Maine Child Support Calculator | Guidelines – 2024

Maine calculates child support payments using the “income share” mechanism, which ensures that both custodial and non-custodial parents participate in their child’s upkeep after the separation or divorce, determined by the Maine child support calculator.

Maine’s child support formula to calculate used to consider shared custody of a child, and support payment levels are linked to the custody split. Childcare fees and unusual medical expenditures are two more specific conditions covered by Maine’s child support legislation. These expenses might be in addition to the Maine child support order.

How To Calculate Child Support In Maine

Knowing each parent’s total income is critical when determining child support using the Maine child support calculator. Whether earned or unearned, pretax income is normally included in gross income. Salaries, royalties, self-employment earnings, disability insurance, military pay, pensions, and investment income are all famous applications.

Gross income also comprises alimony from a past spouse who isn’t the child’s parent in the present case, but not child support. If you’re self-employed, you can deduct required business expenses from your total revenue to calculate your gross salary, but keep in mind that the eligible exclusions are restricted and may not include all the IRS allows.

The value of any extra benefits obtained that lower living costs, such as accommodation or a car, is included in a parent’s gross income. The criteria for child support in Maine contain a detailed description of gross income.

For the purposes of calculating child support, spousal support or child support provided in another case should be subtracted from the paying parent’s gross income. A parent can also eliminate the costs of raising a second child (for example, a child from a remarriage) from their gross income.

When determining a parent’s gross income, a court may impute (assign) additional earnings potential based on the parent’s schooling, expertise, and accessible employment prospects if the court feels the parent prefers not to work or is selecting a lower-paying job than the parent is eligible for. When a court apportions income to a parent, the child support obligation is increased.

Establishing Child Support in Maine

Although parents can negotiate on child support on their own, a court must authorize a child support award to confirm that it is in a better position for the kid. Child support is usually decided by a judge using Maine’s child support rules.

Maine uses the “Income Shares Model,” which implies a court will use the formula to calculate support based on how much each parent spent on the child while the family was living altogether. Each parent’s income then splits this figure to arrive at a final support figure. Based on each parent’s income share, each parent will be accountable for a portion of the amount support obligation.

Child support is generally influenced by the parents’ custody arrangement and visiting schedule. In most circumstances, support will be provided to the custodial parent (the parent who has primary physical custody of the kid). The custodial parent is normally liable for providing support to the non – custodial parent (the parent who occupies less than 50% of the time with the child).

The Schedule of Basic Child Support Requirement (Court Form FM 84), which is accessible on Maine’s Judicial Branch website, can be used to approximate a parent’s support obligation. The schedule determines child support depending on the parents’ total gross salaries and the number of children they share.

Based on whether your child seems to be under or above the age of 12, the amount of help you get may differ. The Maine legislature has judged the cost of parenting older children to be somewhat greater. You may also use this simple child support calculator but bear in mind that it will not account for any changes for shared parenting or other exceptional circumstances.

Establishing an exact child support amount entails a number of processes, and the rules are somewhat complicated. Even though the Maine Judicial Branch website has paperwork and resources for parents who want to manage their child support case alone, going through the documents on your own might be difficult.

Custody Arrangements

Obtain and accomplish a Child Support Affidavit (For FM 50) and a Child Support Worksheet if you and your child’s other parent have a parenting arrangement with one predominant dwelling parent (children live with one parent more than half the time and that parent offers the bulk of care).

Because courts assume that the main custodial parent’s part of the actual responsibility of raising children is already covered, only the non-custodial parent is often required to pay support.

The Shared Parenting Calculation may be more suitable if children spend precisely half of their time with each parent or if they reside with one parent more than half of the time, but both parents provide roughly equivalent childcare.

Equal care does not have a clear definition; a court will consider how much each parent interacts with and provides to a children’s academic, leisure, healthcare, and total requirements.

Because courts assume that the main custodial parent’s part of the actual responsibility of raising children is already covered, only the non-custodial parent is often required to pay support.

The Shared Parenting Equation may be more suitable if children spend precisely half of their time with each parent or if they reside with one parent more than half of the time, but both parents provide roughly equivalent childcare.

Equal care does not have a precise understanding; a court will consider how much each parent interacts with and provides to a children’s academic, leisure, healthcare, and total requirements.

Adjustments for Additional Expenses

Suppose one parent is paying the costs of daycare, insurance premiums, and/or unusual medical expenditures directly. In that case, a court may enhance or lower a parent’s support requirement after assessing the basic support obligation.

You will divide accountability for these expenditures solely based on your income percentages, whether you use the conventional calculation or the shared parenting formula. Additional adjustments may be required in specific instances, such as when the contributing parent has a very low or very high income.

Deviations from Guideline Support

In some situations, the court will order a different sum than the guideline amount (called a “deviation”). If a kid has an independent source of income, has exceptional educational requirements, or one of the parents is assisting an elderly relative or a disabled adult child, a court may rule that divergence is reasonable.

Any factor that would render strict implementation of the guidelines unfair or not to the greatest advantage of a child might be considered by the court. If you feel a divergence is necessary in your case, you must give the court a reasoned explanation of why.

Modification and Termination

A parent who wishes to modify (alter) a child support order must prove a significant and continuous period of adjustment after the court has established the first order. A parent’s new high-paying job, an overseas move, or a big shift in the parenting arrangement are all examples of developments that could warrant a revision.

If the gap between the present award and a prospective new award under the standards differs by more than 15%, a judge will infer that a modification is justified.

In Maine, a child’s duty to pay average child support usually ceases when the kid reaches the age of 18. If the youngster is still in high school or unusual circumstances exist, a court may prolong the duty until the child becomes 19 years old.

Collecting and Enforcing Child Support Orders in Maine

You’ll need to collect child support on a monthly basis once you’ve obtained an average child support order. Making average child support payments is now more convenient than ever. Unless your order states otherwise, a parent can pay average child support through cash, cheque, bank transfer, direct deposit, or payment applications like Venmo or Zelle.

Suppose you’re battling with a deadbeat parent who breached the court-ordered contract support. In that case, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Division of Support Enforcement & Recovery (DSER) can assist you and determine the new amount by the Maine child support calculator.

The DSRE is in charge of assisting parents in obtaining and enforcing child support orders, identifying missing parents, and validating paternity if required.

How are extraordinary medical costs treated by child support in Maine?

Maine has particular rules for sharing a child’s unusual medical expenditures, which are different from and in addition to regular child support payments. Extraordinary medical expenditures are typically incurred as a result of illnesses, hospital visits, or expensive treatments such as braces.

Extraordinary medical expenditures are treated as a “required deduction” for basic child support in Maine. Suppose the non-custodial parent pays child care costs. In that case, the share of the monthly average child care expenditures ascribed to the custodial spouse is taken from the non-custodial parent’s monthly child support contribution.

In addition to standard child support table, if the custodial parent pays for child care, the non-custodial parent must pay their portion.

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