Custody and child support in Georgia: how it actually works Custody and child support in Georgia: how it actually works

Under OCGA § 19-9-3, custody runs on the best interests of the child with an extensive factor list: each parent's bond with the child, capacity to provide, home environment stability, involvement in the child's education and activities, work schedules, each parent's willingness to foster the child's relationship with the other parent, any history of family violence or substance abuse, and more. No presumption favors either parent and Georgia has no statutory presumption of equal parenting time.

Georgia splits custody into legal (the right to the child's information and to be involved in major decisions — education, health, religion, extracurriculars) and physical (where the child lives the majority of the time). Joint legal custody is common, and Georgia Parenting Plans must designate a tie-breaking plan (to resolve disputes) for each major decision category — a distinctive Georgia requirement that prevents deadlock by design. Every Georgia custody case requires a Parenting Plan..

GGeorgia calculates support under OCGA § 19-6-15 on an 'income-shares model' using combined gross monthly income. And Georgia just renovated the system: effective January 1, 2026, a revised worksheet took effect, the parenting-time adjustment became mandatory whenever a Court order includes parenting time and a mandatory low-income adjustment replaced the old discretionary version. Translation for real cases: parenting time now moves Georgia support numbers as a matter of law, not judicial mood — which couples the schedule negotiation to the support negotiation more tightly than ever. Existing orders don't update automatically; a modification filing is required to capture the new rules. The full mechanics: child support in Georgia.

Georgia modifications run on material changes — with special rules, including the age-14 election itself operating as grounds to revisit custody, and Georgia's distinctive limits on how frequently support can be modified. Details: modifications in Georgia. Relocation in Georgia is pure case law — no statute — and the analysis may surprise you: relocation in Georgia.

From our Atlanta office, Brown Carrington handles Georgia custody and support at every level of conflict — including the cases that turn on an election, an evaluation, or a courtroom.