How to Use the Maryland Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows Maryland Family Law section 12-204, including the schedule of basic child support obligations and the shared physical custody rules.
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income (actual income before taxes) as Parent A and Parent B.
- Choose the number of children and the parent the children live with most of the time.
- Enter the overnights a year the children spend with the other parent. At 92 overnights or more for each parent, Maryland uses the shared physical custody calculation.
- Add monthly child care and the children's health insurance cost, and say which parent pays them.
Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. This is a planning estimate. A Maryland circuit court decides the actual amount.
Maryland Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in Maryland for 2026? This calculator uses the schedule of basic child support obligations in Family Law section 12-204(e), as published on WomensLaw.org with an update date of August 27, 2025. The Maryland courts' worksheet form we reviewed (CC-DR-035) carries a revision date of 07/2026. We did not independently confirm whether the schedule itself changed in 2026, so please compare the figures with the current statute on the Maryland General Assembly site before relying on them. This page will be updated when we confirm any change.
A change in the guidelines does not automatically change an existing order. A parent generally has to ask the court to modify it.
How Maryland Calculates Child Support
Maryland uses an income shares model. The steps in section 12-204 are:
- Work out each parent's adjusted actual income: monthly income before taxes, adjusted for alimony and certain other support obligations.
- Add the incomes and find the basic child support obligation in the schedule for the number of children.
- Divide it by each parent's share of combined income.
- Add each parent's share of work-related child care, health insurance and extraordinary medical expenses.
- The parent who does not have the children most of the time owes their total share, minus costs they pay directly.
If a combined income falls between two schedule lines, Maryland uses the next higher amount. The result is presumptively correct, but a court may depart from it if applying it would be unjust or inappropriate in the case.
The Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations
The schedule in section 12-204(e) runs in $50 steps of combined monthly income, up to $30,000, for one to six or more children. These are sample lines:
| Combined monthly income | One child | Two children | Three children |
|---|
| $2,000 | $403 | $591 | $658 |
| $3,000 | $583 | $856 | $1,034 |
| $4,000 | $763 | $1,120 | $1,353 |
| $5,000 | $924 | $1,356 | $1,639 |
| $6,000 | $1,021 | $1,477 | $1,771 |
| $8,000 | $1,221 | $1,748 | $2,090 |
| $10,000 | $1,345 | $1,881 | $2,257 |
| $15,000 | $2,160 | $3,015 | $3,454 |
| $20,000 | $2,494 | $3,542 | $4,055 |
| $30,000 | $3,163 | $4,596 | $5,256 |
An asterisk in the statute marks amounts already adjusted by the self-support reserve at low incomes. Above $30,000 a month, the court may use its discretion.
Shared Physical Custody in Maryland
Shared physical custody applies when each parent has the children overnight at least 25% of the year, which is 92 overnights. The calculation in section 12-204(m) works like this:
- Multiply the basic obligation by 1.5 to account for duplicated expenses.
- Split it by income share.
- Multiply each parent's share by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent. This is the theoretical obligation each parent owes.
- The parent with 92 to 109 overnights gets an increase to their theoretical obligation: 10% (92 to 94), 8% (95 to 98), 6% (99 to 102), 4% (103 to 105) or 2% (106 to 109).
- The parent who owes more pays the difference, plus any shared expenses. The amount cannot exceed what would be owed without shared custody.
Child Care, Health Insurance and Medical Costs
- Child care: actual child care costs caused by a parent's employment or job search are added to the basic obligation and divided by income share.
- Health insurance: the actual cost of coverage for the children is added and divided by income share.
- Extraordinary medical expenses: added and divided by income share.
- Educational and transportation expenses: by agreement or court order, costs of a special or private school or of transporting the children between homes may be divided by income share.
A parent who pays one of these directly gets credit for the part that belongs to the other parent.
Maryland Child Support Examples
In each example the children live mostly with Parent B. Amounts are monthly and come from this calculator.
Example 1: One child, no shared custody
A earns $5,000 and B earns $3,000. The basic obligation for $8,000 and one child is $1,221, and A's 62.5% share is $763.13 a month.
Example 2: Two children with child care
A earns $6,000, B earns $4,000, and B pays $500 a month for child care. The basic obligation for $10,000 and two children is $1,881, plus $500. A's 60% share is $1,428.60 a month.
Example 3: Shared custody with 100 overnights
Same incomes and child care, with the children 100 nights a year with A. The adjusted basic obligation is $2,821.50. A's theoretical obligation is $1,302.84 (including the 6% adjustment) and B's is $309.21. The difference is $993.63, plus A's $300 share of child care, so A pays $1,293.63 a month.
Example 4: Nearly equal time
Same incomes, with 182 nights with A and 183 with B, child care of $500 and health insurance of $200 paid by B. A pays $706.02 a month.
These are illustrations produced from the statute, not court rulings.
What Counts as Income in Maryland
Maryland bases support on actual income before taxes, as defined in Family Law section 12-201. The court may use potential income for a parent who is voluntarily impoverished, but not for a parent who is unable to work because of a disability, is caring for a child under 2 for whom both parents are responsible, or is incarcerated. Alimony awarded in the same case counts as income for the recipient and is subtracted from the payor's income.
Frequently Asked Questions About Maryland Child Support
Is this the official Maryland child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of Maryland or its courts. It applies Family Law section 12-204. A court sets the actual amount.
How is child support calculated in Maryland?
Maryland adds the parents' incomes, finds the basic obligation in the schedule, splits it by income share, adds child care and health insurance, and has the parent without primary custody pay their share, minus costs they pay directly.
Are there new child support guidelines in Maryland in 2026?
We used the schedule in Family Law 12-204(e) as published with an August 2025 update date. The court worksheet we reviewed has a 07/2026 revision date, and we could not confirm whether the schedule changed. Compare with the current statute and this page will be updated.
Does Maryland use gross or net income?
Gross income. Maryland uses actual income before taxes, adjusted for items such as alimony.
What is shared physical custody in Maryland?
Each parent has the children overnight at least 25% of the year, which is 92 overnights. Then the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 and each parent's share is multiplied by the other parent's time.
What is the highest income in the Maryland schedule?
$30,000 a month of combined income. Above that, the court may use its discretion.
How are child care and health insurance handled in Maryland?
They are added to the basic obligation and divided by income share. A parent who pays them directly is credited with the other parent's share.
What happens when income falls between two schedule lines?
Maryland uses the next higher amount in the schedule.
Can a Maryland order be modified?
Yes. A parent can ask the court to modify the order. This page does not cover the modification standard.
Does the Maryland calculator need my personal details or a login?
No. This site needs no login and does not store your numbers.
Official Maryland Child Support Resources
Published: October 14, 2026
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
