Things people ask
Frequently asked questions
Will this work for me?
Yes if you're a California parent (or about to be). We handle: W-2, 1099 / self-employment, RSUs, retirement / Social Security / pension; one-earner or two-earner households (including new-spouse income); custody by overnights or by hours; pre-filing, mediation prep, or post-judgment modification; and optional temporary spousal support. On the filing side, we generate the computer-calculation printout that FL-342 Item 1 authorizes as attached and incorporated, plus the mandatory FL-192 attachment, plus FL-342(A) when you declare §4057 deviation grounds. We don't handle: other states, the FL-342 order form itself (you fill that), or permanent (post-judgment) spousal support (see the §4320 question below).
Is this legal advice?
No. CleanCalc CA produces an estimate based on Cal. Family Code §4055 from the inputs you provide. It does not create an attorney–client relationship and does not constitute legal advice or the practice of law. Consult a California-licensed family-law attorney for advice on your specific situation.
How accurate is the estimate?
Engine-side, we match the California Department of Child Support Services' own calculator on 24 of 26 fixture cases EXACT to the dollar and 26 of 26 within $1/month. Practical accuracy depends on what you tell us: if you enter only gross income, you'll get a tax-only ballpark; if you also fill in the "Refine with §4059 deductions" panel (mandatory retirement, health insurance, hardship, etc.), the number tightens significantly. The math card on the result page shows our exact computation so you can compare line-by-line to an attorney's worksheet.
Why is this number different from what my attorney or the court said?
Most likely one of: (1) §4059 deductions or §4062 add-ons you entered differ from what the court captured, (2) our timeshare value differs from the court's annualized figure, (3) the court applied (or rebutted) the §4055(b)(7) Low-Income Adjustment differently than we did, or (4) the court accepted a §4057(b) deviation or §4058(b) imputation. The math card on your result page shows our exact computation — compare it line by line to your attorney's worksheet to find the source of the gap.
What is the Low-Income Adjustment (LIA)?
Under §4055(b)(7), if the obligor's net monthly disposable income is below a threshold tied to California minimum wage (about $2,929/month in 2026), the court is presumed to reduce support by up to a statutory maximum. The presumption is rebuttable — the court can decline to reduce based on §4053 principles (e.g., extraordinary assets, voluntary underemployment). Our result page shows BOTH the pre-LIA bare-formula number and the post-LIA presumed number plus the discretionary range so you can see what's at stake.
What's §4059 and why does it matter?
Cal. Family Code §4059 defines "net monthly disposable income" — the figure plugged into the §4055 formula. It allows seven categories of deductions from gross: state + federal income tax (a), FICA (b), mandatory union dues + retirement that are conditions of employment (c), health insurance premiums + state disability (d), child or spousal support actually paid in other cases (e), court-allowed job-related expenses (f), and hardship per §§4070–4073 (g). Our free estimate computes (a) and (b) automatically. The other categories (c–g) are captured in the "Refine with §4059 deductions" panel on the result page — enter what applies; the engine recomputes the §4055 guideline against your true net.
Can I use this number in court?
Yes, with caveats. Form FL-342 Item 1 authorizes "a printout of a computer calculation and findings is attached and incorporated in this order" — the worksheet PDF is designed for that role and is what Xspouse and DissoMaster users have attached for 30 years. CleanCalc CA is not a Judicial Council–certified calculator under Cal. Fam. Code §3830 + Cal. Rule of Court 5.275, and is not a substitute for review by a California-licensed family-law attorney. The court applies §4055 as a rebuttable presumption under §4057 and may deviate based on the facts; nothing here changes that.
What court forms does CleanCalc provide alongside the worksheet?
After purchase, the result page offers three downloads: (1) the worksheet PDF itself, which you attach to a FL-342 you fill yourself per Item 1 of that form; (2) FL-192 Notice of Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Child Support, the mandatory boilerplate attachment under FL-342 Item 12.a; and (3) FL-342(A) Non-Guideline Child Support Findings, available only when you declare §4057 deviation grounds (since FL-342(A) is required only for non-guideline orders). The FL-192 and FL-342(A) downloads are CleanCalc's local mirror of the courts.ca.gov 2024-11 originals — pinned by sha256 so you can verify integrity. CleanCalc does not generate the FL-342 order form itself; that's yours to fill.
