North Carolina child support calculator

North Carolina follows the income-shares model. The idea is that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have if the parents lived together. Both parents’ adjusted gross monthly income is combined, the basic support obligation is read from the schedule, and each parent is responsible for the share that matches their percentage of the combined income. The parent the children do not primarily live with pays their share to the other.

The heart of the calculation is the Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations — a table indexed by combined adjusted gross monthly income (from $1,300 up to $40,000) and the number of children (one to six). This calculator uses the current schedule, which took effect January 1, 2023. Combined income is rounded to the nearest $50 row.

To the basic obligation North Carolina adds work-related child care, the children’s health-insurance premium, and extraordinary expenses (uninsured medical over $250/child/yr, and expenses like special or private schooling the court approves). The combined figure is the total obligation, split by income share. A self-support reserve protects low-income paying parents, and the minimum order is $50.

When each parent keeps the children for at least 123 nights a year, North Carolina uses Worksheet B: the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5 to reflect the duplicated cost of two households, then each parent’s share is offset by the time the children spend with them, so the higher earner pays the difference. Worksheet C covers split custody. Because those need the exact night counts, this calculator computes the standard Worksheet A obligation.

It combines both parents’ income, reads the guideline schedule, adds child care and health insurance, and splits the total by income share. It does not compute adjusted gross income from your pay stubs, run the Worksheet B/C night offset, apply the full self-support-reserve test, add extraordinary expenses, or apply a deviation the court may order. For a figure you can file, use the official North Carolina worksheets or consult an attorney.