Start with Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020. In Alaska, Alaska uses the Percentage of income (obligor) and measures income as adjusted gross income. Alaska applies percentages of the obligor’s adjusted annual income (20% for one child, 27% for two, 33% for three, with increases for more children). Shared physical custody uses a different Rule 90.3(b) calculation that credits overnight percentages. That is the question this guide answers for how child support is calculated. Support generally ends when Support ordinarily ends at 18, or 19 if the child is still in high school, with possible continuation for a child with a disability. Modification: A material change of circumstances is required; a 15% difference between the existing order and a recalculated guideline amount is a common benchmark.
Statutory framework and guideline model
Alaska's child support system is built around Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020. Under the percentage of income (obligor), Alaska applies percentages of the obligor’s adjusted annual income (20% for one child, 27% for two, 33% for three, with increases for more children). Shared physical custody uses a different Rule 90.3(b) calculation that credits overnight percentages.
Federal law requires every state to maintain presumptive guidelines and to review them at least every four years (42 U.S.C. § 667). Confirm the latest Alaska schedule or worksheet before relying on any online calculator.
How child support is calculated in Alaska
- Identify each parent's guideline income using adjusted gross income as defined in Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020 and the accompanying worksheets or administrative rules.
- Apply the percentage of income (obligor) — whether that means a combined-income schedule, an obligor percentage table, or a Melson-style self-support reserve plus primary obligation.
- Allocate add-ons such as health insurance premiums, unreimbursed medical expenses, and work-related child care according to Alaska practice.
- Consider parenting time adjustments where the guidelines or case law authorize a credit or shared-custody formula.
- Test for deviation if a strict guideline result would be unjust or inappropriate on the record.
Online calculators can illustrate ranges, but only the controlling statute, guidelines, and court findings produce an enforceable order.
How the Alaska rule applies
Apply the Alaska authorities in order. The facts are simplified so the statute and the standard are visible.
Two parents in Alaska need a presumptive child-support figure and may have facts that justify a departure.
- Measure guideline income as adjusted gross income under Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020.
- Apply the Percentage of income (obligor): Alaska applies percentages of the obligor’s adjusted annual income (20% for one child, 27% for two, 33% for three, with increases for more children). Shared physical custody uses a different Rule 90.3(b) calculation that credits overnight percentages.
- Test deviation: Unusual medical needs, high travel costs in remote communities, other support obligations, and incomes that make the percentage result unfair can support deviation under Rule 90.3(c).
- If circumstances later change: A material change of circumstances is required; a 15% difference between the existing order and a recalculated guideline amount is a common benchmark.
The enforceable number is the Alaska guideline result under Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020, plus any deviation findings. The Child Support Services Division uses withholding, liens, passport denial, and contempt tools statewide, including for out-of-state obligors.
Deviation from the guidelines
Unusual medical needs, high travel costs in remote communities, other support obligations, and incomes that make the percentage result unfair can support deviation under Rule 90.3(c).
When a court departs from the presumptive amount, Alaska practice generally requires findings that explain why the guideline figure is unjust or inappropriate and what amount better serves the child's needs. Those findings matter on appeal and in later modification proceedings.
Modification of child support
A material change of circumstances is required; a 15% difference between the existing order and a recalculated guideline amount is a common benchmark.
A parent seeking a change typically must show that circumstances after the prior order make the existing award inequitable. Common triggers include job loss, substantial income changes, a new parenting-time schedule, emancipation of a child, or extraordinary medical needs. Retroactivity and temporary relief rules are statute-specific — check Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020 and local family-division procedures.
Enforcement in Alaska
The Child Support Services Division uses withholding, liens, passport denial, and contempt tools statewide, including for out-of-state obligors.
Interstate cases often implicate UIFSA. Income withholding, contempt, license suspension, and tax-refund intercept remain core tools nationwide, but the Alaska child support agency and clerk of court procedures control day-to-day collection.
When child support ends
In Alaska, Support ordinarily ends at 18, or 19 if the child is still in high school, with possible continuation for a child with a disability. Orders may extend for disability, secondary education, or other statutory grounds where the statute allows. Always read the judgment language — agreed orders sometimes set a different end date or require a notice of emancipation.
