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Divorce and your mortgage

Child Support and Alimony How support counts as mortgage income, and as debt

Child support and alimony can count as qualifying income for a mortgage, but only when the payments are documented and expected to continue, generally for at least three years. If you are the one paying support, it usually counts against you as a monthly debt. The exact requirements differ by loan program. This is financing information, not legal or tax advice.

By Niko Kramer, Mortgage Loan Officer, Satori Mortgage, NMLS #2180891 Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP)

Last updated: June 17, 2026

Talk to Niko Call (512) 270-2835

Support income is one half of qualifying; for the whole picture, see qualifying on one income after divorce, and start with the Divorce and Your Mortgage pillar.

Niko Kramer, Mortgage Loan Officer, NMLS #2180891, Certified Divorce Lending Professional
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Can I use child support or alimony as income to qualify for a mortgage?

Yes, when the payments are documented and expected to continue. Lenders need a court order, decree, or agreement establishing the award, plus proof you have been receiving it. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac want the income to continue at least three years; FHA wants it likely received through the loan's first three years. The exact rules differ by program, and are in the table below.

What documentation do I need?

Two things: the award and the receipt. You provide the final divorce decree, court order, or separation agreement that sets the amount, plus evidence you have actually received the payments. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look for about a six-month receipt history; FHA wants the most recent three months for court-ordered support, or twelve months for a voluntary arrangement.

How long does the support have to continue?

It has to be expected to continue for a set period. Fannie Mae requires the income to continue at least three years from the note date, and Freddie Mac at least three years from the application date. FHA looks for the support to be received through the first three years of the mortgage. Support ending sooner generally cannot be used as qualifying income.

Can child support or alimony be grossed up?

Sometimes, because non-taxable income can be grossed up. Child support is always non-taxable, so it can typically be grossed up. Fannie Mae adds 25% of the non-taxable amount, or your actual tax rate if higher; FHA uses the greater of 15% or your tax rate. Whether alimony can be grossed up depends on when your divorce was finalized.

I pay child support or alimony, how does it affect me?

If you pay support, it usually counts against you. Child support you pay is treated as a monthly debt in your DTI. For alimony, Fannie Mae lets the lender either count it as a debt or subtract it from your income, which can help your ratio. Fannie also lets obligations with ten or fewer payments left be excluded.

More: How DTI decides whether you qualify.

Does it matter when my divorce was finalized?

Yes, for alimony's tax treatment. Under the 2017 tax law, for divorce or separation agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony is not taxable to the recipient and not deductible by the payer. Older agreements generally follow the prior rules unless modified. Child support is never taxable. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional.

The tax treatment, by agreement date

  • For divorce or separation agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony is not taxable to the recipient and not deductible by the payer.
  • For agreements executed before 2019, alimony is generally taxable to the recipient and deductible by the payer, unless the agreement is later modified with language adopting the repeal.
  • Child support is never deductible by the payer and is not treated as income to the recipient, regardless of the agreement date.

Informational only, not tax advice; confirm your own situation with a tax professional. Source: IRS Topic No. 452, Alimony and Separate Maintenance; IRS Publication 504.

How do the rules differ by loan program?

The structure is similar across programs: document the award, prove receipt, and show it will continue. The exact continuance period, receipt history, and gross-up differ. The tables here pull each rule from the program's own guide. Where a figure is not confirmed from the current guide, it is left to verify rather than stated, because naming the wrong number is worse than omitting it.

Using support as income, by program

Program Must continue Receipt history Documentation
Fannie Mae (conventional) Expected to continue at least 3 years from the note date Most recent 6 months of receipt (6-month minimum history) Divorce decree, separation agreement, or court order establishing the amount; lump-sum equalization is not steady income
Freddie Mac (conventional) Expected to continue at least 3 years from the application date Approximately a 6-month history of receipt Divorce decree, legally binding separation agreement, or court order
FHA Likely to be received through the first 3 years of the mortgage Court-ordered: most recent 3 months of receipt. Voluntary agreement: 12 months Final divorce decree, legal separation agreement, court order, or voluntary payment agreement
VA No fixed GSE-style number; VA underwrites via DTI plus residual income, with the obligation amount verified The payment amount must be verified Verification of the support amount; VA generally does not request the divorce documents unless needed to verify the amount

Support you pay, treated as debt, by program

Program How support paid is treated
Fannie Mae (conventional) Child support paid is a monthly debt. Alimony or separate maintenance paid may be either a monthly debt or a reduction to qualifying income (entered as negative income), the lender's choice. Obligations with 10 or fewer payments remaining may be excluded.
Freddie Mac (conventional) Confirm with the current guide
FHA Alimony and child support paid are counted as recurring monthly debts in the DTI calculation.
VA The obligation amount is verified and factored into the analysis; spousal support paid may be treated as a reduction in income on VA Form 26-6393, the loan analysis worksheet.

Grossing up non-taxable support, by program

Program Gross-up of non-taxable income
Fannie Mae (conventional) Add 25% of the non-taxable income, or the borrower's actual tax-bracket rate if that is higher than 25%.
FHA Gross up by the greater of 15% or the appropriate tax rate for the income; 15% if the borrower was not required to file a return.
Freddie Mac / VA Confirm with the current guide

Gross-up applies only to non-taxable income. Child support is always non-taxable; alimony's taxability depends on the agreement date above. Where a figure is not confirmed from the current guide, it reads "Confirm with the current guide" rather than a number.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, when you can document it and show it will continue. You provide the court order, decree, or agreement that sets the amount plus proof of receipt. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look for the income to continue at least three years and roughly a six-month receipt history; FHA looks for it to be received through the loan's first three years, with the most recent three months of court-ordered receipt documented. The specifics depend on the loan program.

It depends on the program. Fannie Mae looks for the most recent six months of receipt, and Freddie Mac for roughly a six-month history. FHA wants the most recent three months for court-ordered support, or twelve months of canceled checks or deposits for a voluntary arrangement that is not court-ordered. Those are the documented-receipt windows; the income also has to be expected to continue.

Only if it is non-taxable. For agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony is not taxable to the recipient, so it can typically be grossed up like child support; for older agreements it is usually taxable and generally is not grossed up. Where it applies, Fannie Mae grosses up by 25% (or your actual tax rate if higher) and FHA by the greater of 15% or your tax rate. Confirm your tax treatment with a tax professional.

It is counted, but it is manageable. Child support you pay is treated as a recurring monthly debt in your debt-to-income ratio. For alimony you pay, Fannie Mae lets the lender either count it as a debt or subtract it from your qualifying income, which can be friendlier to your ratio, and obligations with ten or fewer payments remaining may be excluded. FHA counts both as recurring debts.

For federal taxes, no. Under the 2017 tax law, for divorce or separation agreements executed after December 31, 2018, alimony is not taxable to the person receiving it and not deductible by the person paying it. Agreements executed before 2019 generally follow the prior rules unless they are modified to adopt the repeal. This is informational, not tax advice; confirm your situation with a tax professional.

Yes, in the details. Conventional (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) and FHA all require you to document the award, prove receipt, and show the income will continue, but the receipt-history windows, the gross-up percentages, and how support paid is treated as debt differ by program. VA underwrites with residual income in addition to DTI. The comparison tables on this page pull each rule from its own guide.

Related guides

Sources

Counting on support income, or paying it? Let's read your decree against the rules.

Send me what your agreement says about child support or alimony, and I'll show you how each loan program would count it, as income or as debt, and which structure helps you qualify, with no pressure and no credit pull.

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