Child support · MD
Maryland child support calculator
Family Law § 12-204 applied as written: the next higher row, the asterisked cells and the shared physical custody formula.
Rules read on official Maryland pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Model
- Income shares
- Income counted
- Adjusted gross
- Shared parenting
- From 92 overnights
- 1 child, $5,000 / $3,000
- $763
- a month, rules of July 1, 2022
In Maryland, a parent with $5,000 of monthly adjusted actual income, next to a co-parent at $3,000, owes $1,093 a month for two children under sole custody, before child care and health insurance. Shared physical custody starts when each parent keeps the children more than a quarter of the year, at least 92 overnights. From there, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 and each parent's share is weighted by the time the children spend with the other one. Between 92 and 109 overnights the statute adds a surcharge of 10% down to 2% to the paying parent's side, so in this example the order only starts to fall below the sole amount after the first nights of the range: $879 at 109 nights, $849 at 110. The schedule in force since July 1, 2022 runs to $30,000 of combined income.
Guideline child support in Maryland, per month
$763
$9,158 a year
| Combined adjusted actual income | $8,000 |
| Basic obligation, next higher schedule row ($8,000), 1 child | $1,221 |
| Paying parent’s share of income | 62.5% |
Estimate under the Maryland guideline as published, from the incomes you enter. Deviations, imputed income, other children and the judge's findings can change the order. How this is calculated.
A shared custody line with a soft landing
Chapter 142 of the 2020 session, in force since October 1, 2020, set the threshold at more than 25% of overnights, at least 92, and in the same act added the graduated adjustment of § 12-204(m)(2)(ii). A parent who just crosses the line has his or her theoretical obligation raised by 10% (92 to 94 nights), 8% (95 to 98 nights), 6% (99 to 102 nights), 4% (103 to 105 nights), 2% (106 to 109 nights).
The effect shows best with numbers. For the family in the summary, the raw shared formula at 92 nights gives $1,100, which is more than the sole custody amount of $1,093. Paragraph (m)(5) forbids that, so the order stays at $1,093. The saving appears as the surcharge shrinks and the time grows.
| Overnights with the paying parent | Surcharge on that parent | Monthly support |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0% | $1,093 |
| 92 | 10% | $1,093 |
| 100 | 6% | $992 |
| 109 | 2% | $879 |
| 110 | 0% | $849 |
| 140 | 0% | $633 |
At 140 overnights, the order is $633. Shared custody also requires that both parents contribute to the children's expenses beyond the support itself, and the court may base the calculation on the visitation awarded even without joint custody.
Next higher row, and cells with an asterisk
Maryland does not interpolate. When combined income falls between two lines of the schedule, § 12-204(c) sends the reader to the next higher amount: $6,010 of combined income uses the $6,050 row, $1,480 for two children. At the low end, cells marked with an asterisk already include the self-support reserve, set at 110% of the 2019 federal poverty level for one person. A couple earning $900 and $400 with one child reads the $1,300 row, an asterisked cell of $109, so the paying parent owes $75.
Since October 2025, a parent may also deduct an allowance for other children living in the home, equal to 75% of the schedule amount on that parent's income alone; this calculator does not ask for those children, so enter income after that allowance. Neighboring Virginia counts days rather than overnights and starts shared custody at a different point.