Case law: how Alaska courts apply the guidelines
The opinions below are in the LawDiver corpus. Each block quote is taken from the opinion text so you can jump from this guide into the full decision.
Danny Lind CHARLESWORTH, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Ex Rel. Ralphena
…eal arises from an order modifying a non-custodial parent’s child support obligation. This parent contends that the trial court’s modification order was not justified by a material change in circumstances. He also contends that the trial court misapplied the child support guidelines set out in Alaska Civil Rule 90.3. I. STATEMENT OF FACTS Danny Lind Charlesworth and Ralphena Ch…
Practitioners open Danny Lind CHARLESWORTH, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Ex Rel. Ralphena when Alaska child support turns on the distinction in this sentence: "This parent contends that the trial court’s modification order was not justified by a material change in circumstances. He also contends that the trial court misapplied the child support guidelines set out in Alaska Civil Rule 90.3. I." Do not lift it out of the facts the court was deciding.
STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Ex Rel. Janet L. GERKE, Appellant, v
…Justice. I. INTRODUCTION After repeated attempts to collect child support from David Gerke, the Alaska Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) reduced the arrearages to final judgment. The superior court conditioned “any” collection of the arrearages judgment for periods more than five years upon a showing of “just and sufficient reasons” for failing to execute within five ye…
Practitioners open STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Ex Rel. Janet L. GERKE, Appellant, v when Alaska child support turns on the distinction in this sentence: "Justice. I. INTRODUCTION After repeated attempts to collect child support from David Gerke, the Alaska Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) reduced the arrearages to final judgment." Do not lift it out of the facts the court was deciding.
Lloyd C. ALLEN v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
…NGS Allen is the obligor parent under a 1988 superior court child support order. In October 1997 he informally requested CSED to seek a superior court order reducing his support obligation. Under 15 Alaska Administrative Code (AAC) 125.8316 and .826, CSED has authority to seek judicial modification of a child support order if recalculation under the child support guidelines set…
Alaska opinions such as Lloyd C. ALLEN v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION are cited where child support is disputed. The court stated: "NGS Allen is the obligor parent under a 1988 superior court child support order. In October 1997 he informally requested CSED to seek a superior court order reducing his support obligation. Under 15 Alaska Administrative Code (AAC) 125.8316 and ." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
Michael M. AGEN, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Appellee
…DUCTION The State of Alaska (State), Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED), determined that Michael Agen was responsible for the repayment of public assistance already expended for the support of his child and for the payment of ongoing support for the child. The superior court affirmed and awarded attorney’s fees to CSED. We reverse the attorney’s fe…
On child support, Michael M. AGEN, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, Appellee speaks to the Alaska dispute in this passage: "ION The State of Alaska (State), Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED), determined that Michael Agen was responsible for the repayment of public assistance already expended for the support of his child and for the payment of ongoing support for the child." The surrounding opinion shows how the court applied that language to the record.
Thomas E. KYTE, Appellant, v. Deidre L. STALLINGS and State of Alaska, Department of Revenue, Child Support Services
…s that he was entitled to a retroactive modification of his child support obligations. He contends that a request for modification he filed in 2008 with the Child Support Services Division (CSSD) was never resolved by a final, ap-pealable decision as required by Alaska Appellate Rule 602; that the request was therefore still pending in 2011 when he filed a motion for modificati…
Alaska opinions such as Thomas E. KYTE, Appellant, v. Deidre L. STALLINGS and State of Alaska, Department of Revenue, Child Support Services are cited where child support is disputed. The court stated: "s that he was entitled to a retroactive modification of his child support obligations. He contends that a request for modification he filed in 2008 with the Child Support Services Division (CSSD) was never resolved by a final, ap-pealable decision as required by Alaska Appellate" That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
Keith Kent ELSBERRY, Appellant, v. Erika Marianna ELSBERRY and State of Alaska, Child Support Enforcement Division
…ivil Rule 90.3. The superior court granted a request by the Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) to impute that income to Elsberry after he had failed to comply with an order to submit tax returns to document his affidavit asserting a monthly income of $800. He claimed that he could not do so because he is self-employed on a cash-only basis, and his religious beliefs preve…
Keith Kent ELSBERRY, Appellant, v. Erika Marianna ELSBERRY and State of Alaska, Child Support Enforcement Division is worth reading on Alaska child support because the court put the point in its own words: "Rule 90.3. The superior court granted a request by the Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) to impute that income to Elsberry after he had failed to comply with an order to submit tax returns to document his affidavit asserting a monthly income of $800." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.
