The Maryland Child Support Administration operates an official online calculator that estimates the amount of child support the court may approve under current guidelines. This free tool is available to anyone, including custodial parents, non-custodial parents, attorneys, or anyone involved in a child support case.
The calculator serves as an estimating tool rather than producing a final determination. While it provides helpful estimates based on Maryland's child support guidelines, the actual child support order may differ based on factors the calculator cannot fully capture. Courts retain discretion to deviate from calculated amounts in certain circumstances, and complex financial situations may require adjustments that the basic calculator does not reflect.
Despite these limitations, the Maryland child support calculator offers invaluable assistance in several ways. It helps parents understand what to expect before attending court or mediation. It allows exploration of how different custody arrangements or income levels affect support obligations. It provides a starting point for negotiations between parents. Most importantly, it demystifies the child support calculation process by showing how Maryland applies its guidelines.
Accessing the Maryland Child Support Calculator
The official Maryland child support calculator is available through the Department of Human Services website. You can find it by visiting the Child Support Services section of the DHS website and looking for "Estimators" or "Child Support Calculator."
The calculator is free to use and does not require creating an account or providing personal identifying information. You can run calculations anonymously to explore different scenarios. This privacy protection allows parents to investigate potential support obligations without creating a record or alerting the other parent.
Several third-party websites also offer Maryland child support calculators. While some of these tools can be helpful, the official DHS calculator follows the most current Maryland guidelines and incorporates the latest legal requirements. Using the official calculator ensures your estimates reflect actual Maryland law rather than outdated or incorrect formulas.
Information Needed for the Calculator
To use the Maryland child support calculator effectively, you need to gather specific information about both parents' financial situations, custody arrangements, and child-related expenses.
Gross Monthly Income
The calculator requires each parent's gross monthly income, income before taxes and deductions. This includes salary or wages, but also encompasses bonuses, commissions, tips, rental income, investment income, Social Security benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, and most other forms of revenue.
Certain types of income are excluded from child support calculations. Temporary cash assistance, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and other means-tested public assistance benefits do not count as income for child support purposes.
Existing Support Obligations
If either parent pays child support for children from another relationship or pays alimony to a former spouse, these amounts reduce their adjusted income for calculation purposes. The calculator asks for the monthly amounts of these existing obligations.
Alimony in Current Case
If alimony is being paid or received as part of the current divorce or separation, this affects the child support calculation. The parent paying alimony subtracts that amount from their income, while the parent receiving alimony adds it to their income.
Custody Arrangement Details
The amount of time each parent spends with the children significantly affects the child support calculation. Maryland uses different formulas depending on the custody arrangement.
Primary Physical Custody
If one parent has the children for more than 75% of the time (meaning the other parent has fewer than 92 overnight visits per year), the primary custody calculation applies. This typically results in the non-custodial parent paying child support to the custodial parent.
Shared Physical Custody
When each parent has the children overnight for more than 25% of the year (92 or more overnights annually), Maryland applies a shared custody formula. This formula recognizes that both parents incur direct expenses when children spend substantial time in each household.
For shared custody situations, the exact number of overnight visits matters. Maryland uses specific percentage adjustments based on how many overnights the paying parent has:
- 92-94 overnights: 10% adjustment
- 95-98 overnights: 8% adjustment
- 99-102 overnights: 6% adjustment
- 103-105 overnights: 4% adjustment
- 106-109 overnights: 2% adjustment
- 110+ overnights: 0% adjustment (standard shared custody formula)
The calculator asks you to specify the custody arrangement and the number of overnight visits to apply the correct formula.
Child-Related Expenses
Several specific expenses factor into the child support calculation beyond basic support amounts.
Work-Related Child Care
Costs for daycare, before and after school care, summer camps, or other child care needed while parents work or attend school to improve employment prospects count toward the total support obligation. The calculator asks for monthly child care expenses.
Health Insurance Premiums
The cost of health insurance coverage for the children factors into the calculation. If one parent provides health insurance through their employer or purchases coverage independently, the monthly premium attributable to the children is included in the calculation.
Extraordinary Medical Expenses
Unreimbursed medical expenses not covered by insurance, such as orthodontia, specialized dental treatment, ongoing therapy, chronic condition management, or other significant medical costs, are added to the basic support obligation. These must be reasonable and necessary expenses beyond routine medical care.
Number of Children
The calculator needs to know how many children are subject to the child support order. This includes only children under 18, or children who are 18 years old but still enrolled in high school (support continues until high school graduation or age 19, whichever comes first).
The children must be biological children or adopted children of both parents. Stepchildren do not count for child support calculations between a parent and step-parent, though they may affect support obligations in other relationships.
How the Maryland Child Support Calculator Works
Understanding the calculation methodology helps you interpret calculator results and recognize what factors most significantly affect support obligations.
The Income Shares Model
Maryland uses an "income shares model" for child support calculation. This approach attempts to estimate the percentage of income parents would spend on children if the family remained intact. The model assumes that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the parents lived together.
