Centreville, Virginia · Child Support
If you live in Centreville and child support is on the table, the number is not a mystery and it is not a guess. Virginia runs both parents’ income through a set formula. Let me walk you through how that formula works, and where these cases are actually won or lost.
By Alisa Chunephisal, Esq. · Founding Partner, NOVA Legal Professionals
This article is one part of our larger child support guide. For the full picture, start with our cornerstone, Child Support in Virginia. Here, I will focus on how the guideline number is built.
Virginia uses an income shares model
The formula starts by adding both parents’ gross monthly incomes to produce a single combined number. The court then reads a base support amount off the state guideline table under Va. Code § 20-108.2 and splits it between you in proportion to income. The idea behind it is simple: the children should receive roughly the same share of their parents’ income as they would have if the household were still together.
What counts as income is broader than your salary
This is the part that surprises people. For child support, income means all income from almost any source, not just your paycheck. It includes wages and overtime, as well as bonuses, commissions, severance, dividends, interest, pensions, retirement distributions, Social Security, disability benefits, and spousal support you receive. That cuts both ways, for you and for the other parent, so the first real task is an honest picture of what each of you brings in.
What Gets Added In
Two real costs go straight into the worksheet on top of the base number: work-related childcare and the cost of covering the child on a health, dental, or vision plan. Both are split between the parents by income share, so keep the receipts and the plan statements. Those numbers move the result more than people expect.
Want to see your guideline number?
Tell me about your family and your income, and I will run the Virginia guideline with you so you walk in knowing what to expect. No pressure, no commitment.
The schedule changes the math
The number of nights the children spend with each parent determines which formula applies. When one parent has the children 90 days a year or fewer, the sole custody formula is used. Once each parent crosses more than 90 days, meaning 91 or more, the shared custody formula in § 20-108.2(G) takes over and the math changes. You can read how that works on our sole custody calculation page.
The guideline is presumed correct, not carved in stone
Virginia treats the guideline number as the right answer unless someone shows it is unfair. Under § 20-108.1, the court can deviate up or down when a specific factor calls for it, like extraordinary travel for visitation or a child’s special needs. In Fairfax County, which includes Centreville, support is handled in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations court, and it can also be set administratively through the Division of Child Support Enforcement.
“Child support is a worksheet, not a mystery. Get the income right, and most of the fight quietly disappears.”
Alisa Chunephisal, Esq. · Founding Partner
Alisa’s Practical Advice
Three habits get a Centreville parent an accurate number. First, document both incomes fully, including bonuses, commissions, and anything beyond base pay, because the worksheet is only as good as its inputs. Second, gather your childcare and health insurance costs early, since both get added in and split. Third, know your overnight count, because crossing the 91-night line moves you to a different formula.
Get the inputs right the first time. Fixing a bad number later means going back to court.
Authoritative References
Sources
- Code of Virginia, § 20-108.2. The child support guideline, the income shares model, the definition of gross income, and the shared custody formula in subsection (G). law.lis.virginia.gov
- Code of Virginia, § 20-108.1. The rebuttable presumption that the guideline amount is correct, and the factors for deviation.
- Senate Bill 805 (2025). Raised the combined monthly income cap to $42,500 and increased guideline amounts, effective July 1, 2025.
- Fairfax County and Virginia DCSE. Child support is handled in the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations court and administratively through the Division of Child Support Enforcement.
Statutory authority verified against current Virginia law as of June 2026. Every child support case turns on its own facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is child support calculated in Virginia?
The court adds both parents’ gross monthly incomes, finds a base support amount on the state guideline table, and splits it in proportion to each parent’s income. Work-related childcare and the child’s health insurance are added in. How many nights each parent has decides which formula applies.
What counts as income for child support?
Almost everything. Salaries, wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, severance, dividends, interest, pensions, retirement distributions, Social Security, and disability benefits all count, along with spousal support you receive. It is all income from almost any source, not just your paycheck.
Is the guideline number final?
It is presumed correct, but not absolute. If a specific factor makes the guideline unfair, such as extraordinary travel for visitation or a child’s special needs, the court can deviate up or down under Va. Code 20-108.1.
Do we have to go to court in Fairfax County?
Many support issues are handled in the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations court, and child support can also be set administratively through the state. We will tell you which path fits your situation.
When You Are Ready
Let’s figure out your number in Centreville.
Tell me about your family, your income, and your schedule, and I will run the Virginia guideline with you so there are no surprises. The first call is a conversation, not a commitment.