Maryland child support guidelines

How does Maryland calculate child support?

Maryland uses income shares: each parent pays a share of one combined support amount. The calculation starts with gross income, then uses adjusted actual income to find the basic obligation in the schedule under §12-204. The date of the current statutory edition is being verified.

Court-awarded alimony counts as income for the parent receiving it and is subtracted from the paying parent’s income under §12-204. Maryland People’s Law Library explains that income includes wages and may include bonuses, Social Security benefits, and workers’ compensation, but excludes means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Security Income. Adjusted income also accounts for qualifying support obligations for other children.

The schedule covers one through six or more children, and each parent’s share is proportional to adjusted actual income under §12-204. Between listed income rows, the statute directs use of the next higher amount; asterisks identify obligations adjusted by the self-support reserve. Maryland People’s Law Library identifies $30,000 a month as the schedule’s upper income limit; above the schedule, §12-204 gives the court discretion rather than requiring a fixed percentage.

How does parenting time change support?

The shared-custody worksheet applies from 92 overnights a year under §12-204. It multiplies the basic obligation by one and one-half, divides that adjusted amount by income shares, then multiplies each parent’s share by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent.

For 92 through 109 overnights, an additional shared physical custody adjustment increases that parent’s theoretical obligation under §12-204. Generally, the parent with the larger theoretical obligation owes the difference, subject to the statute’s limit based on the usual calculation. Equal parenting time therefore does not automatically mean no support; the parenting time calculator can help count the overnights used as an input.

What else changes the Maryland amount?

The basic schedule amount is only part of the calculation. Eligible expenses, income adjustments, and credits can change the amount transferred between parents.

• Child care: Actual costs due to employment or job search are added and shared in proportion to adjusted actual incomes under §12-204. Additional costs may be considered for a child with special needs.
• Health costs: The child’s actual health insurance cost and extraordinary medical expenses are added and shared proportionally under §12-204.
• Other children: §12-204 subtracts the qualifying allowance for additional children living in a parent’s home. Maryland People’s Law Library also identifies pre-existing child support actually paid as an adjusted-income deduction.
• Low income: The schedule identifies self-support reserve adjustments under §12-204. §12-202 also permits the court to decline to establish an order in specified circumstances involving unemployment, no financial resources, and qualifying conditions.
• Other expenses and credits: §12-204 allows proportional sharing of qualifying school and transportation expenses by agreement or court order. It also provides credits for qualifying dependency benefits and ordered direct payments.

When does support end or change?

An ending age or high-school cutoff is not confirmed on this page. A guideline estimate does not determine when an existing support obligation ends.

Maryland People’s Law Library explains that a court can modify support when circumstances change significantly, such as a substantial income change or a custody change. Adoption or revision of the guideline alone is not a material change of circumstance under §12-202. §12-204 also provides for review, upon either parent’s motion, when specified rights to occupy the family home expire.

For an official estimate or help with child support services, the Maryland Department of Human Services, Child Support Administration provides “Estimate your Child Support Obligation” and its “Estimators” tool. Maryland People’s Law Library identifies the primary- and shared-custody worksheets in Maryland Rule 9-206 and financial statement forms on the court’s website. Those official resources can support a review of the calculation.