INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Supreme Court adopted changes to child support calculations on Jan. 1. It’s the most significant update since 1989 and could bring big changes to your family’s budget.

Federal laws require Indiana to review the guidelines for a standard of support for kids. The calculations have been revamped and based on new data.

These changes will alter weekly payment schedules. People who make less money may pay less in child support while high-income earners 12-17% more.

Leslie Craig Henderzahs with Church Church Hittle + Antrim Law says the new changes are needed.

“The calculations have been revamped and based on data that is decades newer and more accurate. Under the old guidelines they were actually based on the 1970s and looked at the amount of money that families spent on primarily food expenditures and how those expenditures changed whether they had one child to two children to eight children,” Craig Henderzahs explained.

She added, “The parent that’s paying support does, in fact, receive a a diminishment in their weekly obligation for the number of overnights that they have with their children.”

The new changes will not be automatic. Parents must provide the court with a reason for deviating from the calculated amount.

Parents can visit IN.gov to use the new calculator tool to see what this change could look like for them.