Maryland Child Support Calculator

Maryland calculates child support by adding both parents’ adjusted actual monthly incomes, finding the basic obligation for that income and number of children in the schedule in Md. Code, Family Law § 12-204, adding work-related child care and the children’s health insurance, and dividing the total by each parent’s share of income. When each parent keeps the children at least 92 overnights a year, Maryland uses a shared physical custody formula instead. The calculator below runs both, using the current statutory schedule, which covers combined incomes up to $30,000 a month.

Actual income minus child support and alimony you actually pay for other cases (Fam. Law § 12-201).
92 or more overnights for each parent triggers the shared physical custody formula.
Add-on costs (monthly, optional)
Compare your order with what the guideline produces today.

How Maryland calculates child support

Maryland uses an income shares guideline: the children are supported by both parents in proportion to their incomes. The steps match Maryland’s Worksheet A for sole physical custody:

  1. Start with each parent’s adjusted actual income. Actual income includes wages, self-employment profit, bonuses, Social Security, unemployment and most other income. Maryland then subtracts child support and alimony a parent actually pays in other cases, and an allowance for other children living in that parent’s home (Family Law § 12-201).
  2. Add the two incomes and find the basic child support obligation in the § 12-204(e) schedule. When the combined income falls between two lines, the statute says to use the next higher amount, which this calculator does.
  3. Add work-related child care and the children’s health insurance, plus any extraordinary medical expenses.
  4. Divide the total by income share. The parent who has the children less often owes their share.
  5. Credit direct payments. If the paying parent already pays the child care provider or the health insurance premium, that amount comes off what they owe.

Example: parents with adjusted actual incomes of $6,000 and $4,000 have $10,000 combined. For two children the schedule shows $1,881. With no add-ons, the parent earning $6,000 owes 60%, about $1,129 a month, when the children live mainly with the other parent.

The self-support reserve at low incomes

Amounts marked with an asterisk in Maryland’s schedule are reduced by a self-support reserve, which keeps a low-income paying parent from being left below a minimum level after support. The reserve is already built into the schedule numbers, so the calculator applies it automatically.

Shared physical custody: 92 overnights

Maryland treats custody as shared when each parent keeps the children overnight for more than 25% of the year, which the statute defines as at least 92 overnights. The shared formula in § 12-204(m), which follows Worksheet B, works like this:

  • The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 to account for the cost of running two homes.
  • Each parent’s income share of that amount is multiplied by the percentage of overnights the children spend with the other parent.
  • A parent with 92 to 109 overnights has their figure increased by a sliding adjustment: 10% at 92–94 overnights, 8% at 95–98, 6% at 99–102, 4% at 103–105 and 2% at 106–109.
  • The parent owing the larger amount pays the difference. That amount cannot exceed what the parent would owe under the sole custody formula.
  • Child care and health insurance are split by income, and the parent who is not paying the provider reimburses their share.

The sliding adjustment smooths the change at the 92-overnight line, so support does not fall sharply the moment a parent reaches it.

Incomes above $30,000 a month

Maryland’s schedule runs to $30,000 of combined adjusted actual income per month, a ceiling that took effect July 1, 2022. Above that, § 12-204(d) leaves the amount to the court’s discretion. The calculator tells you when your combined income is above the schedule and shows the $30,000 figure for reference, since courts often start from it.

When the court can set a different amount

The guideline amount is presumed correct. Under Family Law § 12-202, a court can depart from it if applying it would be unjust or inappropriate in a particular case, considering things like mortgage or college payments in an existing agreement, the child’s best interests, or an amount that would leave the paying parent below 110% of the 2019 federal poverty level. A court that departs must state its reasons. Income can also be imputed: if a parent is voluntarily impoverished, the court can base support on what that parent could earn, except for a parent who cannot work because of a disability, is caring for a child under 2 the parents share, or is incarcerated.

Changing an existing Maryland order

Maryland courts can modify child support after a motion is filed and the moving parent shows a material change of circumstance. The court cannot change support for any period before the motion was filed (Family Law § 12-104), so file promptly once your situation changes. Enter your current order in the calculator to compare it with today’s guideline figure, and read how Maryland child support is calculated for a longer walkthrough of the worksheets.

For the complete modification process in Maryland and every other state, Navigating Child Support covers all 50 states plus military and interstate cases. Our forms app prepares the paperwork from your answers, and the free modification audit tells you what your state requires before you file. Other states are in the 50-state child support calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How many overnights is shared custody in Maryland?

At least 92 overnights a year for each parent, which is more than 25% of the year.

Does Maryland use gross or net income?

Neither exactly. Maryland uses adjusted actual income: income from almost any source, minus support and alimony actually paid for other cases and an allowance for other children in the home. It does not subtract income taxes.

What happens if our combined income is over $30,000 a month?

The schedule stops at $30,000, and the court sets support in its discretion above that level.

Is this the same calculation the court uses?

It uses the statutory schedule and the Worksheet A and Worksheet B formulas. The final order can differ because of documented income, imputed income, extraordinary medical expenses or a finding that the guideline would be unjust.

Sources

This page and calculator provide general legal information, not legal advice. Child support rules change and the court decides the final amount. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed Maryland attorney.