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Maryland Child Support Guidelines – Maryland’s child support guidelines allow parents to calculate their support obligation by inputting their combined incomes and the number of children they have together. A percentage of the total support obligation is assigned to each parent based on that parent’s income percentage.

• For example, if parent A earns $6,000 per month and parent B earns $4,000 per month, parent A would be responsible for 60% of the support amount (6,000 divided by 10,000) and parent B for 40% of the support amount (4,000 divided by 10,000).
• Multiple steps are required to obtain an accurate child support figure, and the guidelines are fairly complex.

In Maryland, custody and visitation arrangements, alimony awards, and child support orders from previous relationships can impact support amounts. The Family Law section of the Maryland Courts website provides forms and instructions for parents handling their own child support case.

In most cases, you can estimate how much child support a court would be likely to order in your case by downloading and completing a Financial Statement Form DR 30 and a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet; either Worksheet A—Primary Physical Custody Form DR 34 or Worksheet B—Shared Physical Custody Form DR 35.

Navigating through the materials on your own can be quite challenging. Ultimately, a judge will order a child support amount only if it’s in the child’s best interests, If you’re having trouble with the forms and calculations, contact an attorney for help.

What percentage is child support in Maryland?

The court orders a flat percentage of 25% of the non-custodial parent’s income to be paid in child support to the custodial parent.

What is the max child support in MD?

Calculating New Payments Under Maryland’s Child Support Guidelines – The upward adjustment contains some meaningful changes. First, while existing guidelines top off at a combined adjusted annual income of $120,000 or $10,000 per month, the new MD child support guidelines increase it to $180,000 per annum or $15,000 per month.

1. Second, under the new law, most basic child support within the matrix increases.
2. For example, basic child support for one child would increase from $1,040 to $1,271 (at the $10,000 aggregate monthly income level), with a maximum for one child of $1,942.
3. For two children, the old guidelines maxed out at $1,616 per month and under the new guidelines–at the same amount of $10,000 per month income–the child support would be $1,811.

The new MD child support guidelines provide for $2,847 per month in basic child support for an aggregate monthly income of $15,000. As with the old guidelines, the Court will have discretion in setting the support level for parties and individuals with income above the maximum under the guidelines of $15,000 per month.

1. The new guidelines are long overdue and address the need for increased financial support for children.
2. That said, even legislation as seemingly innocuous as providing more financial support for children is not without its friction.
3. For Maryland and any state balancing its desire to strengthen child support with the harsh economic realities, the legislation can be a double edged sword for parents who must manage increasing payments with decreasing income.

Proponents of the new child support guidelines argue that the lack of revision to the existing child support guidelines has forced custodial parents to bear a larger burden of increased family expenses, including housing expenses which have historically been above average in Maryland.

Additionally, proponents point out that the revised guidelines offer increased protection for the payor-parent. For example, low-income parents may benefit from the expanded range of incomes where judges are advised to assign minimal child support. The old guidelines allowed the minimal child support for a parent whose income was up to $850 per month, but this has now been increased to $1,250 per month to reflect the current minimum wage and to ensure that low-income payors can maintain a minimum standard of living.

Finally, a provision has been removed whereby adoption or revision of child support guidelines are grounds for requesting a modification of child support if the use of the revised guidelines would result in a change in the award of 25 percent or more.

What is considered income for child support in Maryland?

MD FAMILY 12-101, Court’s power to award Child Support – *10170 Code, Family Law, s 12-101 (1) Income. – “Income” means: (1) actual income of a parent, if the parent is employed to full capacity; or (2) potential income of a parent, if the parent is voluntarily impoverished.

(2) Actual income. (1) “Actual income” means income from any source. (2) For income from self-employment, rent, royalties, proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation “actual income” means gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce income.

Maryland Child Support Calculator in 2021: How Much Will You Owe?

