How to Calculate Child Support Payments in Wyoming

Wyoming has child support guidelines that parents and judges use to calculate the right amount of support in a particular case. The guidelines are based on the principle that children are entitled to financial support from both of their parents.

How to Calculate Child Support Under Wyoming’s Child Support Guidelines

To calculate the amount of support under Wyoming’s current child support guidelines, you can use the state’s official Child Support Calculator.

The guidelines in Wyoming take into account many factors, including:

• both parents’ income
• the number of children who need to be supported, and
• the custody arrangement.

Learn more about child support in Wyoming, including what gets counted as income when calculating support.

(Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-304 (2024).)

Are Other Child Support Calculators Accurate?

Watch out for websites with so-called child support calculators for Wyoming. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that these calculators are accurate and up-to-date. Wyoming updates its child support guidelines regularly, and you usually can’t tell whether any of these websites have kept up with the latest changes.

It's best to stick with the official state calculator to get the most accurate amount of child support you may pay or receive. Be aware, however, that this will be an estimate only and isn’t a guarantee of the amount of child support a judge will order. As explained below, the judge may order a different amount in your case.

When Child Support May Be Different than the Guidelines Calculation

Wyoming judges typically must order the amount of support calculated by the guidelines. Still, judges may deviate when the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate in a particular case. When deciding whether to deviate, judges must consider the following factors:

• the age of the child
• whether the child has any special health or educational needs
• necessary expenses for the child, including child care and transportation for visitation
• either parent’s responsibility for supporting other children
• the value of services that either parent contributes to raising the child
• either parent’s ability to provide insurance (health, dental, and vision)
• the amount of time the child spends with each parent
• expenses related to pregnancy and child birth in some circumstances
• whether either parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, and
• whether either parent has violated the divorce decree, including violations of custody and visitation laws if the judge finds that the violations are relevant.

(Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-307 (2024).)

How to Apply for Child Support in Wyoming

If you're filing for divorce or legal separation in Wyoming, you can request child support as part of that process.

You can also apply for child support through the Wyoming Child Support Program (WCSP). The agency can help you establish paternity if you aren’t married to your child’s other parent. WCSP has locations across the state. You can also call 307-77-6948 to speak to a Child Support representative.

How to Collect Child Support in Wyoming

Most child support payments in Wyoming are collected through income withholding, which requires employers to take support payments directly from a parent’s paycheck. Parents who are self-employed or who have agreed to opt out of income withholding can make other payment arrangements.

If you're having trouble collecting support payments, WCSP can help. WCSP’s enforcement actions include, but are not limited to:

• reporting the debt to credit bureaus
• intercepting tax refunds
• passport denials
• holding the parent who isn’t paying in contempt of court
• placing liens and levies on bank accounts
• suspending licenses (driver’s, professional, and recreational), and
• seizing real or personal property.

How to Change the Amount of Child Support

Every three years, either parent can ask the court or WCSP to review a child support order. If necessary, the order will be adjusted consistent with the current child support guidelines.

You can also file your own motion to modify child support with the court whenever a modification would be in your children’s best interests and there has been a material change in circumstances, such as:

• either parent’s income has substantially changed
• the children's needs have increased
• fewer children need to be supported, or
• health insurance options or needs have changed.

A change is presumed to be material when applying the guidelines to the current financial circumstances would result in a 20% increase or decrease in the existing child support order and the order has been in place for six months or more.

(Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-311 (2024).)

Getting Help With Child Support

Calculating child support is complicated. The Wyoming Supreme Court offers free legal resources on many legal topics through Equal Justice Wyoming, including child support. You can find divorce, child custody, and child support court forms on the Wyoming Judicial Branch website.

If you and your co-parent can't agree on child custody, support, or both, you might need a lawyer's help. An experienced lawyer can answer your questions, help you negotiate an agreement that works for you and your child, and advocate for you in court if it comes to that.