How North Carolina calculates child support
- Each parent’s monthly gross income is reduced by child support they actually pay for other children. The combined adjusted income and the number of children give the basic obligation from the schedule effective January 1, 2023, interpolated between rows.
- With primary custody (243 or more nights a year with one parent), Worksheet A shares the basic obligation plus child care, the children’s health insurance and extraordinary expenses by income; the other parent pays their share minus what they pay directly.
- If the paying parent’s income falls in the shaded low-income area of the schedule, support is the schedule amount at that parent’s income alone, and child care and insurance are not added.
- With shared custody (123 or more nights with each parent), Worksheet B raises the basic obligation by 50%, sets each parent’s obligation for the time the children spend with the other parent, and offsets the two. Split custody uses Worksheet C.
What the calculator asks
- How many children is the support for?
- Do all the children follow the same overnight schedule?
- How many nights a year do the children spend with you?
- How many of the children live mainly with you (243 or more nights a year)?
- Your gross income per month
- Child support you actually pay each month for other children
- The other parent’s gross income per month
- Child support the other parent actually pays each month for other children
- Does either parent have other children of their own living with them (not children of this case)?
- Work-related child care you pay each month for these children
- Work-related child care the other parent pays each month
- Health insurance premiums you pay each month for these children
- Health insurance premiums the other parent pays each month for these children
- Extraordinary expenses you pay each month that the court adds
- Extraordinary expenses the other parent pays each month that the court adds
- Does a child receive Social Security or VA benefits because of a parent’s disability or retirement?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- A deduction for other children living with either parent
- Credits for Social Security or veterans benefits paid to the child
- Uninsured health care costs above $250 a child a year, which the court divides separately
- Deviations the court may order, and cases with combined income above $40,000 a month
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- North Carolina Child Support Guidelines and Schedule of Basic Support Obligations, effective January 1, 2023 (AOC-A-162, Rev. 1/23)
- Worksheet A, Child Support Obligation, Primary Custody (AOC-CV-627, Rev. 1/23)
- Worksheet B, Child Support Obligation, Joint or Shared Physical Custody (AOC-CV-628, Rev. 1/23)
- Worksheet C, Child Support Obligation, Split Custody (AOC-CV-629, Rev. 1/23)
North Carolina Child Support Guidelines and Worksheets A, B and C (NC Judicial Branch) →
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the North Carolina calculator →An estimate from the published guideline formula, not a prediction of a court order. The official court worksheet and the court’s decision control. General information, not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.