Child Support in Maine: How does Maine child support work?
Parents in Maine have the obligation of supporting their children financially whether they are together or separated. Child support in Maine follows the “income shares model”. In child support cases in Maine, the judge presiding over the case determines the financial support by examining what each parent spent on the child while living together as a family.
The financial number that the judge calculates is in line with each parent’s income. The calculations lead to the final child support amount that must be paid by the parents. Parents are responsible for a percentage of the total support calculation which is based on their income share. Child support in Maine is very similar to what other states use.
How is child support in Maine calculated?
In the “income shares model”, the parent who earns more money is responsible to pay more child support than the parent who earns less. For example, if Parent A earns $700 per week and Parent B makes $300 a week, Parent A is responsible for 70% of Maine child support. Parent B is then responsible for 30% of the support total.
The custody arrangement and child visitation rights schedule are impacted by child support. The custodial parent will often receive child support while the noncustodial parent pays the support amount.
The custodial parent is the parent that has primary custody of the child. The noncustodial parent is the one who spends less time with the child, typically less than 50% of the time. The noncustodial parent makes monthly payments to the custodial parent as it is assumed the custodial parent covers the day-to-day costs of taking care of the child. Therefore, they pay an equivalent amount or more on child’s upbringing.
The Maine Family Court will finalize your child support agreement which is part of every Divorce in Maine that involves children.
