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The judge uses the Mississippi Child Support Award Guidelines to set the child support amount.¹ The guidelines say what percent of a parent’s “adjusted gross income” is supposed to go to child support. The amount depends on how many children the parent has to support.¹

You can see the guidelines in section 43-19-101 on our Selected Mississippi Statutes page.

To get a parent’s “adjusted gross income,” the judge will:

1. calculate the total income of the noncustodial (“absent”) parent; and
2. subtract certain deductions for:
   
   • taxes;
   • Social Security contributions;
   • mandatory contributions to retirement and disability; and
   • support the parent pays for other children.²

The law assumes that the guidelines set the right amount of child support unless there are specific facts that show otherwise.³ To understand when the judge may order a different amount, read Can a child support order ever be different from what the Mississippi Child Support Award Guidelines say?

¹ Miss. Code § 43-19-101(1)
² Miss. Code § 43-19-101(3)
³ Miss. Code §§ 43-19-101(1); 43-19-101(2); 43-19-103