Quick Child Support Estimator

As the child grows, their needs change, and the co-parents’ financial resources might change too. "We establish and order child support to make sure that the co-parents are providing the basics for the child like food, housing, clothing, health care, and more. Child support often changes as the child grows and the parents’ circumstances shif

If the support payer is sent to jail or prison for 180 days
These missed payments are called "arrears." To stop or reduce the child support while in jail or prison, the parent must file a motion to modify child support. If a parent with a child support obligation goes to jail or prison, the child support they owe will continue to pile up while they are there. The receiving person may object to the adjustment of the child support account.
How to request a child support modification
The parent will not owe the payments missed while they were in jail or prison. Under some circumstances, when a parent with a child support obligation receives jail time, the parent does not have to pay child support payments. If the court finds a parent owing child support has "voluntarily impoverished" themselves, the court may "impute income" to the parent. In such a situation, the parent with a support obligation is making a free and conscious choice to be without adequate resources (not enough money) to meet their obligation. Any agreement you make to modify child support should be put in writing so there is no confusion later.
If you have income withholding-only services, the child support office cannot help you change an order. Parents who have child support compliance and penalties full child support services should contact their county child support worker right away if their situation changes. Some parents experience difficult times that make them unable to pay their obligation, such as unemployment, underemployment, health changes or incarceratio


The court will usually order the amount of child support that the Guidelines say is correct unless someone can show that the Guidelines would be unjust and inappropriate in a particular case. This formula is called the Child Support Guidelines. Maryland uses a formula to calculate child support. If there are more than six joint children, the child support compliance and penalties court may determine a support order without specifically following the guidelines. The court has the final authority to determine the amount of child support in the court orde

How does the court calculate child support?
A court or agency may look at factors that are not part of your estimate. In special circumstances, support amounts can be higher or lower than the guideline amounts. The court or agency establishing support must use these guidelines to decide the amount of child support that will go in a Florida support order. The Maryland Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, a court-related agency of the Maryland Judiciary, sponsors this site. There are many other factors which the court can consider in determining child support.
What information does the court need to calculate child support?
Both parents child support compliance and penalties have a legal duty to support their children, even if the parents are no longer in a romantic or marital relationship. The court will usually order the amount of child support that the Guidelines say is correct unless someone can show that the Guidelines would be unjust and inappropriate in a particular case. Maryland uses a formula to calculate child support. These guidelines are used the first time child support is ordered and every time the child support amount change


The Program reviews the parents' information to determine if there is a substantial, permanent, and involuntary change, or it appears there are other legal grounds to change the order. First, the parent making the child support compliance and penalties request gives their financial and other information to the Child Support Program for review. Either parent with a child support case can ask the Child Support Program to review their support order to see if the order should be changed. Until an order is changed, terminated or vacated, the amount ordered is owed and legally enforceabl

FAQs: Child Support Amounts
For example, a non-custodial parent may need to lower the amount of support to allow more time to get training or education for a more stable income. To ask the court to order a lower amount, you must show why the Guidelines amount is unjust or unfair to you and why it would be in your children's best interest to lower the amount. The Child Support Guidelines try to estimate the percentage of income that parents would spend on children if the parents were living together. This means the court will act as if the parent has an income when determining the child support payment. If the court finds a parent owing child support has voluntarily impoverished child support compliance and penalties themselves, the court may "impute income" to the parent. The court may need to know other facts to decide the amount of child suppor

FAQs: Changing a Support Order
They will notify the parties of the determination and whether they plan to reduce support to $0. Both parties have 21 days to object to the abatement in writing if they do not want support reduced. After the FOC learns about the incarceration, they will send a notice to both parties that support will be abated (reduced) to zero. A referee can calculate support and prepare a recommended order for the judg