What about childcare and uninsured medical costs?
Those are §4062 add-ons, computed ON TOP of the guideline number. We allocate them between parents in proportion to net incomes per §4061(a). The "Refine" panel on the result page captures both §4062(a) mandatory add-ons (work-related childcare, uninsured medical) and §4062(b) discretionary add-ons (educational / special-needs, visitation travel) — enter monthly totals and the result panel + PDF show each parent's share.
Can I note §4057 deviation factors for the court?
Yes. The result page has a "Note §4057 deviation factors" panel where you can check the statutory grounds you believe apply (stipulation, deferred sale, extraordinary timeshare, special needs, formula-unjust, other) and add a free-text note. The grounds + note render in the PDF worksheet. The §4055 guideline figure does NOT change — the court decides whether the grounds actually rebut the presumption.
What about §4058(b) imputed income?
If you enter an "alleged earning capacity" annual amount in the wizard, the result page shows a parallel §4055 calculation against that imputed figure (plus parallel temporary spousal support if you opted in). A dropdown lets you tag the LaBass & Munsee ground (voluntary unemployment / underemployment, stay-at-home with prior earning capacity, other) for the court worksheet.
Can I use hours instead of overnights for custody?
Yes — Cal. Rule of Court 5.275(g) lets the court compute timeshare from annual hours rather than overnights, useful when daytime custody differs from overnight allocation. Step 6 has an "Overnights / Hours" toggle. A 50/50 split is 4,380 hours.
Does this also estimate spousal support?
Yes — temporary (pendente lite) spousal support during a pending dissolution. Step 5 of the wizard has an optional "Also estimate temporary spousal support" toggle; if checked, you pick the county guideline (Santa Clara, Alameda, or Marin — California has no statewide statutory formula for temporary SS) and the order-year bucket (drives federal + CA tax treatment). The result page shows child support and temporary spousal support together when both are calculated.
Why don't you compute permanent (post-judgment) spousal support?
No calculator should. Marriage of Schulze (1997) held that using a guideline formula for permanent support is reversible error — California's §4320 lists 14 discretionary factors that courts weigh case-by-case (length of marriage, marketable skills, standard of living, etc.). We display the §4320 factors as a checklist on the result page so you can talk through them with a mediator or attorney.
What's the $29 worksheet PDF?
The same numbers your free result page shows, formatted as a printable, watermarked PDF you can bring to mediation, attach to a filing, or save for records. Includes the §4055 formula step-by-step, §4059 deductions, §4062 add-ons, and any §4057 deviation factors or §4058(b) imputation scenarios you noted. One-time $29; you can re-download for 24 hours after purchase if you want to revise inputs.
What does "post-SB 343" mean?
SB 343 (Stats. 2023, Ch. 213) rewrote the §4055 K-factor table from gross-income tiers to net-income tiers, operative September 1, 2024. It also pegged the LIA threshold to California minimum wage instead of a fixed $1,500 figure. Most pre-2024 calculator code on the open web is now wrong; we built to the post-September-2024 statute.
Does this work for parents who live outside California?
Not yet. Each state has its own child support guideline (some use Income Shares like California, some use Percentage of Income, some use the Melson formula). California-only is intentional for now — the goal is to be the best calculator for one state before being a mediocre one for fifty.
Is my data sent anywhere?
Free-tier inputs never leave your browser. The §4055 formula and tax math run entirely in client-side JavaScript. We do not log, store, or transmit your income, custody, or family inputs. See the Privacy page for details.
How do I contact support?
Email support@cleancalc.io. We try to respond within one business day. Good things to include: which step you're stuck on (or which page of the worksheet PDF), the rough shape of your inputs (no need to send actual amounts — we don't store them and don't need them to debug), and what you expected vs. what you saw. For payment or PDF-download issues, mention whether you got the Stripe receipt email so we know which side of the transaction to look at.
Question not answered? Email support@cleancalc.io, or see the About page for legal posture.