The Maryland guideline this calculator applies
| Rule | Maryland |
|---|---|
| Model | Income shares, combined adjusted actual monthly income schedule (Family Law § 12-204(e)) |
| Income counted | Adjusted gross income: gross income minus the deductions the guideline allows. |
| Official schedule | $1,200 to $30,000 of combined income a month, 577 rows |
| Shared parenting | Cross-credit formula from 92 overnights a year, basic amount × 1.5 |
| In force since | July 1, 2022 |
Monthly support for one paying parent, the other parent without income
| Paying parent’s monthly income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $403 | $591 | $658 | $667 |
| $3,000 | $583 | $856 | $1,034 | $1,155 |
| $4,000 | $763 | $1,120 | $1,353 | $1,512 |
| $5,000 | $924 | $1,356 | $1,639 | $1,831 |
| $6,000 | $1,021 | $1,477 | $1,771 | $1,979 |
| $8,000 | $1,221 | $1,748 | $2,090 | $2,335 |
| $10,000 | $1,345 | $1,881 | $2,257 | $2,521 |
| $12,500 | $1,752 | $2,448 | $2,855 | $3,189 |
| $15,000 | $2,160 | $3,015 | $3,454 | $3,858 |
| $20,000 | $2,494 | $3,542 | $4,055 | $4,529 |
How the amount is set. If combined adjusted actual income falls between amounts shown in the schedule, the basic child support amount is extrapolated to the next higher amount (§ 12-204(c)). source
Income. Actual income from any source (salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses, dividends, pensions, interest, trust and annuity income, Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment and disability benefits, alimony received, etc.; self-employment = gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses); means-tested public assistance excluded (§ 12-201(b)). Adjusted actual income = actual income minus preexisting child support actually paid, alimony actually paid, and an allowance for each other child living in the parent's home equal to 75% of the schedule amount computed on that parent's income alone (§ 12-201(c), as amended by 2025 ch. 532, effective October 1, 2025).
Above the table. If combined adjusted actual income exceeds the highest level in the schedule ($30,000), the court may use its discretion in setting the amount of child support (§ 12-204(d)).
Parenting time. Shared physical custody = each parent keeps the child overnight for more than 25% of the year (at least 92 overnights) and both contribute to expenses (§ 12-201(o)). The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 (§ 12-204(f)), divided by income shares, and each share is multiplied by the percentage of time the child spends with the other parent; the parent owing more pays the difference (§ 12-204(m)(1)-(3)). A parent with 92-109 overnights has his or her theoretical obligation increased by the shared physical custody adjustment in reductionTable (§ 12-204(m)(2)(ii)). The result may not exceed the sole-custody amount (§ 12-204(m)(5)).
Child care and health care. added to basic obligation and shared by income added to basic obligation and shared by income Work- or job-search-related child care (§ 12-204(g)), the cost of health insurance for the child and extraordinary medical expenses (uninsured costs above $250 a year, § 12-201(g)) are added to the basic obligation and divided in proportion to adjusted actual incomes (§ 12-204(h)). Special/private school and transportation costs may be divided the same way by agreement or order (§ 12-204(i)).
Low incomes. The self-support reserve keeps the obligor's monthly income after child support and federal, state and FICA taxes at least at 110% of the 2019 federal poverty level for an individual (§ 12-201(n)); it is built into the asterisked schedule cells (§ 12-204(e)). Leaving the obligor below 110% of the 2019 poverty level is also a ground for deviation (§ 12-202(a)(2)(iii)3). The court may decline to set an order for certain incarcerated, institutionalized or totally disabled parents with no resources (§ 12-202(c)).
When support ends. The age of majority is 18; a person who is 18 and enrolled in secondary school is entitled to support from both parents until the first of death, marriage, emancipation, leaving or graduating from secondary school, or age 19 (Md. Code, General Provisions § 1-401). source
The state also runs its own official child support calculator; use it, or the court's worksheet, for a filing.
Worth knowing in Maryland
- Maryland's schedule was revised by Chapter 383 of 2020 (HB 946) to run up to $30,000 of combined monthly income with a built-in self-support reserve; Chapter 305 of 2021 (HB 1339) delayed its effective date from October 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022. source
- Since Chapter 142 of 2020 (effective October 1, 2020), shared physical custody starts at 92 overnights (more than 25% of the year), with an extra 2%-10% adjustment for a parent who has 92 to 109 overnights (§ 12-204(m)(2)(ii)). source
- Since October 1, 2025 (Chapter 532 of 2025, HB 275), each parent may deduct a multifamily allowance equal to 75% of the schedule amount for other children living in the home more than 92 overnights a year (§ 12-201(c)). source
- Extraordinary medical expenses are uninsured medical costs above $250 in a calendar year, including orthodontia, dental, vision, asthma treatment, physical therapy and counseling (§ 12-201(g)). source
- The Child Support Administration of the Department of Human Services must review the guidelines at least every 4 years and report to the General Assembly (§ 12-202(e)). source
- Incarcerated parents may not be found voluntarily impoverished, and potential income may not be imputed to a parent caring for a child under age 2 (§ 12-204(b)). source