Final phase of Georgia child support law takes effect, changing payments for families

The final phase of changes to Georgia’s child support law went into effect Jan. 1, and the law could impact several families and their child support.

The first phase of Senate Bill 454 went into effect January 2024. The goal of changing child support in the state was to modernize enforcement mechanisms and provide clearer guidelines for calculating income and making modifications, according to Grisham & Poole, P.C. 

Here are the key changes that might impact the most parents:

• Consideration of time spent with the non-custodial parent in calculating obligations
• Standardization of calculating the obligations of lower income parents
• Expansion of what income should be considered to calculate obligations
• Expansion of enforcement measures

Two major changes went into effect at the start of 2026: the Mandatory Adjustment Based on Parenting Time and the Mandatory Adjustment for Low-income Parents. 

The Mandatory Adjustment Based on Parenting Time adjusts the amount of child support to be paid based on the percentage of time the minor child spends with the non-custodial parent.

The Mandatory Adjustment for Low-income Parents “establishes a standardized approach to setting support obligations for lower income parents.”

The law also expanded what can be considered in income calculation to include ordinary income, such as wages and tips, unearned income, such as dividends and rental property earnings, and income from self-employment after reasonable business expenses are deducted.

In addition, the law also expanded enforcement measures to make it easier to garnish wages, locate hidden assets and potentially suspend professional and driver’s licenses for failure to pay.

To learn more about all of the changes, visit grishamandpoole.com.