Getting Started

Welcome! Iowa Support Master figures Iowa child support under the current state guidelines, does the official worksheets, and handles the math for you — you enter facts about the parents and their case. Whether you're entering a case for the first time, reviewing one for an attorney, or checking a number from the bench, you start the same way. This page walks you through your very first case. It takes only a few minutes and includes optional automatic saving and quick restart.

New here?

Two things to know first

Your information stays private. Everything you type stays on your own computer. Nothing about the case is sent over the internet or kept on our servers, so it's safe for confidential client and court information.

Feel free to explore. Every screen has a ? for help, you can choose to save your work automatically, and a Start New Case button gives you a clean slate whenever you want one. Take it one screen at a time.

Signing in

The program runs on a desktop, laptop and tablet. Because it has detailed entry forms that need a keyboard and larger screen, it isn't intended for a phone. The first time you sign in, enter the lawyer's name and registration code and click Verify & Continue. You have the option to check Remember my name on this browser.

Your first calculation, step by step

1. Start New Case. This is the foundation screen. Enter the lawyer name and bar number, then answer two short questions: who you represent (Petitioner or Respondent) and which parent is the noncustodial parent. The noncustodial parent is the one who doesn't have primary physical care — usually the parent who pays support. Getting this right matters, because it drives every number that follows.
2. Children. Choose how many children the case is about. If the parents share care or split custody, there are simple checkboxes for that.
3. Income. Enter each parent's yearly income — wages, self-employment, and anything else. This is the heart of the calculation.
4. Calculate Results. Press it, and the program produces the guideline amount.
5. Review and save. After reviewing the results, you can Save the case as a file on your device.

That's all a basic case needs — children plus income. Spousal support, taxes, medical, and child care are there only when your case calls for them, waiting in the menu on the left.

Reading your results

After you calculate, open Calculation Results and start with the Summary — a landing page that shows the support amount at a glance. From there you can open the official Worksheets (Form 1 and Form 2), the Analysis, and the Plain-Language Analysis, which explains the result in everyday words — handy for walking a client through a number, or for a quick read from the bench. You can print or save any of them.

Finding your way around

The menu on the left is your map. It's grouped into a few areas:

• Child Support — Start New Case, Children, Income, and the optional pieces (spousal support, tax, medical, overrides).
• Financial Affidavit — assets, income, and expenses, when your case needs an affidavit.
• Asset Distribution — divide property between the parties.
• Settings — preferences for the program.

Click a heading to expand it. You only ever need the sections your case actually uses.

A few tips that keep it easy

• Enter income early. Several numbers (like medical and child care) depend on income, so fill that in before those screens.
• Use the ? often. There's a help link on every screen, where the question mark appears.
• Save versions with Save As. Trying two scenarios? Save each under its own name and compare.
• Let the program do the math. You enter the facts. It handles the worksheets, the tax pieces, and the add-ons automatically.

If you get stuck

Click the ? on any screen for help with that screen. See something that looks wrong, or have an idea? Use the Reviews & Suggestions link. And you can always reach a person — Pat for guideline questions at 515-822-0203, or Mike for anything technical at 515-776-4088.