(3) “Actual income” includes: (i) salaries; (ii) wages; (iii) commissions; (iv) bonuses; (v) dividend income; (vi) pension income; (vii) interest income; (viii) trust income; (ix) annuity income; (x) Social Security benefits; (xi) workers’ compensation benefits; (xii) unemployment insurance benefits; (xiii) disability insurance benefits; (xiv) alimony or maintenance received; and (xv) expense reimbursements or in-kind payments received by a paret in the course of employment, self- employment, or operation of a business to the extent the reimbursements or payments reduce the parents personal living expenses.

(4) Based on the circumstances of the case, the court may consider the following items as actual income: (i) severance pay; (ii) capital gains; (iii) gifts; or (iv) prizes. (5) “Actual income” does not include benefits received from means-tested public assistance programs, including temporary cash assistance, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, and transitional emergency medical, and housing assistance.(3) Adjusted actual income. “Adjusted actual income” means actual income minus: (1) preexisting reasonable child support obligations actually paid; (2) of this subtitle, alimony or maintenance obligations actually paid; and (3) the actual cost of providing health insurance coverage for a child for whom the parents are jointly and severally responsible.

(4) Combined adjusted actual income. “Combined adjusted actual income” means the combined monthly adjusted actual incomes of both parents. (5) Potential income. “Potential income” means income attributed to a parent determined by the parent’s employment potential and probable earnings level based on, but not limited to, recent work history, occupational qualifications, prevailing job opportunities, and earnings levels in the community.

(6) Ordinary and necessary expenses. “Ordinary and necessary expenses” does not include amounts allowable by the Internal Revenue Service for the accelerated component of depreciation expenses or investment tax credits or any other business expenses determined by the court to be inappropriate for determining actual income for purposes of calculating child support.

(7) Extraordinary medical expenses. (1) “Extraordinary medical expenses” means uninsured expenses over $100 for a single illness or condition. (2) “Extraordinary medical expenses” includes uninsured, reasonable, and necessary costs for orthodontia, dental treatment, asthma treatment, physical therapy, treatment for any chronic health problem, and professional counseling or psychiatric therapy for diagnosed mental disorders.

(8) Shared physical custody. “Shared physical custody” means that each parent keeps the child or children overnight for more than 35% of the year and that both parents contribute to the expenses of the child or children in addition to the payment of child support. (9) Adjusted basic child support obligation.

“Adjusted basic child support obligation” means an adjustment of the basic child support obligation for shared physical custody. (10) Basic child support obligation. “Basic child support obligation” means the base amount due for child support based on the combined adjusted actual incomes of both parents.

How much should a father pay for child support?

If you and the other parent are arranging child maintenance between you, you’re free to decide the amount one parent pays the other. This is referred to as a family-based arrangement. While the Child Maintenance Service doesn’t need to be involved if you do this, it’s a good idea to check the amount you agree against what they would assess it to be.

Do you want to pay a fixed regular amount or will you vary it to help with extra expenses throughout the year? Do you want to cover the cost of things like school uniform, activities or holidays? Do you want to pay a percentage of your earnings? If your earnings fluctuate, this might be helpful to you but it would mean the amount of child support is less predictable.

If you can’t agree how much child maintenance one parent should pay the other, you can ask the Child Maintenance Service to calculate it for you. They’ll take into account:

how many children you have the paying parent’s income how much time children spend with the paying parent whether the paying parent is paying child maintenance for other children.

You’re normally expected to pay child maintenance until your child is 16, or until they’re 20 if they’re in school or college full-time studying for:

A-levels Highers, or equivalent.

Child maintenance might stop earlier – for example, if one parent dies or the child no longer qualifies for child benefit. There are different child maintenance rates according to the paying parent’s gross weekly income – this means how much you receive before things like tax and National Insurance are taken off.

(2021 figures – see GOV.UK for more information.) If your gross weekly income is more than £3,000, you can apply to the court to make a child maintenance ‘top-up’ order. But before the court will deal with your application, they’ll need to see a Child Maintenance Service calculation showing this. If you’re paying child maintenance and you’re on the basic rate of child maintenance, the amount you pay will depend on the number of children you’re being asked to pay for.

