North Carolina child support guidelines

How does North Carolina calculate support?

North Carolina uses income shares: each parent pays a share of one combined support amount. This page uses the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines (AOC-A-162), effective January 1, 2023, confirmed on October 15, 2026. The schedule lists basic obligations by combined adjusted gross income and number of children, rather than a flat percentage.

Gross income means income before taxes, retirement contributions, health insurance premiums, and other payroll deductions. It includes wages, bonuses, rental income, retirement income, and other sources; adoption assistance and means-tested public assistance are excluded. Business income is gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses. Eligible support for other children reduces gross income before the schedule is applied.

The worksheet generally divides the combined obligation according to each parent’s share of adjusted gross income. Amounts between schedule rows are interpolated—calculated between the listed amounts (AOC-A-162). Above $40,000 a month in combined adjusted gross income, the schedule does not determine support; the court considers the child’s reasonable needs and the parents’ circumstances under G.S. 50-13.4. For the parent who pays with adjusted gross income below $1,150 a month, the guideline calls for a $50 monthly minimum unless the court deviates (AOC-A-162).

When does Worksheet B apply?

Worksheet B applies when each parent has at least 123 overnights a year and assumes financial responsibility during that time (AOC-A-162). The shared-custody calculation increases the combined basic obligation by 50%, then allocates it using each parent’s income and the time the child lives with the other parent (AOC-A-162). Equal parenting time therefore does not automatically mean no support. The parenting time calculator can help count overnights for the worksheet.

What else changes the amount?

The basic schedule does not include every child-related expense. The guideline also accounts for other support responsibilities and low income.

• Child care: Reasonable costs for employment or job search are added and divided by income share. School-related child care and actual child care tax credits may support a deviation.
• Health insurance: The child’s portion of premiums paid by a parent or a parent’s spouse is added and divided by income share. Employer contributions not deducted from wages are excluded.
• Uninsured care: The basic obligation includes $250 per child annually for uninsured medical or dental expenses (AOC-A-162).
• Other children: Current support actually paid under an order, agreement, or voluntary arrangement is deductible; arrears payments are not. A guideline deduction also applies for other natural or adopted children living with the parent.
• Low income: With Worksheet A, the shaded schedule area uses only the paying parent’s income. The schedule’s self-sufficiency reserve does not apply to Worksheet B or Worksheet C.
• Departures: A court may deviate if the guideline would not meet, or would exceed, the child’s reasonable needs or would otherwise be unjust or inappropriate. Written findings must explain the departure.

When does support end or change?

The North Carolina Judicial Branch says support generally ends at age 18. For a child still in high school, it continues until graduation, irregular attendance, unsatisfactory academic progress, or age 20, whichever happens first. A cooperative innovative high school program has a separate rule: age 18 or completion of four years in the program, whichever is later. Marriage, military service, or court-ordered emancipation can end support earlier.

An order may be modified for a substantial change in circumstances. For an order entered at least three years before the modification motion, a difference of 15% or more between the existing order and the current guideline amount is presumed to establish that change (AOC-A-162). Recalculating an estimate does not itself change an order.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services, Child Support Services offers the official guideline calculator. The North Carolina Judicial Branch provides the guidelines, worksheets, and modification forms through its child support resources. Parents receiving services through the local CSE agency can request a modification review through their caseworker.