Columbia Maryland Child Support Guidelines: What Parents Should Know

A Maryland child support number starts with the state guidelines, but bonuses, self-employment income, military BAH pay, custody overnights, and add-on costs can move it far from the free online calculator's estimate. Todd K. Mohink, a 30-year Maryland trial attorney who argued Braun v. Headley, walks Howard County and Columbia families through how a real child support number gets built, challenged, and modified. Questions answered in this episode: What are the Maryland Child Support Guidelines and how do they set a support number? How does the guidelines formula combine both parents' incomes? What counts as income for a Columbia parent, including bonuses, BAH pay, and self-employment? When can a Howard County child support order be modified? Topics covered: Maryland Child Support Guidelines, the Family Law Article, joint gross income, the $30,000 extrapolation threshold, the 92-overnight custody threshold, military BAH pay, guideline deviations, and health insurance and daycare add-ons. Maryland statutes referenced in this episode: Md. Code, Family Law Section 12-204 (guidelines and the $30,000 extrapolation threshold). Todd K. Mohink on the Family Law Article: "The guidelines are a list that are included in what's called the Family Law Article of Maryland. The Family Law Article is a statute, which is a rule that explains, based on parties' joint income, what child support is." Todd K. Mohink on military BAH pay: "For people in the military, it's important for them to know that BAH, which is locality pay and which in Maryland is significant, probably give or take $3,000 plus for people who move here to serve at Fort Meade or NSA, that income counts." Todd K. Mohink has practiced Maryland family law for 30 years and argued Braun v. Headley before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Law Offices of Todd K. Mohink, PA 10440 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044 Phone: 410-964-0050 | marylandlawhelp.com #MarylandChildSupportGuidelines #HowardCountyFamilyLaw #ColumbiaMDAttorney #MDFamilyLawArticle #ChildSupportModification This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is evaluated on its individual facts. Maryland attorney advertising; consultation does not create an attorney-client relationship with the Law Offices of Todd K. Mohink, PA. Chapters 00:00:00 What Sets a Columbia, Maryland Child Support Number? 00:01:00 What Are Maryland's Child Support Guidelines? Family Law Article 00:02:38 How Do Maryland Guidelines Combine Parents' Incomes in Columbia? 00:03:44 What Counts as Income for Columbia Parents? Bonuses and BAH Pay 00:06:27 What Is Maryland's High-Income Child Support Formula Above $30K? 00:07:36 How Do Overnights Change a Howard County Support Number? 00:09:02 When Can a Howard County Judge Deviate From Support Guidelines? 00:10:42 What Add-On Expenses Raise a Columbia Child Support Bill? 00:12:52 When Can a Howard County Child Support Order Be Modified? 00:14:48 What Should a Columbia Parent Do Before a Child Support Fight?