Questions You Want Answered > Child Custody and Support > How much child support will I pay or receive?
In Maryland, child support is determined by reference to a number of factors. The two most important for the calculation are the parents' gross monthly incomes, including any alimony received or paid and any child support ordered for other children not of that relationship; and the number of overnights the children spend with each parent. Once those two factors are considered, Maryland has child support guidelines that are presumed correct for all families with joint gross monthly incomes of $15,000 or less. The guidelines also divided certain expenses for the children in proportion to each parent's share of the joint gross monthly income: work-related day care, health insurance premiums for the children, certain but not all medical expenses. The Court may decide to deviate from the guidelines and order a parent to pay more or less than guidelines support for a reason which the court decides makes that deviation in the children's best interest. The website for the Maryland Office of Child Support Enforcement ( http://www.dhr.state.md.us/CSOCGuide/App/disclaimer.do) has a calculator for you to estimate your possible child support payment.
Last updated on April 6, 2011 by Karen Robbins, Attorney at Law