The figures below assume that your children stay with the parent who receives child maintenance all the time. On the basic rate, if you’re paying for:

one child, you’ll pay 12% of your gross weekly income two children, you’ll pay 16% of your gross weekly income three or more children, you’ll pay 19% of your gross weekly income.

Many parents decide to share the care of their children. If your children spend some time with the paying parent, this will reduce the amount of child maintenance he or she pays. There are different ‘bands’ which determine how much child maintenance is reduced by.

52 and 103 nights: child maintenance is reduced by 1/7th for each child 104 and 155 nights: child maintenance is reduced by 2/7th for each child 156 and 174 nights: child maintenance is reduced by 3/7th for each child 175 nights or more nights: child maintenance is reduced by 50%, plus an extra £7 a week reduction for each child.

If the paying parent’s gross weekly income is between £200 and £3,000, and they pay child maintenance for other children, this is taken into account when working out how much they should pay. The Child Maintenance Service simply reduces the amount of weekly income that it takes into account. For example, if the paying parent is paying for:

one other child, their weekly income will be reduced by 11% two other children, their weekly income will be reduced by 14% three or more other children, their weekly income will be reduced by 16%.

Is Maryland a mom State?

Father’s Rights in Child Custody – In Maryland, unmarried fathers have the same rights as married ones in child custody. Fathers who are married to the mother of their child already have paternity, but all unmarried fathers have to do to be granted paternity is get tested or show his Affidavit of Parentage form. Additional paternal rights in Maryland include:

Legal say in child’s upbringing – Even if the mother is granted sole custody, the father legally has a say in the child’s upbringing, including things like their religion, healthcare, and education. This is especially true if parents have joint legal custody of the child. Former transgressions and criminal convictions don’t necessarily prevent a father from obtaining custody. Except for the most severe or violent crimes, the court can give a formerly incarcerated or convicted father custody, or at least visitation rights, because courts make their decisions based on the child’s best interests.

In summary, parents can rest assured Maryland is not a “mother state.” Custody is granted to one or both parents who have demonstrated their ability to care for and keep their child safe. If you have any questions about the custody process in Maryland, call Coover Law Firm at (410) 553-5042.

Rights of de facto Parents in Maryland Can you claim your children as dependents if you don’t have custody?

Do you have to pay child support if you have joint custody in Maryland?

If both parents share custody does anyone pay child support? – It depends. Child support is determined by a mathematical calculation set forth by statue. It uses several factors including, but not limited to, who has the physical custody of the child(ren); if physical custody is shared, the number of over-nights each parent has; the gross income of the parties; and the cost of the child(ren)’s health insurance, day care, and extra-ordinary medical costs.

Who gets the most in child support?

Huge price tag of celebrity child support In 2007, Britney Spears was ordered to pay Federline $36,600 a month for each of her sons until they turn 18. Photo / Getty Images

• Last week, actor Owen Wilson’s personal life became a surprisingly buzzy conversation topic after his enormous child support payments were made public.
• The Zoolander star has a daughter with a woman he dated on-and-off for five years, and pays a sum of $36,560 per month towards her expenses.
• Wilson – worth around $100 million – has never met his one-year-old daughter, Lyla Aranya Wilson, despite her sharing his last name.
• The actor reportedly demanded a DNA test when his ex, Varunie Vongsvirates, claimed the child was his.
• He already has two sons with two other women.
• Wilson’s not the only cashed-up celebrity parent making a hefty monthly payments to their exes.
• Here are seven of the most expensive celebrity child support arrangements.
• BRAD PITT

Brad Pitt. Photo / Getty Images

2. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s split was the Hollywood divorce that shook the entire world, and the drama surrounding it seemed never-ending with one of the largest points of contention being Pitt’s child support payments to his six children.
3. In June 2018, documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court claimed Pitt had not paid “meaningful” child support to estranged wife Angelina Jolie in over a year.

Pitt later claimed he had given Jolie over $12 million since their 2016 separation, which she then argued “didn’t count”, according to the Daily Mail. A two-page document filed in Los Angeles Superior Court stated that Pitt loaned Jolie $10.7 million to buy her current home, and had paid over $1.7 million in bills relating to their children since 2016.

