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North Carolina Child Support Calculator
Estimate North Carolina child support with the Child Support Guidelines schedule, including Worksheet A for primary custody, Worksheet B for shared custody, child care and health insurance.
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How to Use the North Carolina Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines and picks the right worksheet for you: Worksheet A when one parent has primary custody, and Worksheet B when the children spend at least 123 nights a year with each parent.
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income as Parent A and Parent B.
- Choose the number of children (1 to 6) and the parent the children live with most of the time.
- Enter the nights per year the children spend with the other parent. 122 or fewer means Worksheet A. 123 to 242 means Worksheet B.
- Add monthly work-related child care and the child's health insurance premium, 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 North Carolina court decides the actual amount. This page covers North Carolina, not South Carolina.
New North Carolina Child Support Laws and Changes for 2026
Looking for new child support laws in North Carolina for 2026? The current guidelines took effect on January 1, 2023. The 2023 update raised the top of the schedule from $30,000 to $40,000 of combined monthly income and removed the old rule that barred imputing income to a primary caregiver of a child under three. The court must now consider the parent's circumstances, including a young or disabled child in the home.
North Carolina law requires the guidelines to be reviewed at least every four years, and the guidelines state that the next review takes place during 2026. The Conference of Chief District Court Judges took public comments until May 25, 2026. As of this review we did not find a published replacement, so this calculator uses the January 1, 2023 schedule. Check the Administrative Office of the Courts for a new version.
A new guideline does not automatically change an existing order. If an order is at least three years old, a difference of 15% or more between the order and the current guideline amount is presumed to be a substantial change of circumstances that can justify a modification.
How North Carolina Calculates Child Support
North Carolina uses the income shares model on gross income. The steps on Worksheet A are:
- Find each parent's monthly gross income and subtract support paid under other orders and the cost of supporting other children in the home. The result is adjusted gross income.
- Add the incomes to get the combined adjusted gross income, and find each parent's percentage share.
- Look up the basic child support obligation for that income and the number of children. Amounts between rows are interpolated.
- Add work-related child care and the child's health insurance premium. This is the total obligation.
- Multiply the total by the noncustodial parent's percentage.
- Subtract the child care and health insurance costs the noncustodial parent pays directly. The result is the recommended order.
The guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption. A court can deviate if it finds the guideline would not meet, or would exceed, the child's reasonable needs or would otherwise be unjust or inappropriate.
The North Carolina Schedule of Basic Support Obligations
The schedule covers 1 to 6 children, with rows every $50 from $1,300 up to $40,000 of combined monthly adjusted gross income. A small sample from the January 1, 2023 schedule:
| Combined adjusted gross income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|
| $2,500 | $480 | $731 | $874 |
| $4,000 | $740 | $1,122 | $1,354 |
| $6,000 | $1,010 | $1,524 | $1,826 |
| $8,000 | $1,152 | $1,727 | $2,055 |
| $10,000 | $1,292 | $1,913 | $2,247 |
| $15,000 | $1,680 | $2,463 | $2,864 |
| $25,000 | $2,347 | $3,457 | $4,039 |
Above $40,000 a month ($480,000 a year), the schedule cannot be used. The court sets support to meet the child's reasonable needs, and this calculator stops there rather than guess. The schedule includes $250 per child a year for uninsured medical and dental costs. Costs above that can be ordered separately.
Worksheet A vs Worksheet B: The 123-Night Rule
North Carolina sets two worksheets by how many nights the children spend with each parent:
- Worksheet A (primary custody): the children live with one parent 243 or more nights a year. The other parent has 122 or fewer.
- Worksheet B (shared custody): each parent has the children at least 123 nights a year and pays the child's expenses during that time.
Under Worksheet B, the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5. Each parent's share, based on income, is then multiplied by the percentage of nights the children spend with the other parent. Child care and health insurance each parent pays directly are compared with that parent's fair share, and the parent who pays more than their fair share gets credit for the excess. The parent with the larger result pays the difference.
The 123-night line matters. With A at $4,000 and B at $6,000 and two children, B has 120 nights: Worksheet A gives $1,147.80 a month. At 150 nights, Worksheet B gives $542.45. Because the rule is a cut-off, a few nights can change the order a lot.
Self-Support Reserve and the $50 Minimum Order
The guidelines use a self-support reserve based on the 2022 federal poverty level for one person ($1,133 a month).
- If the paying parent's adjusted gross income is under $1,150, the guidelines require a $50 minimum order unless the court deviates.
- The schedule has a shaded area at low incomes: up to $1,750 for one child, $2,150 for two, $2,500 for three, $2,800 for four, $3,100 for five and $3,450 for six. If the paying parent's income falls in the shaded area and Worksheet A is used, only that parent's income is used to find the obligation, and child care and health insurance are left out. Worksheets B and C do not use the shaded area.
North Carolina Child Support Examples
In each example the children live with Parent A, and Parent B is the noncustodial parent. Amounts are rounded to the cent.
Example 1: One child, Worksheet A
A earns $4,000 and B earns $6,000 a month, so combined income is $10,000. The schedule gives $1,292 for one child, and B's share is 60%: $775.20 a month.
