Dec 2025, by : Jason Kohlmeyer, Family Lawyer
If you’ve been searching “how to lower child support in Minnesota” on Google lately, you’re not alone. Many parents in Minnesota, especially those co‑parenting with roughly equal time, are wondering how recent changes affect their child support obligations. The 2025 updates to the parenting expense adjustment (PEA) might just offer more fairness for parents with less than equal time (like 40–50%) parenting time. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the Parenting Expense Adjustment (PEA)?
Under the law in Minnesota (Minn. Stat. § 518A.36), the parenting expense adjustment recognizes that when a parent has overnight custody or sometimes (but less common) if they have significant parenting time, they’re incurring real costs, like food, transportation, clothing, housing, and everyday child‑related expenses.
In simple terms, PEA gives a credit (or a reduction) to a parent’s child support obligation to reflect the time and expenses they incur while caring for their child because we know kids’ aint free!
What Changed in 2025 and Why It Matters
While the core of PEA under statute hasn’t suddenly changed overnight, the 2025 updates do reflect a formal recognition that parents with near‑equal parenting time (roughly 40–50%) should receive a larger, fairer adjustment. What the new law does is generally:
- Lowering the threshold to qualify for the more generous credit dropped from the strict “over 45.1%” to around 40% parenting time.
- The credit or offset under PEA is now more sensitive to each additional overnight. (Note: it’s a bit more calculated than a flat fee, as it matters what everyone’s income or PICS is.) meaning each extra night matters more and can add up to big dollar changes!
- The updated approach aims to better reflect modern co‑parenting arrangements, where custody and parenting time are more balanced as opposed to the old school every other weekend “visitiation” back in the old days.
In other words, the adjustment is now more granular: rather than lumping parents into broad parenting‑time categories (e.g., under 10%, 10–45%, over 45%), now every overnight matters ,giving parents with roughly half‑time parenting a significant reduction in support obligations.
How the Formula Works : A High‑Level View
Here’s a simplified breakdown of how PEA works under the current law (post‑2018, and applied under the current 2025 guidelines) and how it works on the calculator.
- The court identifies Parent A: the parent with fewer overnights.
- The court identifies Parent B: the parent with more overnights.
- The formula “raises to the power of three” the number of annual overnights for each parent. Then it multiplies Parent B’s overnights³ by Parent B’s share of the combined basic support obligation, and does the same for Parent A. Finally, it subtracts one from the other and divides by the sum of both overnight values. The result determines which parent pays (the “obligor”) and how much…
- Or just go here to let the state calculator do it!
What this means in practice: small increases in overnight parenting time, in particular around the 40–50% mark, result in proportionate reductions in the basic child support obligation. The adjustment is now continuous rather than “stepped,” offering a smoother, fairer outcome for shared‑custody families.
It’s important to note, however, that PEA affects only the basic support portion. Medical support, daycare, or special needs remain separate calculations under the guidelines.
What This Means for Parents with 40–50% Parenting Time?
If you are co‑parenting and each parent spends roughly the same time with the child (close to 50/50), the 2025 changes can significantly impact your support order. Here’s how:
- You may qualify for a much larger reduction, potentially lowering your monthly basic support payment.
- The shift from broad categories (Or steps) to incremental overnight‑by‑overnight calculation makes the outcome more predictable and fair.
- For parents receiving support (or expecting to), it means adjustments downward are possible if the other parent’s time with the child increases.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a Minnesota parent with roughly half custody and have been thinking “there’s got to be a way to lower my support,” the 2025 updates to the parenting expense adjustment might be just what you’ve been looking for. But a recalculation isn’t automatic — it requires action: a clear parenting time schedule, sometimes a motion, and in some cases, attorney help.
If you’re curious how it would play out in your situation, for example, how PEA could affect support in Blue Earth County, you might want to run the numbers using the updated MN calculator or talk to a family law attorney.
