Key Changes to Virginia Family Law in 2025: What You Need to Know

This topic is part of Child Support in Fairfax and Loudoun.

In this article

1. The revised child support schedule
2. What did not change
3. What it means for an existing order
4. Access to a child’s records
5. The 2026 changes
6. If you have an older order

Updated September 2026. This post has been revised to reflect what the 2025 legislation actually changed. The 2026 amendments, including the new bed-and-board rule, are covered in Changes to Virginia Divorce Law on July 1, 2026.

For most Virginia families, the most consequential 2025 change was a revision of the child support guideline schedule, which took effect July 1, 2025. It affects nearly every new child support calculation and a large number of existing orders. This post explains what changed, what did not, and what it means for an order entered before that date.

The revised child support schedule

Chapter 702 of the 2025 Acts of Assembly amended the schedule of basic child support obligations in Va. Code § 20-108.2. Two things changed.

The table now runs to $42,500. The schedule previously listed amounts up to $35,000 in combined monthly gross income. It now lists them up to $42,500. Above that figure, the statute adds a fixed percentage of the income over $42,500: 2.6% for one child, 3.4% for two, and so on. Those percentages did not change. $42,500 is where the table stops, not a cap on support.

The amounts in the table went up. The change is not limited to high earners. At $10,000 in combined monthly gross income:

Children	Before July 1, 2025	Current schedule
One	$1,054	$1,251
Two	$1,567	$1,824
Three	$1,845	$2,308

The size of the change varies with income, so run the numbers for your own case. My Virginia Child Support Calculator uses the current schedule.

What did not change

Chapter 702 amended only the schedule. It did not change the deviation factors in § 20-108.1, the rules on imputed income, or how health insurance and child care costs are added to the calculation.

What it means for an existing order

A child support order ordinarily can be modified only on proof of a material change in circumstances. The Court of Appeals has held, however, that a substantive change to the guidelines, combined with an existing award that varies significantly from the new presumptive amount, is enough to justify a modification hearing. Slonka v. Pennline, 17 Va. App. 662 (1994). The 2025 chapter contains no provision limiting its use for that purpose. In practical terms, many orders entered before July 1, 2025 now sit against a different guideline figure.

That does not mean every older order will change. The comparison has to be made on the facts: hold the incomes found at the last hearing constant and compute support under both versions of the schedule. If the parents agreed on the prior amount, the court must also consider that agreement in deciding whether the new guideline amount is appropriate. Slonka, 17 Va. App. 662. And any modification runs only from the date the other parent receives notice of the request. Va. Code § 20-108. Our child support guide explains how the revised schedule applies to existing orders.

Access to a child’s records

Virginia Code § 20-124.6, which governs a parent’s access to a child’s academic, health, and other records, was amended in 2025 and again in 2026. As it now reads, the right of access extends to records “stored or accessible from a secure website,” subject to the exceptions the statute lists. For the broader framework, see our guide to parental rights in Virginia custody cases.

The 2026 changes

The July 1, 2026 amendments changed divorce practice more significantly than anything enacted in 2025. They allow either spouse to seek a divorce from bed and board upon separation (Va. Code § 20-95), and they limit adultery as a ground for divorce to conduct before the parties’ last separation (Va. Code § 20-91(A)(1)). Both are discussed in Changes to Virginia Divorce Law on July 1, 2026.

If you have an older order

If your child support order was entered before July 1, 2025, it is worth running the comparison. If the difference is significant, the next question is whether to seek a modification, or how to respond to one. I am glad to review your order in a confidential consultation.

This article provides general information about Virginia law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. The application of the law depends on the specific facts of each case.