The income shares model differs from percentage-of-income models used in some states, which simply apply a percentage to the non-custodial parent's income. Maryland's approach considers both parents' incomes and divides the support obligation proportionally.
Step-by-Step Calculation Process
The Maryland child support calculator follows a specific sequence of steps:
- Step 1: Calculate Actual Monthly Income: For each parent, determine gross monthly income from all sources. Convert annual income to monthly by dividing by 12.
- Step 2: Determine Adjusted Actual Income: Subtract any pre-existing child support payments for other children and alimony payments to former spouses. Add or subtract alimony from the current case.
- Step 3: Combine Adjusted Incomes: Add both parents' adjusted actual incomes together to get the combined adjusted actual income.
- Step 4: Determine Basic Child Support Obligation: Using the combined adjusted income and number of children, reference Maryland's child support guidelines schedule to find the basic child support obligation, the total amount both parents together should contribute.
- Step 5: Add Additional Expenses: Include work-related child care costs, health insurance premiums for the children, and extraordinary medical expenses to reach the total child support obligation.
- Step 6: Apply Self-Support Reserve: Maryland includes a "self-support reserve" ensuring the paying parent retains at least 110% of the federal poverty level for an individual. This prevents support orders from leaving parents unable to meet their own basic needs.
- Step 7: Allocate Between Parents: Divide the total obligation between parents in proportion to their incomes. Each parent's percentage of the combined income determines their share of the support obligation.
- Step 8: Adjust for Custody: For primary custody cases, the non-custodial parent typically pays their entire share to the custodial parent. For shared custody, apply the appropriate adjustment based on overnight visits, which may reduce the payment amount.
Example Calculation
To illustrate how the calculator works, consider this scenario:
- Parent A earns $4,000 per month gross income
- Parent B earns $6,000 per month gross income
- Combined income: $10,000 per month
- Two children requiring support
- Parent A has primary custody; Parent B has 80 overnights per year (less than 25%)
- Work-related child care: $800 per month
- Health insurance for children: $200 per month (paid by Parent A)
- No extraordinary medical expenses
The basic child support obligation for two children with $10,000 combined income might be approximately $2,000 per month (this varies based on the guidelines schedule). Adding child care ($800) and health insurance ($200) brings the total obligation to $3,000.
Parent A's percentage of combined income: 40% ($4,000/$10,000) Parent B's percentage of combined income: 60% ($6,000/$10,000)
Parent A's share: $1,200 (40% of $3,000) Parent B's share: $1,800 (60% of $3,000)
Since Parent A has primary custody, Parent B would pay $1,800 per month in child support. However, Parent A paid the full $200 health insurance premium, so Parent B owes a portion of that. The final calculation would credit Parent A for the health insurance and adjust the payment accordingly.
This simplified example shows the general process. The actual calculator performs these calculations automatically and applies all relevant adjustments.
Using Calculator Results
After entering all required information, the Maryland child support calculator produces an estimated child support payment amount. Understanding how to interpret and use these results is important.
Calculator Limitations
Remember that calculator results are estimates, not final determinations. Several factors can cause actual court orders to differ from calculator estimates:
Deviations from Guidelines
Courts can deviate from guideline amounts if parents agree to different amounts in a settlement agreement, if applying guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate, or if children have extraordinary needs not captured by standard calculations.
High-Income Cases
When combined parental income exceeds $30,000 per month, courts are not required to use the guidelines formula. Instead, judges have discretion to set child support based on the children's actual needs and the family's lifestyle.
Imputed Income
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, courts may impute income based on earning capacity rather than actual earnings. The calculator cannot account for imputed income unless you manually enter estimated amounts.
Complex Financial Situations
Bonuses, variable income, self-employment income, investment income, and other complex financial arrangements may require adjustments the basic calculator cannot capture.
Despite these limitations, calculator results provide valuable guidance for most cases and help set realistic expectations.
Required Court Forms and Documentation
While the Maryland child support calculator helps estimate support obligations, you must still complete official court forms when filing for child support or responding to a child support case.
Financial Statement Requirements
Maryland requires parents to submit detailed financial statements under penalty of perjury when child support is at issue. These forms provide the court with comprehensive financial information needed to calculate support accurately.
- Financial Statement (Child Support Guidelines): Use this form when combined gross monthly income is $30,000 or less. This shorter form focuses on information relevant to applying the child support guidelines.
- Financial Statement (General): Use this more detailed form when combined gross monthly income exceeds $30,000 or when requesting alimony in addition to child support.
These financial statements require complete disclosure of all income sources, assets, debts, and expenses. You must fill them out completely and honestly. Providing false information on financial statements can result in perjury charges and may lead to incorrect support orders that must later be corrected.
Child Support Worksheets
Maryland Rule 9-206 establishes official worksheets for child support calculations:
- Worksheet A: Use for primary physical custody cases where the non-custodial parent has less than 25% of overnight visits (fewer than 92 overnights per year).
