Standards for determination of income. (Effective January 1, 2026.)
RCW 26.19.071
in effect(1) Consideration of all income. All income and resources of each parent's household shall be disclosed and considered by the court when the court determines the child support obligation of each parent. Only the income of the parents of the children whose support is at issue shall be calculated for purposes of calculating the basic support obligation. Income and resources of any other person shall not be included in calculating the basic support obligation. (2) Verification of income. Tax returns for the preceding two years and current paystubs shall be provided to verify income and deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or paystubs. (3) Income sources included in gross monthly income. Except as specifically excluded in subsection (4) of this section, monthly gross income shall include income from any source, including: (a) Salaries; (b) Wages; (c) Commissions; (d) Deferred compensation; (e) Overtime, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section; (f) Contract-related benefits; (g) Income from second jobs, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section; (h) Dividends; (i) Interest; (j) Trust income; (k) Severance pay; (l) Annuities; (m) Capital gains; (n) Pension retirement benefits; (o) Workers' compensation; (p) Unemployment benefits; (q) Maintenance actually received; (r) Bonuses; (s) Social security benefits; (t) Disability insurance benefits; and (u) Income from self-employment, rent, royalties, contracts, proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation. (4) Income sources excluded from gross monthly income. The following income and resources shall be disclosed but shall not be included in gross income: (a) Income of a new spouse or new domestic partner or income of other adults in the household; (b) Child support received from other relationships; (c) Gifts and prizes; (d) Temporary assistance for needy families; (e) Supplemental security income; (f) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits; (g) Pregnant women assistance benefits; (h) Food stamps; and (i) Overtime or income from second jobs beyond 40 hours per week averaged over a 12-month period worked to provide for a current family's needs, to retire past relationship debts, or to retire child support debt, when the court finds the income will cease when the party has paid off his or her debts. Receipt of income and resources from temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, and food stamps shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation. (5) Determination of net income. The following expenses shall be disclosed and deducted from gross monthly income to calculate net monthly income: (a) Federal and state income taxes; (b) Federal insurance contributions act deductions; (c) Mandatory pension plan payments; (d) Mandatory union or professional dues; (e) Other mandatory state deductions, such as mandatory state insurance premiums actually paid, including for the paid family and medical leave program and long-term services and supports trust program; (f) State industrial insurance premiums; (g) Court-ordered maintenance to the extent actually paid; (h) Up to $5,000 per year in voluntary retirement contributions actually made if the contributions show a pattern of contributions during the one-year period preceding the action establishing the child support order unless there is a determination that the contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support; and (i) Normal business expenses and self-employment taxes for self-employed persons. Justification shall be required for any business expense deduction about which there is disagreement. Items deducted from gross income under this subsection shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation. (6) Imputation of income. The court shall impute income to a parent when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. The court shall determine whether the parent is voluntarily underemployed or voluntarily unemployed based upon that parent's assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job skills, educational attainment, literacy, health, age, criminal record, dependency court obligations, and other employment barriers, record of seeking work, the local job market, the availability of employers willing to hire the parent, the prevailing earnings level in the local community, or any other relevant factors. A court shall not impute income to a parent who is gainfully employed on a full-time basis, unless the court finds that the parent is voluntarily underemployed and finds that the parent is purposely underemployed to reduce the parent's child support obligation. Income shall not be imputed for an unemployable parent. Income shall not be imputed to a parent to the extent the parent is unemployed or significantly underemployed due to the parent's efforts to comply with court-ordered reunification efforts under chapter 13.34 RCW or under a voluntary placement agreement with an agency supervising the child. (a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, in the absence of records of a parent's actual earnings, the court shall impute a parent's income in the following order of priority: (i) Full-time earnings at the current rate of pay; (ii) Full-time earnings at the historical rate of pay based on reliable information, such as employment security department data; (iii) Full-time earnings at a past rate of pay where information is incomplete or sporadic; (iv) Earnings of 32 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent is on or recently coming off temporary assistance for needy families or recently coming off aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, pregnant women assistance benefits, essential needs and housing support, supplemental security income, or disability, has recently been released from incarceration, or is a recent high school graduate. Imputation of earnings at 32 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption; (v) Full-time earnings at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent has a recent history of minimum wage earnings, has never been employed and has no earnings history, or has no significant earnings history; (vi) Median net monthly income of year-round full-time workers as derived from the United States bureau of census, current population reports, or such replacement report as published by the bureau of census. (b) When a parent is currently enrolled in high school full-time, the court shall consider the totality of the circumstances of both parents when determining whether each parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. If a parent who is currently enrolled in high school is determined to be voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed, the court shall impute income at earnings of 20 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where that parent resides. Imputation of earnings at 20 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption.