Douglas Wayne BROTHERTON, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION Ex
…or court's November 2006 modification of Tahni Brotherton's child support obligation. He argues that the superior court erred in excluding from its calculation of Tahni's income her share of the divided marital real property. He also contends that Tahni's income did not justify the reduction in child support, that she was capable of earning more than she reported, and that the…
Douglas Wayne BROTHERTON, Appellant, v. STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION Ex is worth reading on Alaska child support because the court put the point in its own words: "November 2006 modification of Tahni Brotherton's child support obligation. He argues that the superior court erred in excluding from its calculation of Tahni's income her share of the divided marital real property." Use that passage as the starting point, then read the facts that precede it.
STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION v. Gary DUNNING
…MATTHEWS, COMPTON and EASTAUGH, JJ. OPINION PER CURIAM. The Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) takes the position that its administrative establishment of Gary Dunning’s level of child support was within its statutory authority. In support of this position, CSED asserts that statutory authorization for the support order it entered in response to the State of Montana’s re…
Alaska opinions such as STATE of Alaska, DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT DIVISION v. Gary DUNNING are cited where child support is disputed. The court stated: "MATTHEWS, COMPTON and EASTAUGH, JJ. OPINION PER CURIAM. The Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) takes the position that its administrative establishment of Gary Dunning’s level of child support was within its statutory authority." That is the language to brief; the rest of the decision supplies the procedural posture.
Practical checklist for Alaska child support matters
- Gather recent pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of health insurance / child-care costs.
- Complete the current Alaska worksheet or financial affidavit required by the local court.
- Document parenting-time overnights if a shared-custody adjustment may apply.
- Flag facts that could support deviation (special needs, travel costs, high income, other children).
- Search LawDiver for recent Alaska appellate decisions before mediation or trial.
Key takeaways
- Alaska follows the Percentage of income (obligor) model for presumptive child support.
- Income is generally measured using adjusted gross income, then allocated under Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020.
- Guideline amounts are presumptive, not automatic — courts may deviate when the facts justify it.
- Support ordinarily ends at 18, or 19 if the child is still in high school, with possible continuation for a child with a disability.
- Either parent can seek modification when a material change of circumstances is required; a 15% difference between the existing order and a recalculated guideline amount is a common benchmark..
- Read the companion guide: Alaska alimony / spousal maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Alaska?
Alaska uses the percentage of income (obligor) under Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020. Courts start with adjusted gross income, apply the guideline schedule or percentage, allocate add-ons, and may deviate with findings when the presumptive amount is unjust.
What income counts for Alaska child support?
Guideline income generally tracks adjusted gross income as defined by Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020 and the worksheets. Wages, self-employment income, bonuses, and certain benefits are commonly included; exact deductions and exclusions are statute-specific.
Can Alaska courts order more or less than the guideline amount?
Yes. Guideline support is presumptive. Judges may deviate when the record shows the guideline result is unjust or inappropriate, typically with written findings explaining the departure.
How do I modify a Alaska child support order?
A material change of circumstances is required; a 15% difference between the existing order and a recalculated guideline amount is a common benchmark. File in the court with continuing jurisdiction (or follow UIFSA for interstate cases) and support the request with current financial evidence.
When does child support end in Alaska?
Support ordinarily ends at 18, or 19 if the child is still in high school, with possible continuation for a child with a disability. Confirm any disability, educational, or agreed extensions in your particular order.
Where can I research Alaska child support case law?
Use LawDiver search scoped to Alaska, or open the opinions linked in this guide. Companion reading: Alaska spousal maintenance guide.
Disclaimer
This guide is general legal information about Alaska child support, not legal advice. Statutes, guidelines, and case law change. Confirm the current text of Alaska Civ. R. 90.3; Alaska Stat. § 25.27.020 and consult a licensed Alaska family-law attorney about your facts.