A parenting time credit is a deviation that reduces child support when the paying parent has significant residential time with the child. Washington courts reference 25% of the basic obligation when calculating this credit under RCW 26.19.075.
RCW 26.19.075(1)(d): The court may deviate from the standard calculation if the child spends a significant amount of time with a parent who is obligated to make a support transfer payment. The court shall consider increased expenses to the paying parent and decreased expenses to the receiving parent resulting from the time.
The credit is applied as a percentage reduction to the basic obligation on Line 9 of the worksheet after all SSR limitations are applied. Washington uses 25% of the Line 9 amount as a reference point for this credit though the court exercises full discretion on the amount.
Important: The credit applies to the SSR-reduced Line 9 amount — never to the pre-SSR amount.
The credit directly reduces your final transfer payment. However it is not automatic — you must request it and provide evidence of the residential schedule. The court will not grant the credit if it would leave the receiving parent's household with insufficient funds to meet the child's basic needs.
No. You must request the deviation in writing with evidence of the actual residential schedule. 50/50 schedules are handled differently and may involve a residential split adjustment.
Washington law does not define a specific threshold. Courts use discretion based on the residential schedule and evidence of expenses incurred during residential time.
Yes. The court may deny the credit if it would leave insufficient funds in the receiving parent's household to meet the child's basic needs.
Use our 2026 Washington State estimator to see how these legal terms impact your support amount. All calculators are RCW 26.19 compliant.