Child support in Maryland is determined though a straight-forward process. The gross incomes of the parents is added together, a number is taken off of a chart (the child support guidelines) based on the income and the number of children, and that is the basic child support obligation. To that is added any work related day care and extraordinary medical expenses, such as braces. That number is then divided between the parties in proportion to their incomes, and the parent without custody pays his or her portion of to the other parent. The court may deviate from the guidelines, but he must find and state on the record why it is in the best interest of the children to receive less than the guidelines amount. Not an easy obstacle to overcome. Support is either paid directly to the custodial parent by the non-custodial parent, or is paid through an earnings withholding order by the employer of the non-custodial parent. Support can also be paid through the Department of Social Services. What if my income exceeds the guidelines amount? If your incomes exceed the maximum covered by the guidelines (currently $10,000 per month combined gross income) then the amount of child support to be paid is at the discretion of the court. Although there are a lot of factors that would go into the calculation, the court will generally look at what the guidelines would say if they went that far, and will often use it as the basis of the calculation anyway. When does Child Support Start? You have a moral and legal obligation to support your children, and should pay child support from the date of separation. The court, however, cannot award child support until someone asks for it. And no matter when the case goes to court, the judge must award child support back to the date the request for child support was filed. That means that even if there is no order, you could end up with an arrearage, unless you pay from the beginning. Other Questions If you have additional questions, send an e-mail to mike@whlawfirm.com, giving a brief description of your situation, and your contact information. Click here to calculate child support |
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