- Worksheet B: Use for shared physical custody cases where each parent has at least 25% of overnight visits (92 or more overnights per year).
You must complete and file the appropriate worksheet with the court. These worksheets walk through the calculation step-by-step, showing how you arrived at the proposed support amount. Completing them accurately requires the same information you enter into the online calculator.
Opening a Child Support Case
Understanding how to formally establish a child support order helps you move from calculator estimates to enforceable support obligations.
Through Divorce or Custody Cases
Child support is automatically addressed as part of divorce proceedings when couples have children. The divorce decree will include child support provisions along with other terms like property division, alimony, and custody.
You can also request child support as part of a custody case even if you're not divorcing or were never married to the other parent. The custody order will establish parenting time and child support simultaneously.
Standalone Child Support Cases
If you need to establish child support without filing for divorce or custody, you can open a standalone child support case by filing a Complaint for Child Support with the appropriate circuit court. You must also file the required financial statement showing your income and expenses.
Child Support Enforcement Office
Your local child support enforcement office can help open a child support case or enforce an existing child support order. The Maryland Child Support Administration provides services including:
- Locating absent parents
- Establishing paternity when necessary
- Establishing child support orders
- Collecting and distributing child support payments
- Enforcing payment of past-due support
- Modifying support orders when circumstances change
These services are available regardless of your income level or whether you receive public assistance. The child support enforcement office can be particularly helpful if you're representing yourself without an attorney.
Modifying Child Support Orders
Child support orders are not permanent and unchangeable. When circumstances significantly change, you can petition the court to modify the support amount.
Material Changes in Circumstances
To modify child support, you typically must demonstrate a material change in circumstances. While Maryland law doesn't precisely define "material change," courts generally consider changes that would alter the calculated support amount by at least 25% to be material.
Examples of material changes include:
- Substantial increase or decrease in either parent's income
- Loss of employment
- Change in custody arrangements
- Changes in child care costs
- Changes in health insurance costs or medical needs
- Birth of additional children affecting support capacity
You can use the Maryland child support calculator to estimate how changed circumstances would affect support obligations. Run calculations with both old and new information to see if the difference is substantial enough to warrant seeking modification.
Three-Year Review
Maryland law allows either parent to request a review of child support every three years without proving a material change in circumstances. This recognizes that children's needs and parents' financial situations naturally evolve over time.
To request a three-year review, contact the Office of Child Support Enforcement. They will review the current order, recalculate support based on current guidelines and incomes, and determine if modification is appropriate.
Filing for Modification
To seek a child support modification through the court, file a motion or complaint requesting modification and complete a current financial statement showing your updated financial situation. Both parents will need to provide updated financial information.
If both parents agree on a modified support amount, you can submit a Consent Order for the court's approval, which typically proceeds more quickly than contested modifications. The Maryland child support calculator helps parents negotiate agreed modifications by showing how the guidelines would apply to current circumstances.
Enforcing Child Support Orders
When a parent fails to pay court-ordered child support, multiple enforcement mechanisms are available through the Maryland Child Support Administration and courts.
Automatic Income Withholding
Most child support orders include automatic income withholding provisions. The paying parent's employer receives an order to deduct child support from paychecks and send it directly to the Child Support Administration, which then forwards payments to the receiving parent.
If the paying parent changes jobs, they must notify their new employer about the withholding order to ensure payments continue without interruption.
Other Enforcement Tools
When a parent falls behind on child support payments, the child support enforcement office can use various tools:
- Intercepting federal and state tax refunds
- Suspending driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses
- Reporting delinquent payments to credit bureaus
- Placing liens on property
- Holding the non-paying parent in contempt of court, which can result in fines or jail time
The receiving parent can also file a contempt action directly with the court, asking the judge to enforce the child support order and impose penalties for non-payment.
Getting Legal Help
While the Maryland child support calculator and self-help resources enable many people to handle child support matters without attorneys, legal assistance can be valuable in certain situations.
When to Consider an Attorney
Consult with a family law attorney if:
- Your financial situation is complex (self-employment, variable income, multiple income sources)
- You believe income should be imputed to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent
- Your combined income exceeds $30,000 per month
- You're seeking deviation from guideline amounts
- The other parent has retained an attorney
- You need help enforcing a child support order against a non-paying parent
- You're facing contempt charges for non-payment
Free Resources
Even if you cannot afford to hire an attorney, resources are available:
- Family Court Help Centers throughout Maryland provide free legal information
- Maryland Court Help Center offers phone assistance
- The People's Law Library of Maryland provides educational materials about child support
- Child support enforcement offices offer services to help establish and collect support
These resources can help you understand your rights, complete forms correctly, and navigate the court system effectively.
The Maryland child support calculator serves as an invaluable tool for estimating child support obligations based on the state's guidelines. By gathering information about both parents' incomes, custody arrangements, and child-related expenses, you can use the calculator to understand potential support amounts before going to court.