Child Support If You Make $500 a Week in Montana
Montana runs the Melson formula, and at $500 a week its low-income minimum ladder is the reason the mid and high rows sit at a flat $260.
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Guideline child support scenarios at $500 a week
The paying parent earns $500 a week ($2,166.67 a month) in every cell below. The other parent's monthly income changes across rows, and the number of children changes across columns; both genuinely change the result.Every figure is computed with the real Montana guideline engine, the same one behind the full calculator, not a lookup table built for this page.
| Other parent's income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| No reported income | $519.00 | $864.00 | $1,209.00 |
| $2,000 a month | $337.00 | $534.00 | $747.00 |
| $4,000 a month | $260.00 | $260.00 | $261.00 |
| $6,000 a month | $260.00 | $260.00 | $261.00 |
Every dollar figure is a monthly amount, the presumptive guideline result before add-ons like child care or health insurance and before any court deviation. "Not available" means the engine behind this site declined to compute that specific combination rather than guess; the reason is shown next to it.
The low-income minimum ladder at work
Montana uses the Melson formula under ARM 37.62, one of only three Melson states on this site. The formula protects personal and primary allowances, applies a standard-of-living adjustment, and includes a low-income minimum ladder so that very low earners are not pushed below a floor.
At $500 a week, $2,166.67 a month, the payer is low enough that the minimum ladder shows up directly. In the $4,000 and $6,000 other-parent rows, the obligation holds at $260, $260, and $261 for one, two, and three children, the floor the ladder sets.
Reading the ladder and the floor in the table
The top two rows of the table below show higher figures, $519 to $1,209, because the payer share of the obligation is larger when the other parent has little or no income. In the $4,000 and $6,000 rows, the minimum ladder takes over and the obligation drops to its floor.
The fixed baseline on this page is zero payer days, so the parenting-day allocation that applies above 110 days is not exercised.
What this estimate includes
- The Melson low-income minimum ladder and its floor
- The personal and primary allowance protections
- Results for 1, 2, or 3 children across four other-parent incomes
What it leaves out
- The parenting-day allocation, which applies above 110 days
- The standard-of-living adjustment at incomes where it matters
- Child care and health insurance add-ons
Worth knowing
The minimum ladder is a distinctive Montana feature. It means very low-income payers do not owe a percentage of income that would leave them destitute, and instead hit a floor.
The $260 figure is the ladder floor at this income, not a per-child minimum. That is why one, two, and three children all land near the same value in the mid and high rows.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the mid and high rows sit at $260?
At $500 a week the payer is low enough that the Melson minimum ladder sets a floor, and in the rows where the other parent earns more, the obligation lands on that floor for one, two, and three children.
What is the low-income minimum ladder?
It is a Montana feature that protects a low-income payer from an obligation that would push them below a minimum standard. As income rises off the floor, the ladder steps up.
Is Montana a Melson state?
Yes. Montana uses the Melson formula under ARM 37.62, one of three Melson states on this site along with Delaware and Hawaii.
What is the fixed baseline on this page?
Zero days of parenting time for the paying parent, which is the sole-custody baseline. The parenting-day allocation that applies above 110 days is not exercised here.
Does the other parent income change the result at $500 a week?
Yes. One child runs from $519 down to $260 as the other parent income rises from none to $6,000 a month, with the two and three-child columns showing the same kind of drop onto the ladder.
Where can I see the ladder and allowances applied?
The full Montana child support calculator on this site runs ARM 37.62, and the Montana guideline worksheets linked in the sources show the allowances and ladder.
About the numbers on this page
Every figure in the table above comes from running the real Montana child support engine on this site, the same engine and data pack behind the full Montana child support calculator. Nothing on this page is a separate estimate or a reimplementation of the math. See the sources below for the statutes and official worksheets behind the Montana guideline.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published as part of the child support by income series. Material changes are dated in the update log.