Child Support Calculator
Estimate a monthly child support amount under North Carolina’s official 2023 guidelines, the same schedule and worksheets the courts use. Pick the custody arrangement that matches your situation, enter both parents’ numbers, and get an estimate in seconds.
What You’ll Need
To get an estimate, have these numbers ready for both parents:
- Gross monthly income for each parent (before taxes).
- Any pre-existing child support either parent already pays for other children.
- Number of other children living with each parent (not part of this case).
- Work-related child care, health insurance, and any extraordinary expenses for the children in this case, and which parent pays them.
- Custody arrangement, who the children live with, and (for shared or split custody) the overnight breakdown.
Child Support Estimate
This Is an Estimate, Not a Court Order
This calculator applies the official North Carolina Child Support Guidelines schedule and worksheet formulas effective January 1, 2023. Real cases often involve deviations, imputed income, extraordinary circumstances, or a combined income above the $40,000/month schedule cap, any of which can change the result. Use this as a starting point for a conversation with an attorney, not a final number.
How North Carolina Child Support Is Calculated
North Carolina uses an income shares model. The idea is that a child should receive the same share of parental income that he or she would have received if the parents lived together. The guidelines add both parents’ gross monthly incomes, look up the basic support obligation for that combined income and number of children on the state’s schedule, add the children’s health insurance premium, work related child care and any approved extraordinary expenses, and then split the total between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The parent who does not have primary custody pays his or her share to the other parent, less anything paid directly, such as the insurance premium.
Gross income means income from every source before taxes: wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income after ordinary business expenses, rental income, retirement benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment, alimony received from someone other than the other parent, and recurring gifts. It does not include public assistance or child support received for other children. If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court can impute the income the parent could earn.
Worksheet A: primary custody
One parent has the children for 243 or more overnights a year. The other parent pays a share of the total obligation based on income. This is the most common worksheet, and it is what the calculator uses when you select primary custody.
Worksheet B: shared custody
Each parent has every child for at least 123 overnights a year. The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 to account for two households, split by income, then adjusted for the share of time each parent has the children. Support drops considerably compared with Worksheet A, which is why overnight counts are fought over.
Worksheet C: split custody
Each parent has primary custody of at least one child. A separate calculation is run for the children in each household and the two amounts are offset, so the parent with the larger obligation pays the difference.
What Changes the Number
Several adjustments happen before or after the schedule lookup, and most disputes about child support are really disputes about these inputs.
- Pre-existing support and other children. Court ordered support a parent actually pays for other children is deducted from that parent’s gross income before the calculation. A parent supporting other children who live with him or her gets a credit based on the schedule amount for those children.
- Health insurance. Only the children’s portion of the premium counts, not the parent’s own coverage. The parent who pays it gets credit for it in the final number.
- Child care. Reasonable child care costs that allow a parent to work or look for work are added, reduced by the federal child care tax credit the paying parent can claim.
- Extraordinary expenses. Private school tuition, tutoring for a documented need, therapy, and the cost of transporting the child between parents’ homes can be added if the court finds them reasonable and in the child’s interest. They are not automatic.
- Low income. The schedule has a self-support reserve. A parent whose income is near the poverty level pays a reduced amount, and a parent with no ability to pay can be ordered to pay a nominal $50 a month.
- High income. The schedule stops at $40,000 of combined monthly income. Above that, the court sets support based on the child’s reasonable needs and the parents’ ability to pay, and the guidelines amount at the cap is a floor, not a ceiling.
- Deviation. Either parent can ask the court to deviate from the guidelines when the guideline amount would not meet the child’s needs or would be unjust. The judge must make written findings explaining why. Deviations are the exception.
