Yes, child support counts against your qualifying, and only the monthly payment matters, never the total balance. A court-ordered support payment counts in your debt-to-income ratio just like student loans, credit cards, and car payments. Past-due or back child support reporting on your credit file can also drag your score. On your follow-up, the $30,000 balance with a $200 payment: underwriting treats that obligation as $200 a month whether the balance behind it is large or small, so the $30,000 by itself does not shrink your qualification. A helpful wrinkle: when 10 or fewer payments remain, most programs let the lender leave the monthly payment out of your ratios entirely. Underwriter discretion exists at the extremes; a payment of $1,500 to $2,500 a month with years left to run could raise a genuine ability-to-repay question. A routine $200 bill does not. The productive move is keeping the payment current and reporting accurately, since arrears are what create real trouble. Bring the support order when you run numbers with a lender so the monthly amount and any past-due status get documented correctly. Program treatment of court-ordered obligations can change, so confirm current guidelines for your loan type.