(1) Consideration of all income. All income and resources of each parent's household shall be disclosed and considered by the court when the court determines the child support obligation of each parent. Only the income of the parents of the children whose support is at issue shall be calculated for purposes of calculating the basic support obligation. Income and resources of any other person shall not be included in calculating the basic support obligation.
(2) Verification of income. Tax returns for the preceding two years and current paystubs shall be provided to verify income and deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or paystubs.
(3) Income sources included in gross monthly income. Except as specifically excluded in subsection (4) of this section, monthly gross income shall include income from any source, including:
(a) Salaries;
(b) Wages;
(c) Commissions;
(d) Deferred compensation;
(e) Overtime, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section;
(f) Contract-related benefits;
(g) Income from second jobs, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(i) of this section;
(h) Dividends;
(i) Interest;
(j) Trust income;
(k) Severance pay;
(l) Annuities;
(m) Capital gains;
(n) Pension retirement benefits;
(o) Workers' compensation;
(p) Unemployment benefits;
(q) Maintenance actually received;
(r) Bonuses;
(s) Social security benefits;
(t) Disability insurance benefits; and
(u) Income from self-employment, rent, royalties, contracts, proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation.
(4) Income sources excluded from gross monthly income. The following income and resources shall be disclosed but shall not be included in gross income:
(a) Income of a new spouse or new domestic partner or income of other adults in the household;
(b) Child support received from other relationships;
(c) Gifts and prizes;
(d) Temporary assistance for needy families;
(e) Supplemental security income;
(f) Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits;
(g) Pregnant women assistance benefits;
(h) Food stamps; and
(i) Overtime or income from second jobs beyond 40 hours per week averaged over a 12-month period worked to provide for a current family's needs, to retire past relationship debts, or to retire child support debt, when the court finds the income will cease when the party has paid off his or her debts.
Receipt of income and resources from temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, and food stamps shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.
(5) Determination of net income. The following expenses shall be disclosed and deducted from gross monthly income to calculate net monthly income:
(a) Federal and state income taxes;
(b) Federal insurance contributions act deductions;
(c) Mandatory pension plan payments;
(d) Mandatory union or professional dues;
(e) Other mandatory state deductions, such as mandatory state insurance premiums actually paid, including for the paid family and medical leave program and long-term services and supports trust program;
(f) State industrial insurance premiums;
(g) Court-ordered maintenance to the extent actually paid;
(h) Up to $5,000 per year in voluntary retirement contributions actually made if the contributions show a pattern of contributions during the one-year period preceding the action establishing the child support order unless there is a determination that the contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support; and
(i) Normal business expenses and self-employment taxes for self-employed persons. Justification shall be required for any business expense deduction about which there is disagreement.
Items deducted from gross income under this subsection shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.
(6) Imputation of income. The court shall impute income to a parent when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. The court shall determine whether the parent is voluntarily underemployed or voluntarily unemployed based upon that parent's assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job skills, educational attainment, literacy, health, age, criminal record, dependency court obligations, and other employment barriers, record of seeking work, the local job market, the availability of employers willing to hire the parent, the prevailing earnings level in the local community, or any other relevant factors. A court shall not impute income to a parent who is gainfully employed on a full-time basis, unless the court finds that the parent is voluntarily underemployed and finds that the parent is purposely underemployed to reduce the parent's child support obligation. Income shall not be imputed for an unemployable parent. Income shall not be imputed to a parent to the extent the parent is unemployed or significantly underemployed due to the parent's efforts to comply with court-ordered reunification efforts under chapter 13.34 RCW or under a voluntary placement agreement with an agency supervising the child.
(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, in the absence of records of a parent's actual earnings, the court shall impute a parent's income in the following order of priority:
(i) Full-time earnings at the current rate of pay;
(ii) Full-time earnings at the historical rate of pay based on reliable information, such as employment security department data;
(iii) Full-time earnings at a past rate of pay where information is incomplete or sporadic;
(iv) Earnings of 32 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent is on or recently coming off temporary assistance for needy families or recently coming off aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, pregnant women assistance benefits, essential needs and housing support, supplemental security income, or disability, has recently been released from incarceration, or is a recent high school graduate. Imputation of earnings at 32 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption;
(v) Full-time earnings at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent has a recent history of minimum wage earnings, has never been employed and has no earnings history, or has no significant earnings history;
(vi) Median net monthly income of year-round full-time workers as derived from the United States bureau of census, current population reports, or such replacement report as published by the bureau of census.
(b) When a parent is currently enrolled in high school full-time, the court shall consider the totality of the circumstances of both parents when determining whether each parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. If a parent who is currently enrolled in high school is determined to be voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed, the court shall impute income at earnings of 20 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where that parent resides. Imputation of earnings at 20 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=26.19&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026