Child Support in Baltimore City, MD

Legal help with child support for Baltimore City, Maryland residents from The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon in Towson.

Service areas / Baltimore City / Child Support

The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC provides child support assistance for people in Baltimore City. The information below explains the issues to discuss with an attorney and connects you with the firm’s original Maryland service guide.

Working with our Towson office from Baltimore City

Baltimore City is a Maryland jurisdiction served by the Towson office. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC serves this area from 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204. This is the firm’s Towson office, not a separate office in this community.

Maryland law applies throughout the service area. Where a matter must be filed depends on the type of proceeding and the facts, not simply on the location of the attorney’s office. Discuss residence, existing orders, and any pending case at your consultation.

Read the Baltimore City service-area guide for the original local context.

Maryland calculates child support using an income shares model. The premise is that a child should receive roughly the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the parents lived together, so the calculation starts by combining both parents’ incomes rather than looking at one parent alone.

The guidelines produce a presumptively correct number. A parent who wants a different figure has to show that the guideline amount would be unjust and inappropriate in their case.

How the calculation works

Determine each parent’s actual income.
Subtract permitted deductions to reach adjusted actual income.
Combine the two adjusted incomes and apply the statutory schedule for the number of children.
Add the child’s share of health insurance, work related child care and extraordinary medical expenses.
Divide the total between the parents in proportion to their incomes, adjusted for the custody arrangement.

What counts as income

Actual income is broad. It includes salary and wages, bonuses and commissions, self employment income, Social Security benefits, workers’ compensation, and alimony received. Means tested public benefits such as temporary cash assistance, SNAP and SSI are excluded.

Where a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, a court may consider potential income rather than actual earnings. That question is litigated frequently and is usually a factual dispute rather than a legal one.

Deductions to reach adjusted actual income

Pre-existing child support actually paid for other children
Alimony actually paid
An allowance for other dependent children living in the parent’s home

Add-on expenses

Health insurance, the portion of the premium attributable to the child
Work related child care, the cost that allows a parent to work or attend training
Extraordinary medical expenses, such as orthodontia or ongoing therapy

How custody changes the number

The custody arrangement matters, and the threshold is specific. For child support purposes, shared physical custody means each parent keeps the child overnight for more than 25 percent of the year, which works out to at least 92 overnights. Above that threshold a different formula applies, and it accounts for the duplicated costs of maintaining two households.

Because the shift happens at a defined line, small changes to a schedule near that line can change the support figure meaningfully. See legal custody, physical custody and parenting plans.

High combined income

The statutory schedule stops at a defined level of combined adjusted actual income. Above that ceiling the guidelines do not automatically control, and a court sets support based on the child’s actual needs and the parents’ circumstances. These cases benefit from careful presentation of what the child’s life actually costs. The current threshold is set by statute, so check the current figure rather than relying on an older article.

Deviating from the guidelines

Courts can order an amount different from the guidelines, but the party seeking the deviation carries the burden and the court must explain the departure. Reasons can include unusual expenses, the needs of a child with a disability, or an agreement between the parents that still serves the child’s best interests.

Establishing, enforcing and changing support

Support can be established as part of a divorce, in a separate custody and support case, or through the state’s child support program. While a case is pending, temporary support can be set at a pendente lite hearing.

Modification requires a material change in circumstances, such as a significant income change, a change in the parenting schedule, or a change in the child’s needs. Support does not adjust itself, and an informal agreement between parents to pay a different amount does not change the order. Arrears can accumulate even where both parents thought they had an understanding. See enforcing or modifying an order.

Official Maryland resources

Talk with a Towson family law attorney

Every divorce and custody matter turns on its own facts. The Law Office of Thomas K. Mallon, LLC offers a free consultation so you can get straight answers about your situation before you decide what to do next.

Call (410) 847-9075 or request a consultation online. The office is at 1107 Kenilworth Drive, Suite 305, Towson, MD 21204.

This page provides general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Maryland law changes, and how it applies depends on the facts of your case.

Child Support resources

Read the full Maryland child support guide. Bring relevant agreements, court papers, financial records, and a list of questions that relate to your situation. If you have received papers with a deadline, tell the office when you contact us.

Other services in Baltimore City

Discuss your situation

or call (410) 847-9075. Advice about your particular matter requires a consultation. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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