• Pitt and Jolie eventually reached an agreement, setting up a payment arrangement which has not been made public.
• CHARLIE SHEEN

Charlie Sheen. Photo / Getty Images

2. Troubled actor Charlie Sheen may have a net worth of a reported $220 million, but at one point he was cutting two child support checks totalling about $161,000 a month.
3. He paid around $80,000 to ex-wife Denise Richards for their daughters Lola and Sam, and the same to ex Brooke Mueller for their twin sons Bob and Max.
4. According to TMZ in 2016, both Richards and Mueller accepted a reduction to $40,000 each, meaning Sheen shells out $80,000 a month in costs to his estranged wives and children.
5. EDDIE MURPHY

Eddie Murphy. Photo / Getty Images

• The funnyman has 10 children from various exes – so it’s safe to say he forks out a fair bit in child support each month.
• The only known sum, however, is what he pays to former Spice Girl Mel B, who he dated for nine months in 2006.
• A DNA test proved that Eddie Murphy was indeed the father of her daughter, Angel, and the Shrek star was ordered to pay $73,000 a month.
• He will continue to pay that amount until Angel turns 18, meaning the total payment over the years comes to more than $15 million.
• As for his other nine children, he has two with his current partner, Australian model Paige Butcher, five with his ex-wife Nicole Mitchell, a son with Paulette McNeely, and another son with Tamara Hood Johnson.

It is not known how much the star – worth $175.7 million – pays for the children of his two other exes. BRITNEY SPEARS Britney Spears. Photo / Getty Images

2. Britney may have only been married to backup dancer Kevin Federline for three years, but she’ll be dishing out enormous checks for their two children for much longer.
3. In the couple’s highly publicised 2007 divorce settlement, Spears was ordered to pay Federline $36,600 a month for each of the couple’s two sons, Sean and Jayden, until they turn 18.

E! News crunched the numbers in 2010 and reported that Spears “shelled out $444,432 for child support and care” that year. But according to reports last year, that amount has since gone up. In 2018,The Blast reported the Toxic singer had agreed to pay her ex-husband “thousands more a month in child support” in a confidential new arrangement.

• Spears is worth an estimated $315 million.
• MEL GIBSON

Mel Gibson. Photo / Getty Images

2. Mel Gibson, whose net worth is an estimated $622 million, was ordered to pay ex-wife Oksana Grigorieva child support in the amount of $44,000 a month.
3. That’s an annual sum of $528,000 for daughter Lucia.
4. His Russian pianist ex had originally asked for $100,000 a month instalments, reported the Daily Mail, but the deal was apparently hinged on her promising to keep recordings of him using racist language in a blind rage secret.
5. She didn’t, and the recordings were released in 2010.
6. So in the end, the judge’s decision actually saved the Braveheart star some dough.
7. BRENDAN FRASER

Brendan Fraser. Photo / Getty Images The former Mummy star tops the bunch, having reportedly paid a whopping $1.3 million a year in child support since 2009.

• In 2013, he attempted to reduce the enormous payments to his ex-wife Afton Smith, insisting he could no longer afford them, the New York Post reported.
• However, his ex-wife then argued that he had been “hiding” earnings from films, and falsely claiming that he hadn’t been able to secure work.
• The star has appeared in significantly less films since he first rose to fame in the ’90s.
• Fraser has three young sons — Griffin, 10, Holden, 8, and Leland, 6 — with his former wife of nine years, who he met in 1993 at a barbecue thrown by Winona Ryder.
• The actor’s net worth as of 2019 is an estimated $37 million.
• TOM CRUISE

Tom Cruise. Photo / Getty Images

2. Cruise’s worth is about $366 million, and he reportedly pays $48,300 a month to Katie Holmes in child support for their 13-year-old daughter Suri.
3. He is also required to pay for Suri’s expenses, including medical, dental, insurance, education, and other extra-curricular costs.
4. The monthly payments will end in 2024, when Suri turns 18.

: Huge price tag of celebrity child support