Quick answer: North Carolina uses an income-shares model in the Child Support Guidelines (effective January 1, 2023). Each parent’s monthly adjusted gross income is gross income less existing child support paid and the financial responsibility for other children living in the home; the two are added and matched to the Schedule of Basic Support Obligations (combined income up to $40,000 a month, interpolated between rows). In Worksheet A (one parent has the children 243 nights or more), work-related child care, the children’s health insurance premium and extraordinary expenses are added, each parent owes his or her income share, and the non-custodial parent’s direct payments are subtracted. In Worksheet B (each parent has the children at least 123 nights), the basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, each parent’s share is applied to the time the children spend with the other parent, expenses paid above a fair share are credited, and the parent with the higher obligation pays the difference. A self-support reserve is built in: an obligor under $1,150 a month has a $50 minimum order, and if the obligor’s income falls in the shaded area of the schedule in Worksheet A, only the obligor’s income is used and no child care or insurance is added. The guidelines are a rebuttable presumption.
How the North Carolina worksheets work
- Adjusted gross income and the schedule. Lines 1 to 4. See how Worksheet A works.
- Shared custody. Worksheet B. See shared custody and Worksheet B.
- Reserve and high incomes. See the self-support reserve and high incomes.
What this calculator checks
The calculator follows Worksheets A and B and the schedule effective January 1, 2023 (774 rows from $1,350 to $40,000, with the shaded self-support reserve area read from the official pages), and was checked against an independent re-implementation. The Conference of Chief District Judges reviews the guidelines during 2026, so a revised schedule may take effect after this page was written. It assumes the same nights for every child and does not apply deviations, split custody (Worksheet C) or imputed income.
Child support across North Carolina
The guidelines apply in every North Carolina district court, from Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem or Fayetteville, and in civil, criminal and UIFSA proceedings. A court that departs from them must make written findings on the children’s needs and each parent’s ability to pay.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in North Carolina?
Both parents' adjusted gross incomes are added, the schedule gives the basic obligation, add-ons are included and each parent pays his or her income share; shared custody multiplies the basic amount by 1.5 and offsets the parents' obligations.
What is shared custody for North Carolina child support?
Each parent has the children at least 123 nights a year and pays the children's expenses during that time.
What is the North Carolina self-support reserve?
An obligor with adjusted gross income under $1,150 a month has a $50 minimum order; in the shaded area of the schedule only the obligor's income is used.
What is the highest income in the North Carolina schedule?
$40,000 of combined monthly adjusted gross income; above it the court sets support on the child's reasonable needs.
When can North Carolina child support be modified?
A difference of 15% or more from the guideline amount, for an order at least three years old, is presumed to be a substantial change in circumstances.