Maryland Child Support Calculator (2026)
Maryland adds both parents’ adjusted actual income, reads a basic obligation from the schedule, and divides it by income share. The schedule runs to $15,000 a month in $50 steps, and income between rows is extrapolated up to the next one.
Updated November 12, 2026 Sources and methodology
- Estimated monthly support
- $0
Enter the incomes above to see who pays whom.
What this estimate does not include
How Maryland calculates child support
Maryland uses the income-shares model under Md. Code, Family Law Section 12-204. The court adds the parents’ adjusted actual incomes, reads a basic child support obligation from the schedule for that combined income and the number of children, and divides the obligation in proportion to each parent’s adjusted actual income. The parent with primary physical custody receives the other parent’s share.
The schedule was updated in 2022 and applies to orders entered under the current guidelines. A court can depart from the guideline amount only by making written findings that the amount is unjust or inappropriate.
This page reproduces the basic calculation with Worksheet A, the primary-custody worksheet. The official worksheets also handle shared custody, child care, health insurance, and extraordinary medical expenses.
The schedule and the extrapolate-up rule
The schedule runs from $0 to $15,000 of combined monthly adjusted actual income in $50 steps, with columns for one through six or more children. The first band, up to $1,200, carries the lowest amounts for each family size.
Section 12-204(c) is explicit: when the combined income falls between two rows, the basic obligation is extrapolated to the next higher amount. An income of $8,010 uses the $8,050 row. Above $15,000 the schedule no longer applies and the court sets support in its discretion, so this calculator uses the $15,000 row as a floor.
Many cells at the bottom of the schedule carry an asterisk. Those are amounts adjusted by the self-support reserve, which keeps a low-income obligor above a minimum subsistence level. The calculator uses the published amounts as they appear.
Adjusted actual income
Maryland starts with actual income: gross income from all sources, before income tax and FICA. The adjustments are specific. A parent subtracts pre-existing child support actually paid for other children, alimony actually paid, and the allowance for other children living in the home. Alimony awarded in this case is added to the recipient and subtracted from the payor before the child support calculation.
A court can also set support based on potential income when a parent is voluntarily impoverished, using factors such as age, health, education, and the local job market. The definition has exceptions: a parent is not treated as voluntarily impoverished while caring for a child under two, or while incarcerated.
Irregular income is another common issue. Bonuses, commissions, self-employment profit, and overtime are averaged over a representative period, so a single unusual month should not drive the number. A calculator that takes one monthly figure per parent cannot reproduce those findings.
Shared custody and add-ons
Shared physical custody has its own worksheet. When the child spends at least 128 nights a year with each parent, Worksheet B applies a shared custody factor of 0.02 to 0.06 depending on the exact overnight percentage, and compares the two parents’ adjusted obligations. The parent owing the larger amount pays the difference.
That worksheet is not applied here; this estimate assumes primary physical custody. If the parents share time, the official worksheet is the right tool.
Work-related child care, the children’s health insurance premium, and extraordinary medical expenses are added to the basic obligation and shared in proportion to income. None of them are included in this estimate.
A Maryland example at $8,000 combined
Parent A earns $6,000 and Parent B earns $2,000 of monthly adjusted actual income, with two children. Combined income is $8,000, and the schedule gives $1,748. Parent A’s 75% share is $1,311 a month.
At a lower income the minimum band applies: Parent A at $3,000 with one child uses the $3,000 row, which gives $583. And with Parent A at $10,000 and Parent B at $10,000 and one child, the combined income is above the top of the schedule, so the $15,000 row applies: $2,160, and Parent A’s half is $1,080.
When the official worksheet is the better choice
The Maryland worksheets and the court’s online calculator handle the full calculation: adjusted income, the schedule, the self-support-reserve line, shared custody, child care, health insurance, and extraordinary medical expenses. Use them if the parents share custody, if either parent supports other children, or if income must be imputed.
A Maryland family law attorney is the right next step when the parents disagree about income or custody. The guideline amount is the starting point; the court’s order controls.
Frequently asked questions
How does Maryland calculate child support in 2026?
Maryland uses the income shares model under Md. Code, Family Law Section 12-204. The parents’ adjusted actual incomes are added, the schedule gives a basic child support obligation for that combined income and the number of children, and the obligation is divided in proportion to each parent’s adjusted actual income. The parent with primary physical custody receives the other parent’s share.
What is the Maryland schedule range?
The schedule adopted in 2022 runs from $0 to $15,000 of combined monthly adjusted actual income in $50 steps, with columns for one through six or more children. An income between two rows is extrapolated to the next higher amount. Above $15,000 the court sets support in its discretion; the calculator uses the $15,000 amount as a floor.
What is “adjusted actual income” in Maryland?
Gross income from all sources, less pre-existing child support actually paid, alimony actually paid, and the allowance for other children living in the home. Alimony awarded in this case is added to the recipient and subtracted from the payor before the child support calculation. Federal and state income tax are not deducted.
What do the asterisks in the Maryland schedule mean?
They mark basic obligations adjusted by the self-support reserve, which keeps a low-income obligor at a minimum subsistence level. The statute publishes the adjusted amounts, and this calculator uses them as published. The worksheet’s separate self-support-reserve line, which depends on the obligor’s own income, is not applied here.
Does 50/50 custody change Maryland child support?
Yes. When the child spends at least 128 nights a year with each parent, Worksheet B applies a shared physical custody factor that ranges from 0.02 to 0.06 depending on the exact overnight percentage, and compares each parent’s adjusted obligation. This calculator shows the primary-custody amount and does not apply that worksheet.
Does Maryland child support include health insurance and childcare?
They are added to the basic obligation, not included in the schedule. Work-related child care, the children’s health insurance premium, and extraordinary medical expenses are added on the worksheet and shared in proportion to income. The estimate here covers only the basic schedule amount.
- Md. Code, Family Law § 12-204: schedule of basic child support obligations
- Maryland Courts: Worksheet A, child support obligation (primary physical custody)
- Maryland Courts: Worksheet B, child support obligation (shared physical custody)
Figures are estimates for the basic obligation and are not legal advice. The court’s order controls. See the methodology and update policy.