is where solid legal help pays off.
Attorney Sharon Jackson has helped Georgia parents with child support for more than 20 years. She earned her law degree from Georgia State University in 2005. She is admitted to practice in every level of Georgia's courts, from the trial courts up to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Her work has earned steady recognition. She was voted Best of Gwinnett in Family Law in both 2024 and 2025. She also holds a 10.0 "Superb" rating on Avvo and sits on the Super Lawyers list, an honor given to only the top 5 percent of attorneys. Attorney Tyler Comer and the rest of the team bring that same care to every case.
If you have questions about what your child support should cover, we can help. Call Attorney Sharon Jackson, LLC today at (678) 909-4100 to set up a consultation with a trusted Gwinnett County divorce lawyer and family law team.
Attorney Sharon Jackson LLC
188 Hurricane Shoals Road NE
Building 3000
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Phone: (678) 909-4100