Example 2: Two children, B pays child care and insurance
Same incomes. The basic obligation is $1,913. B pays $500 of child care and $100 of health insurance directly, so the total is $2,513. B's 60% share is $1,507.80, minus the $600 B pays directly: $907.80 a month.
Example 3: 120 nights, still Worksheet A
Same incomes and two children, with B having 120 nights. B pays 60% of $1,913: $1,147.80 a month.
Example 4: 150 nights, Worksheet B
Same incomes and two children, with B having 150 nights and A having 215. The shared obligation is $1,913 × 1.5 = $2,869.50. B's portion is 60% and A's is 40%. Each is multiplied by the other parent's time. A's result is about $471.70 and B's is about $1,014.15, so B pays the difference: $542.45 a month.
Example 5: Shaded area
A and B each earn $1,500 with one child. B's income is in the shaded area for one child, so the amount uses B's income alone: $170.00 a month, and child care and health insurance are not added.
Example 6: Minimum order
B earns $1,000, under $1,150. The guideline sets the minimum order of $50.00 a month unless the court deviates.
These are illustrations produced from the guidelines, not court rulings.
What Counts as Income in North Carolina
North Carolina counts gross income from any source, including wages, commissions, bonuses, dividends, severance pay, business or rental income, pensions, interest, trusts, annuities, capital gains, Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment, disability pay, gifts, prizes and alimony received from someone other than the other parent.
It excludes means-tested public assistance, such as TANF, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and food and nutrition benefits, and adoption assistance. Alimony paid to anyone is not deducted from income but may be a reason to deviate. Veterans and Social Security benefits paid for the child because of a parent's disability or retirement count as that parent's income and are credited against that parent's obligation.
What This North Carolina Estimate Does Not Include
- Deductions from income: support paid under other orders and the cost of supporting other children living with you. Your gross income is used as entered.
- Extraordinary expenses, such as special school costs and transportation between homes.
- Uninsured medical costs above $250 per child a year, which the court may order divided separately.
- Combined incomes above $40,000 a month, split custody (Worksheet C) and cases that mix primary and shared custody.
- Deviations, imputed income, arrears and modification.
North Carolina Child Support Terms
- Adjusted gross income
- Gross income minus allowed deductions for other support obligations.
- Basic child support obligation
- The schedule amount for the combined income and number of children.
- Worksheet A
- The worksheet for primary custody (243+ nights with one parent).
- Worksheet B
- The worksheet for shared custody (at least 123 nights with each parent).
- Self-support reserve
- The protection for low-income paying parents, shown as shaded cells on the schedule.
- Deviation
- A court order for an amount other than the guideline amount, with written findings.
Frequently Asked Questions About North Carolina Child Support
Is this the official North Carolina child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of North Carolina. It applies the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines effective January 1, 2023. Courts and child support agencies decide actual amounts.
How is child support calculated in North Carolina?
North Carolina adds both parents' adjusted gross incomes, looks up the basic obligation in a schedule for the number of children, adds work-related child care and health insurance, and splits the total by income. The noncustodial parent pays their share, minus any child care and insurance they pay directly.
Are there new child support guidelines in North Carolina in 2026?
The current guidelines took effect January 1, 2023, and say the next review will occur in 2026. Comments were due May 25, 2026. We did not find a published replacement as of this review, so this calculator uses the 2023 schedule.
What is the difference between NC Worksheet A and Worksheet B?
Worksheet A is for primary custody, when one parent has the children 243 or more nights a year. Worksheet B is for shared custody, when each parent has them at least 123 nights a year. Worksheet B multiplies the basic obligation by 1.5 and adjusts it for the time with each parent.
How many overnights make it shared custody in North Carolina?
Each parent needs at least 123 nights a year, and each must pay the child's expenses during their time. A parent with fewer than 123 nights has visitation, not shared custody, and Worksheet A applies.
Is there an NC child support calculator for 50/50 custody?
Yes. Enter up to 182 nights for the other parent and the calculator uses Worksheet B. At equal time, the result depends mainly on the difference in the parents' incomes and on who pays child care and insurance.
What is the maximum income for the North Carolina child support schedule?
The schedule runs to $40,000 of combined monthly adjusted gross income ($480,000 a year). Above that, the court sets support based on the child's reasonable needs and the parents' circumstances.
What is the minimum child support order in North Carolina?
If the paying parent's adjusted gross income is under $1,150 a month, the guidelines require a $50 minimum order unless the court deviates.
Does this calculator include medical expenses, arrears or modification?
No. Uninsured medical costs above $250 per child per year, extraordinary expenses, arrears and modification depend on your case. Check with the court, your county child support agency or an attorney.
Is this the calculator for South Carolina?
No. This page is for North Carolina only. South Carolina has its own guidelines.
Official North Carolina Child Support Resources
Published: October 12, 2026
Last reviewed: October 12, 2026
Researched and reviewed by Eric John, founder and editor, using official state statutes and guidance. How we build and check our calculators · Corrections
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