Child support in Maryland works on an income shares model: both parents’ incomes are combined, a basic support amount is pulled from a statutory schedule, and each parent pays a share of it proportional to what they earn. Orders are collected automatically through wage withholding, and the state has broad enforcement powers when payments fall behind. The obligation generally lasts until the child turns 18, but any arrears survive long after that.
How the Amount Is Calculated
The formula starts from the idea that a child should receive the same share of parental income they would get if both parents lived together. The court adds both parents’ incomes, looks up the basic support obligation for that combined figure and number of children on a schedule built into the statute, and then divides that obligation between the parents in proportion to their incomes.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code 12-204 – Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations
Three child-related costs are added to the basic obligation before it’s split: work-related childcare, the child’s health insurance premium, and extraordinary medical expenses. The numbers go onto one of two official worksheets. Worksheet A is used when one parent has primary physical custody. Worksheet B is used when the parents share physical custody and adjusts the obligation for each parent’s time with the child.2Maryland Judiciary. CC-DR-035 – Worksheet B – Child Support Obligation: Shared Physical Custody
The schedule covers combined adjusted actual monthly incomes up to $30,000, or $360,000 a year. Above that ceiling, the court has discretion to set support at whatever amount it considers appropriate.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code 12-204 – Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations
What Counts as Income
Maryland defines actual income broadly. Salaries, wages, commissions, and bonuses all count, and so do Social Security benefits, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, disability, pensions, interest, dividends, trust income, annuities, and alimony received from a current or former spouse.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code 12-201 – Actual Income For a self-employed parent or business owner, actual income means gross receipts minus the ordinary expenses required to produce them. Severance pay, capital gains, gifts, and prizes can also be considered case by case.
Means-tested public assistance is explicitly excluded. Temporary cash assistance, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, and transitional emergency or housing assistance do not count as income for child support purposes.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code 12-201 – Actual Income
When the Court Can Depart From the Guideline Amount
The guideline number carries a rebuttable presumption, meaning the court treats it as correct unless a parent proves that applying it would be unjust or inappropriate in their particular case. Reasons a court may deviate include provisions in an existing separation or property settlement agreement, such as one parent covering the mortgage or college expenses, anything relevant to the child’s best interests, and the fact that applying the guidelines would leave the paying parent below 110% of the federal poverty level. When a court deviates, it must state its reasons in writing and identify what the guideline amount would have been.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Family Law Code 12-202
How to Get a Child Support Order
There are two ways to open a case. You can file a Complaint for Child Support (Form CC-DR-001) in the Circuit Court for the county where the child lives, either as a standalone action or as part of a divorce or custody case. You’ll file it with a Financial Statement for Child Support Guidelines.5Maryland Courts. Complaint for Child Support
The second option is to apply for services through your local Child Support Administration office, part of the Department of Human Services. The application fee is $25 and is waived for parents who receive Temporary Cash Assistance or Medical Assistance.6Maryland Department of Human Services. How Does Child Support Work in Maryland The CSA’s attorneys represent the state’s interest in supporting the child rather than your personal legal interests, but they will pursue an order on the child’s behalf.
Either way, the other parent must be formally served with the complaint and financial statement. A parent served in Maryland has 30 days to respond.7Maryland Courts. Child Custody After the response window, the court schedules a hearing or conference to set the final amount.
One prerequisite for unmarried parents: a court cannot order child support until legal paternity has been established. The simplest route is an Affidavit of Parentage, which hospitals offer at birth and which parents can also sign later with notarization. If paternity is contested, either parent or the Child Support Administration can request genetic testing.8Maryland Department of Human Services. Paternity Establishment
How Payments Are Collected
Every child support order issued in Maryland automatically functions as an earnings withholding order. No separate step is needed. The support amount is deducted directly from the paying parent’s wages by the employer, much like tax withholding.9New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Family Law Code 10-121 – Withholding Orders; Support Orders If arrears accumulate past 30 days, additional withholding is triggered to cover the back amount.
The paying parent must notify the court within 10 days of any change of address or new employer. Failing to do so can bring a penalty of up to $250 and can also mean missing notice of later withholding proceedings.9New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Family Law Code 10-121 – Withholding Orders; Support Orders
What Happens When a Parent Falls Behind
Maryland’s enforcement toolkit is broad, and the consequences stack quickly.
- Driver’s license suspension after 120 or more days of nonpayment, though a work-restricted license may be issued. The suspension rule does not apply if the parent’s individual income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, unless a court previously found voluntary underemployment.10New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Family Law Code 10-119 – Nonpayment of Child Support; Driver’s License Suspension
- Suspension of professional licenses, including those held by attorneys, barbers, and other regulated professions.
- Interception of federal and state tax refunds. The federal offset requires at least $150 in arrears if the custodial parent receives Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or $500 otherwise.11Administration for Children and Families. When Is a Child Support Case Eligible for the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program?
- Passport denial for arrears above $2,500, including on renewals.12Congress.gov. The Child Support Enforcement Passport Denial Program
- Seizure of lottery winnings.
- Reporting to consumer credit agencies, which Maryland requires once a parent is 60 or more days behind.13Maryland Courts. Contempt and Enforcement of Child Support
- Contempt of court, which can include jail time.13Maryland Courts. Contempt and Enforcement of Child Support
How to Change an Existing Order
The court will only modify an order if there has been a material change in circumstances since the last order was entered.14Justia Law. Maryland Family Law Code 12-104 Maryland courts have generally treated a change of more than 25% in either parent’s income as enough to qualify.15Maryland Courts. How Can I Change the Amount I Pay or Receive? Other qualifying changes include a serious illness or disability affecting a parent, expensive new medical needs for the child, or a shift in the custody arrangement that changes each parent’s time with the child.
You start the process by filing a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form CC-DR-006) with an updated Financial Statement.16Maryland Judiciary. Motion to Modify Child Support – Form CC-DR-006 The motion can be filed only after at least 30 days have passed since the current order was entered. And the court cannot make any modification retroactive to before the date the motion was filed.14Justia Law. Maryland Family Law Code 12-104 If your income dropped six months ago and you wait to file, you still owe the full amount for those six months. File as soon as the change happens.
When the Obligation Ends
Child support in Maryland generally ends when the child turns 18. If the child is still enrolled in high school at 18, support continues until the earliest of graduation, dropping out, or turning 19.17Maryland General Assembly. Maryland General Provisions Code 1-401 – Age of Majority Marriage or emancipation before 18 also ends the obligation.
The order doesn’t always terminate on its own. The paying parent may need to file a motion asking the court to formally end it. Stopping payments without court approval is risky, because if the order technically remains in effect, unpaid amounts keep piling up as arrears.
Reaching the termination date only ends future payments. Any accumulated arrears remain fully collectible, and Maryland can keep using wage garnishment, tax refund interception, license suspension, passport denial, and every other enforcement tool until the balance is paid. There is no statute of limitations that erases child support debt because the child grew up.17Maryland General Assembly. Maryland General Provisions Code 1-401 – Age of Majority
Tax Treatment
One boundary worth knowing: child support payments are not tax-deductible for the paying parent and are not taxable income for the receiving parent.18Internal Revenue Service. Tax Information for Non-Custodial Parents The child tax credit is a separate matter and goes to the custodial parent by default; transferring it to the non-custodial parent requires the custodial parent to sign IRS Form 8332, which must be attached to the non-custodial parent’s return each year the credit is claimed. A support order or divorce decree alone does not accomplish the transfer.19Internal Revenue Service. Form 8332 – Release/Revocation of Release of Claim to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent