Maine Child Support Guidelines
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated June 20, 2016
In Maine, child support guidelines provide a standard by which the state's family law courts determine the amounts of child support awards. These guidelines take several factors into account (including how much each parent earns, the child(ren)'s estimated expenses, and other factors relevant to the family's finances) in order to determine how much the "non-custodial parent" (the parent who doesn't live with the children) will be ordered to pay to the "custodial parent" (the parent who lives with the children). The table below briefly outlines Maine's child support guidelines.
Code Section |
Maine Revised Statutes 19-A section 2006: Support Guidelines |
Determination of Basic Support Entitlement |
The family court determines how much support each child is entitled to by following the three steps below:
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Total Basic Support Obligation |
The total basic support obligation is determined by adding the child care costs, health insurance premiums, and extraordinary medical expenses to the basic support entitlement calculated above. |
Computation of Parental Support Obligation
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The total basic support obligation is then divided between the parents in proportion to their respective gross incomes. The court requires the non-custodial parent to pay their share of the total basic support obligation to the custodial parent. This is because the custodial parent is presumed to spend their share of the total basic support obligation directly on the child(ren). |
Special Circumstances |
The court will also consider the following special circumstances when determining child support:
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Deviating From the Guidelines
In Maine there is a rebuttable presumption that a child support award calculated using the guidelines outlined above is in the best interest of the child(ren). However, if the court finds that an order based on the support guidelines would be inequitable or unjust then the court will deviate from the guidelines. Revised Statutes section 19-A section 2007(3) outlines the criteria used for deviating from the guidelines.
Additional Resources
- Guide to Getting Child Support
- What Does Child Support Cover?
- Enforcement and Collection of Back Child Support
State laws change frequently. For case specific information regarding Maine's child support guidelines contact a local family law attorney.
Next Steps: Search for a Local Attorney
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