How the Math Works, Step by Step
Suppose two children live primarily with Parent 2. Parent 1 earns $6,000 gross per month and Parent 2 earns $4,000, for a combined $10,000. Parent 1 pays $300 a month for the children’s health insurance and $800 a month for work related child care. On the 2023 schedule the basic obligation for two children at $10,000 combined income is $1,913. Add the $1,100 in insurance and child care and the total obligation is $3,013. Parent 1 earns 60 percent of the combined income, so Parent 1’s share is $1,807.80. Because Parent 1 already pays the $1,100 in insurance and child care directly, that amount is subtracted, leaving a recommended order of about $708 per month from Parent 1 to Parent 2. Run those figures through the calculator above and you will see the same result. Change the custody schedule to a true shared arrangement, with each parent having the children at least 123 overnights, and the recommended payment falls substantially.
When the Calculator Is Not Enough
The calculator produces a reliable number when both incomes are known and the schedule applies. It cannot tell you what a judge will do when a parent is self-employed and the business pays personal expenses, when income swings from year to year, when a parent has quit a job or taken a lower paying one, when a child has special needs, when the combined income is above the schedule cap, or when one parent lives out of state and transportation is expensive. Those are the cases where an attorney’s judgment about what a particular judge in Gaston, Mecklenburg or Wake County will accept is worth far more than the guideline worksheet. Child support orders can also be modified when circumstances change substantially, which the guidelines define as a change that would move the amount by at least 15 percent after three years, and they can be enforced through wage withholding, contempt, license suspension and liens when a parent falls behind. The child support overview covers all of this in depth, and the guidelines section explains the current schedule.
The North Carolina Child Support Guidelines are reviewed every four years. The current version took effect on January 1, 2023, and the next review is expected to produce a revised schedule in 2027. This calculator uses the current schedule and will be updated when the new one is published.
Child Support Calculator FAQs
Is this the official North Carolina child support calculator?
This calculator applies the same schedule and worksheet formulas published in the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, so for a standard case it produces the same number the court’s worksheet would. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services also publishes official worksheets. Neither is a court order. The judge enters the order, and the judge can deviate from the guidelines with written findings.
What income do I enter?
Gross monthly income before taxes from all sources: wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment income after business expenses, rental income, retirement and disability benefits. If you are paid hourly, multiply your hourly rate by the hours you regularly work and convert to a monthly figure. If your income varies, courts commonly average the last two or three years.
How many overnights count as shared custody?
Each parent must have the children for at least 123 overnights per year for Worksheet B to apply. If one parent has fewer than 123 overnights, Worksheet A is used and that parent pays a full income share regardless of how many nights short of 123 he or she is.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support?
No. With an equal schedule, the parent with the higher income usually still pays support to the other, because the guidelines split the obligation by income, not by time alone. The payment is smaller than it would be under a primary custody arrangement, and it can be close to zero when the parents’ incomes are similar.
How much is child support for one child in NC?
It depends on both parents’ combined income. On the 2023 schedule the basic obligation for one child rises with combined income up to the $40,000 per month cap on the schedule, before insurance and child care are added. The paying parent owes his or her income share of that figure.
What if the other parent is hiding income or refuses to work?
The court can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed in bad faith, based on work history, education and prevailing wages. For a parent who hides income, discovery of tax returns, bank records and business records usually finds it, and the court can base support on the income the evidence shows rather than what the parent claims.
Can we agree to a different amount than the calculator shows?
Yes. Parents can agree to a different amount in a separation agreement or consent order, and courts generally approve agreements that meet the child’s needs. A parent cannot waive child support entirely on the child’s behalf, and the court can always revisit an amount that leaves the child under-supported.
When can child support be changed?
An order can be modified on a showing of a substantial change in circumstances. If the order is at least three years old, a difference of 15 percent or more between the current order and the guideline amount is presumed to be a substantial change. Job loss, a significant raise, a change in the custody schedule, or a child aging out are the common triggers.
Related Reading
Not Sure What Your Numbers Mean?
An estimate is a starting point, not a strategy. Talk with our team about what child support could realistically look like in your case.
Disclaimer: This calculator is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It applies the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines schedule and worksheet formulas effective January 1, 2023. Results are estimates only, are not legal advice, and should not be relied upon as a prediction of any court’s decision. Please consult a licensed North Carolina family law attorney about your specific circumstances.