Maine Child Support — Calculator, Laws & Guide (2026)

Understanding Maine child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Maine child support guide covers how payments are calculated, what income counts, when support can be modified, and how orders are enforced. Whether you are going through a divorce, seeking a modification, or dealing with non-payment, this guide explains Maine’s child support system in plain language.

Verified against Maine statutes and federal OCSE guidelines as of May 2026.

Maine Child Support Overview

Maine uses the income shares model for calculating child support. This model is based on the principle that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family were intact. Both parents’ incomes are combined, and the support obligation is divided proportionally.

Maine uses an income shares model. Both parents’ gross incomes are combined, and the court refers to the Child Support Table to determine a basic support entitlement based on combined annual gross income and number of children. The total support obligation adds childcare costs, health insurance premiums, and extraordinary medical expenses to the basic entitlement. Each parent’s share is proportional to their percentage of combined income. The child support table applies to combined annual gross incomes up to 400000; for incomes above that, the table amount at 400000 is the presumed minimum.

How Maine Calculates Child Support

The Maine child support calculation considers multiple factors:

1. Determine each parent’s gross income — wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, investment income, and other sources.
2. Calculate combined parental income — add both parents’ adjusted gross incomes together.
3. Apply the guideline schedule — Maine’s guidelines provide a base support amount based on combined income and number of children.
4. Prorate between parents — each parent’s share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income.
5. Add healthcare and childcare costs — these are added to the base amount and divided proportionally.
6. Apply adjustments — parenting time credits, other child obligations, and special circumstances may adjust the final amount.

Online calculator: Use our child support estimator below to calculate your estimated obligation.

What Counts as Income in Maine

Gross income from any ongoing source including salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust funds, annuities, capital gains, social security benefits, disability insurance benefits, prizes, workers compensation benefits, spousal support received from a preexisting order (from someone other than the other parent), and educational grants or fellowships available for personal living expenses. Excludes: means-tested public assistance (TANF, SSI, SNAP, general assistance), child support received for other children, permanency guardianship subsidies, preexisting spousal support obligations to a former spouse, and preexisting child support obligations for other children.

Imputed income: YES. Maine imputes income when a parent voluntarily becomes or remains unemployed or underemployed, based on the difference between actual earnings and earning capacity. Sufficient evidence must be introduced concerning current earning capacity. A parent personally providing primary care for a child under 24 months is deemed not available for employment. For primary caregivers of children ages 24 months to 12 years, the court considers anticipated childcare and work-related expenses before imputing income. Factors include job market conditions within commuting range and the parent’s effective earning capability.

Deviation factors: The court may deviate from guidelines based on: (A) application of shared/equal parenting time formula would be unjust or not in child’s best interest; (B) more than 6 children; (C) interrelation of child support with property division and spousal support; (D) financial resources of the child; (E) financial resources and needs of a party including nonrecurring income; (H) educational needs of the child; (I) inflation and cost of living; (J) income and financial contributions of current spouse or domestic associate of each party; (K) other financially dependent persons (elderly, disabled, infirm relatives, adult children in post-secondary education); (L) tax consequences; (N) income imputed to non-income-producing assets with aggregate fair market value of 10000 or more (excluding primary residence); (O) special circumstances regarding a child 12 years or older.

Healthcare & Childcare in Maine Child Support

Health insurance: Health insurance premiums for the child are added to the basic support entitlement as part of the total support obligation. Each parent pays their proportional share based on income percentage. Extraordinary medical expenses (recurring uninsured medical expenses exceeding 250 per child or group of children per calendar year) are also added to the total obligation and shared proportionally.

Childcare costs: Childcare costs are added to the basic support entitlement to determine the total support obligation. Each parent pays their proportional share of childcare costs based on their percentage of combined gross income. When parents have equal incomes and provide substantially equal care, they share childcare costs equally.

When Does Maine Child Support End?

In Maine, child support generally ends when the child reaches 18, but extends to 19 if the child is still attending secondary school (high school) and has not yet graduated. Support terminates upon graduation, withdrawal, expulsion from secondary school, or reaching age 19, whichever occurs first. Also terminates upon emancipation order.. However, support may continue or end earlier based on:

• The child graduates from high school (if still a minor)
• The child becomes emancipated (marriage, military service, self-supporting)
• The child has special needs requiring ongoing support
• College support: YES. If the court orders child support and the child attends an institution of higher education, support must continue until the child graduates, withdraws, is expelled, or attains age 22, whichever occurs first. Attendance must be full-time and must begin within 6 months of secondary school graduation.

Modifying Maine Child Support

When to modify: A variation of more than 15 percent between the existing order and what the guidelines would produce constitutes a substantial change of circumstances. If less than 3 years since the order was issued or last modified, the 15 percent threshold must be met. If 3 or more years have passed, the court reviews the order without requiring proof of a change in circumstances and modifies if the current amount differs from what guidelines would produce.

How to modify: Either parent may file a Motion to Modify (Form FM-062) with the court. Alternatively, parents with DSER cases can request an administrative review through the Maine DHHS Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery (DSER) using the Request an Order Review process. Modifications are effective only from the date notice of the modification petition is served on the opposing party.

Either parent can request a modification. Changes are typically not retroactive to before the date of filing the modification request.

Maine Child Support Enforcement

Maine has multiple tools to enforce child support orders when a parent fails to pay:

• Income withholding orders (wage garnishment sent directly to employers); license revocation (driver’s license
• professional licenses
• hunting
• trapping
• shellfish — triggered after 60 days of non-payment); property liens; bank account seizure (matching records with banks and credit unions in-state and out-of-state); lottery winnings intercept; federal and state tax refund intercept; credit bureau reporting; passport denial (federal); contempt of court (can result in mandatory job search or incarceration for chronic non-payment); new hire reporting for locating parents.

Contact Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery (DSER), Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office for Family Independence at https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/child-support-services for enforcement assistance.

Additional Maine rules: When parents have equal gross incomes and provide substantially equal care, neither pays the other support — they share childcare, health insurance, and uninsured medical expenses equally. Maine uses a primary care provider/non-primary care provider designation rather than custodial/non-custodial parent terminology. The child support table maximum is 400000 combined annual gross income; above that amount, the table figure at 400000 is the presumed minimum. A child 16 or 17 years old may petition for emancipation which terminates support obligations.

Official Sources & Resources

• Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery (DSER), Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office for Family Independence: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/child-support-services
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Maine Guidelines Statute: Title 19-A, Chapter 63, Maine Revised Statutes (19-A M.R.S. sections 2001-2009). Primary sections: section 2001 (Definitions), section 2006 (Support guidelines), section 2007 (Deviation from child support guidelines), section 2009 (Modification of existing support orders).

Last verified May 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.

Estimate Your Child Support

Use our free child support estimator to calculate estimated monthly payments. Enter both parents’ incomes, number of children, and custody arrangement to see a personalized breakdown based on your state’s formula.

Related Guides

• Maine Divorce Process Guide
• Maine Child Custody Guide
• Maine Alimony Guide
• All Child Support Guides