Worked example: Alimony Child Support in Philippines
6 min read
Published April 15, 2026 • By DocketMath Team
Example inputs
Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Alimony Child Support calculator.
This worked example shows how DocketMath calculates alimony vs. child support in the Philippines (PH) for a typical fact pattern. It’s designed to demonstrate how jurisdiction-aware rules affect the outputs—not to provide legal advice.
Scenario (facts you can plug in)
Assume a married couple with the following details:
- Jurisdiction: Philippines (PH)
- Type of proceeding: Support-related determination following separation/relationship breakdown (worked example use)
- Monthly gross income (Support payer): ₱120,000
- Monthly gross income (Support recipient): ₱40,000
- Number of children: 2
- Children’s ages: 6 years and 9 years
- Health/education add-ons:
- Daycare/extra tutoring: ₱5,000 per month (aggregate)
- Medical/insurance expenses: ₱2,000 per month (aggregate)
- Current child-related expenses already covered by payer: ₱0 (for simplicity)
- Any existing support agreement: None
- Tax/legal deductions modeled by tool: DocketMath uses standard jurisdiction-aware assumptions (not individualized advice)
Inputs to enter into DocketMath (alimony-child-support)
Open /tools/alimony-child-support and enter inputs like the following:
- Monthly gross income (payer):
120000 - Monthly gross income (recipient):
40000 - Number of children:
2 - Children ages:
6, 9 - Monthly medical/insurance:
2000 - Monthly education/tutoring:
5000 - Existing support to subtract:
0
Note: These numbers produce an illustrative calculation. Real outcomes depend on the specific facts, evidence, and the exact relief sought in the relevant proceeding.
Outputs you should expect to see
DocketMath is structured to separate:
- Child support (for the children’s needs), and
- Alimony/spousal support (for the spouse, where applicable under the case posture).
Because DocketMath is jurisdiction-aware for PH, the allocation logic is meant to reflect Philippine support concepts rather than importing formulas from other countries.
Example run
Below is what a typical worked run looks like in DocketMath for the scenario above.
Run the Alimony Child Support calculator using the example inputs above. Review the breakdown for intermediate steps (segments, adjustments, or rate changes) so you can see how each input moves the output. Save the result for reference and compare it to your actual scenario.
Step 1: Baseline support capacity (payer’s income)
With payer monthly gross income of ₱120,000, DocketMath first establishes the support pool based on:
- the payer’s income level, and
- the recipient’s income level (to avoid over-allocating spousal support when the recipient can contribute).
In this example, the payer exceeds the recipient by ₱80,000/month, which creates capacity for both child-related and potentially spousal support components.
Step 2: Allocate for child support
From your inputs:
- 2 children
- ages 6 and 9
- education/tutoring ₱5,000/month
- medical/insurance ₱2,000/month
DocketMath increases child support to include:
- basic child support, plus
- the add-ons you entered (education and medical items).
Illustrative result (how the tool separates components):
- Child support (basic allocation): ₱32,000/month
- Education add-on: ₱5,000/month
- Medical/insurance add-on: ₱2,000/month
- Total child support: ₱39,000/month
Warning: This example assumes the add-ons you entered are treated as necessary under the assumptions used by the tool. If the fact pattern changes (e.g., different schooling needs or disputed medical necessity), the output can change materially.
Step 3: Determine spousal support component (alimony)
For spousal support, DocketMath uses a separate computation that depends on:
- relative income difference (payer vs. recipient), and
- the presence of dependent children (because child support is prioritized within the overall capacity).
In this scenario:
- payer: ₱120,000
- recipient: ₱40,000
DocketMath therefore produces an alimony/spousal component that is lower than the payer’s maximum capacity, since a large portion is directed to child support first.
Illustrative result:
- Alimony/spousal support: ₱20,000/month
Step 4: Combine totals
Finally, DocketMath totals the monthly support amounts:
| Component | Monthly amount (PHP) |
|---|---|
| Child support (basic) | ₱32,000 |
| Education add-on | ₱5,000 |
| Medical/insurance add-on | ₱2,000 |
| Total child support | ₱39,000 |
| Alimony/spousal support | ₱20,000 |
| Grand total support | ₱59,000/month |
Quick sanity check
Comparing totals to the payer’s income in this illustrative example:
- payer gross income: ₱120,000
- total support: ₱59,000
- remaining illustrative capacity: ₱61,000
This aligns with the general idea that support obligations shouldn’t automatically exhaust all income—especially in tool-driven examples where the recipient also has income.
If you want to run variations interactively, open: /tools/alimony-child-support.
Sensitivity check
A worked example is more useful when you can see how changes in inputs affect outputs. Here are three “what-if” adjustments using the same base scenario.
To test sensitivity, change one high-impact input (like the rate, start date, or cap) and rerun the calculation. Compare the outputs side by side so you can see how small input shifts affect the result.
1) Increase recipient income (spousal support pressure drops)
Change:
- recipient income from ₱40,000 → ₱80,000
Expected direction:
- child support stays mostly tied to children’s needs and your add-ons,
- alimony/spousal support typically decreases because the recipient can contribute more.
Illustrative impact:
- Total child support: ₱39,000/month (roughly stable)
- Alimony: ₱10,000/month (decreases)
- Grand total: ₱49,000/month
Checklist for running this in DocketMath:
2) Add a third child (child support increases)
Change:
- children: 2 → 3
- add a 3-year-old
- keep education/medical add-ons the same for comparability (or adjust them if you believe they’d rise)
Expected direction:
- child support increases due to more dependents,
- spousal support may not rise proportionally because child support is prioritized.
Illustrative impact:
- Total child support: ₱52,000/month
- Alimony: ₱18,000/month
- Grand total: ₱70,000/month
Pitfall to watch:
Keeping education/medical add-ons flat while adding another child can understate true needs. If you expect higher costs, update education/tutoring and medical/insurance inputs too.
3) Raise medical add-ons (child support increases)
Change:
- medical/insurance from ₱2,000 → ₱8,000
- keep education at ₱5,000 and children count at 2
Expected direction:
- child support increases by the medical delta (plus any tool-specific scaling on basic support),
- alimony often changes less in simplified tool models (since the spousal component depends heavily on relative incomes and prioritization).
Illustrative impact:
- Total child support: ₱45,000/month
- Alimony: ₱20,000/month (often unchanged in simplified tool models)
- Grand total: ₱65,000/month
Run this way in the tool: