Pennsylvania’s child support system is failing families.

Pennsylvania’s current child support formula relies heavily on taxable W-2 income and often fails to account for the full financial picture of a household. As a result, it can ignore major sources of real-world advantage such as non-taxable resources, substantial financial gifts, family-provided housing, and lifestyle spending that clearly reflects access to wealth.

This isn’t just a technical issue. It affects children’s stability.

My story (one example of a broader problem)

I share 50/50 custody of my two children with their father. I am a contract worker, which means I have no paid time off, no sick days, and no job security. I work consistently, pay my mortgage, and do everything I can to provide a stable home for my kids.

The other parent, by contrast, has significant employment stability and substantial financial support that does not appear on a W-2, including lavish family-provided housing and ongoing financial assistance. Those resources meaningfully reduce his cost of living and increase his ability to build wealth, but they are largely invisible in the current support calculation.

Despite this imbalance, the court ordered me to pay $1,800 per month in support plus 64% of child-related expenses, calculated as if I work 52 weeks per year. In practice, that means the system treats my income as fully predictable while treating significant non-wage financial advantages as if they don’t exist.

When I previously had primary custody for a full year, the support amount I received was substantially lower.

The problem is bigger than one case

Child support should protect children, not deepen inequality between households. A system that counts every dollar of inconsistent contract income, while ignoring major non-wage resources and outside financial support, can create outcomes that place one household under extreme pressure while the other accumulates advantage.

Even more troubling: there are limited safeguards to ensure support dollars are actually used for children’s needs and future. Accountability mechanisms should exist so child support cannot function as a windfall while the children’s other household struggles to remain stable.

What we’re asking Pennsylvania to do

We call on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reform child support laws to:

Include a comprehensive review of all financial resources, including untaxed income, substantial gifts, family-provided housing, and nontraditional working situations;
Account for true household expenses and actual caregiving responsibilities, reflecting the realities of 50/50 custody arrangements;
Require accountability in how support is used, including an option to direct a portion into child-specific accounts such as 529 plans or other protected vehicles;
Move away from rigid formulas toward a needs-based, equity-driven model that reflects the full financial reality;
Ensure both households can provide safe, stable environments for the children they share, not only the household with greater financial backing.

Child support laws should level the playing field, not tilt it further toward financial inequality.

Please sign this petition to stand with families across Pennsylvania in demanding a system that is just, transparent, and truly centered on children’s well-being.