Connecticut · Custody and support · Updated Oct 2026
Child custody and support in Connecticut
For divorcing parents in Connecticut: the legal term for custody, the parenting class, the official support calculator and the child support agency.
Quick answer
In Connecticut, custody is called “custody and visitation (parenting plan)”. Parenting class: Yes. Parents of minor children are ordered to complete the Judicial Branch's Parenting Education Program unless the court excuses it (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-69b). Connecticut publishes an official child support calculator or guidelines.
- Custody term
- Custody and visitation (parenting plan)
- Parenting class
- Required (with conditions)
- Child support calculator
- Official child support calculator or guidelines
- Child support agency
- Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services
Custody terms in Connecticut
Custody and visitation (parenting plan)
Parenting class in Connecticut
- Yes. Parents of minor children are ordered to complete the Judicial Branch's Parenting Education Program unless the court excuses it (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-69b).
- Brochure: https://www.jud.ct.gov/HomePDFs/parentingprogram.pdf
Child support in Connecticut
- Child support calculator: Official child support calculator or guidelines
- Child support agency: Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services
Good to know
Connecticut's nonadversarial divorce lets couples married 9 years or less with no children and under $80,000 in property divorce by joint petition with no hearing (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-44a, 46b-44c).
Children in a Connecticut divorce: what the process includes
Custody
The court's orders use Connecticut's term for custody: custody and visitation (parenting plan).
Parenting class
Yes. Parents of minor children are ordered to complete the Judicial Branch's Parenting Education Program unless the court excuses it (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-69b).
Child support
The official calculator or guidelines: Official child support calculator or guidelines
The child support agency
Connecticut's child support agency: Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services
Questions about custody and child support in Connecticut
What is child custody called in Connecticut?
Connecticut uses the term “custody and visitation (parenting plan)”.
Do parents have to take a class in a Connecticut divorce?
Yes. Parents of minor children are ordered to complete the Judicial Branch's Parenting Education Program unless the court excuses it (Conn. Gen. Stat. 46b-69b). Brochure: https://www.jud.ct.gov/HomePDFs/parentingprogram.pdf
Is there an official child support calculator for Connecticut?
Yes. Connecticut's official calculator or guidelines: Official child support calculator or guidelines
Which agency handles child support in Connecticut?
Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services.
More about divorce in Connecticut
- All Connecticut divorce laws
- Uncontested divorce in Connecticut
- Connecticut divorce forms and filing fees
- Serving divorce papers in Connecticut
- Divorce timeline estimator for Connecticut
- Divorce checklist for Connecticut
- How to file for divorce without a lawyer
- Served with divorce papers: what to do
Custody and support in nearby states
- Official child support calculator or guidelines
- Connecticut Department of Social Services, Office of Child Support Services
- Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 815j (Dissolution of Marriage)
- CT Judicial Branch Court Fees
- CT Judicial Branch: Divorce, Custody and Visitation
- CT Judicial Branch Family Matters FAQ
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.