Calculate child support

Online calculator

With the online calculator from Simmelink Lawyers, you get an initial indication of the potential child support. The calculator asks you several questions about your family situation and the incomes of both parents. After completion, you will receive the outcome on the page and by email.

In the following situations, we recommend a personal calculation:

• when starting legal proceedings
• when making a formal proposal to the other parent
• when applying to the LBIO (Landelijk Bureau Inning Onderhoudsbijdragen)
• in a situation that is more complex than an online tool can process

Personal alimony calculation

For situations where a more accurate calculation is needed, we provide a personal maintenance calculation based on the official calculation methods also used by the court.

The personal calculation begins with an intake interview in which your situation is fully mapped out. We look at income, fixed costs, care distribution, and any special circumstances. You can use the outcome when drafting a parenting plan, in a request to the court, or in a proposal to amend the maintenance.

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What can you do with the result?

The calculator provides an indication of the standard contribution in your situation. In practice, additional factors play a role that an online tool cannot process.

The result is useful as:

• Preparation for a discussion with your (ex-)partner about child support
• An initial impression of whether current agreements are still in line with the present situation
• A starting point for a mediation process or a consultation with a lawyer

A personalized calculation is recommended if:

• You are starting legal proceedings or making an official proposal to the other parent
• You wish to have maintenance collected via the LBIO (National Maintenance Collection Agency)
• There is fluctuating income, a director-major shareholder (DGA) situation, a corporate structure, or special costs such as childcare or school fees
• There is an international component, for example, when parents live or work in different countries. In such cases, jurisdiction, applicable law, and the recognition of agreements may play a role. The calculator is intended exclusively for situations under Dutch law. You can read more about cross-border maintenance cases on our international family law page.

In those cases, we will provide a personalized calculation and discuss the outcome with you.

What is child support?

Child support is the financial contribution a parent pays for the care and upbringing of a child. In principle, the maintenance obligation continues until the child reaches the age of 21; from the age of 18, the contribution can, in principle, be paid directly to the child. The legal basis is established in Book 1 of the Dutch Civil Code.

The amount is determined based on two variables: the child’s needs and the parents’ financial capacity. In the case of an extensive care arrangement, the care discount—a compensation for the costs the caring parent incurs themselves—is factored into the calculation, alongside financial capacity and needs. In many cases, an indicative calculation already leads to an agreement between parents, after which the arrangements are recorded in a parenting plan.

How is child support calculated?

Child support is calculated in three steps: determining the child’s needs, calculating the financial capacity of both parents, and applying the care discount. This method is established in the Trema standards of the Dutch Association for the Judiciary and is revised annually.

Step 1: The child’s needs

The child’s needs represent the amount the child requires for their care and upbringing. The starting point is the net family income of both parents before the divorce. Based on this income and the age of the children, the needs are determined using the NIBUD child cost table. The principle is that children should suffer as little financial disadvantage as possible due to the divorce.

Step 2: Financial capacity of both parents

Financial capacity is the amount each parent has available to contribute, based on their income after the divorce. Fixed expenses, such as housing costs and the ‘capacity-free’ income threshold, are deducted from the net income. Both parents contribute to the total child needs in proportion to their financial capacity.

Step 3: Care discount

The care discount is a compensation for the costs the caring parent incurs during the days the children stay with them. The discount is a guideline and may work out differently in a concrete calculation, depending on the total financial capacity. The amount depends on the care distribution:

Has your situation changed? Calculate if a modification is possible.

If circumstances have changed since the previous determination of child support, a judge can establish a new maintenance amount upon request. Enter the current situation into the calculator to get an initial impression of whether the calculated amount deviates significantly from the existing agreements.

Circumstances that may justify a modification include:

• A significant change in income for either parent
• A change in the care distribution or the residency arrangement
• A change in the child-related budget
• Higher or lower extraordinary costs for the children
• Cohabitation or remarriage of one of the parents, whereby a stepparent becomes financially responsible for children from the new household

A modification of child support proceeds through the court if the parties cannot reach an agreement. During a consultation, we will determine whether the changed circumstances provide sufficient legal grounds for a request for modification.

How does the online calculator work?

The online calculator from Simmelink Lawyers calculates a maintenance indication based on five input fields. The calculator follows the standard calculation method; however, special circumstances require a personalized assessment. This tool is intended for situations under Dutch law and provides an initial indication. Please enter:

• The net disposable income (NBI) of yourself and the other parent
• The birth dates of the children (maximum of 2; for more children: please contact us personally)
• With which parent the children are registered
• The care distribution: how many days the children stay with the other parent
• The child-related budget that both parents receive

After filling this in, you will receive the indication immediately on the page. You can also receive the result by email. The result is an indication; no rights or obligations can be derived from it.

What does a lawyer do regarding child support?

A lawyer specializing in family law assesses the outcome and discusses the next steps with you. The calculator provides an indication; the lawyer gives legal weight to that outcome.

In practice, guidance regarding child support includes:

• Performing an official maintenance calculation using the same software used by the courts
• Assessing special circumstances that fall outside the standard method
• Drafting or reviewing agreements in a parenting plan
• Conducting negotiations with the other parent or their lawyer
• Filing a request for modification with the court if the parties cannot reach an agreement

Simmelink Lawyers is a law firm specializing in family law and international family law. Depending on your situation, we will determine whether consultation, mediation, or legal proceedings are most appropriate. You can read more about our approach on the child support page or on the maintenance overview page.

Content verified by the team at Simmelink Lawyers, specialized in family law.

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