Simple Child Support Calculator
For a simple and easy calculation of child support in Maine, we suggest trying the DIY Divorce Review calculator. Maine appears to lack an official, government calculator that is easy to use.
The DIY Divorce Review calculator is quite simple and easy to use. But note that the estimator may not always be accurate and up to date for 2024. For a more reliable assessment, you can try the official version.
In the state of Maine, the result of an online calculation should be interpreted carefully. You should treat the estimate as just a preliminary indication of the child support amount you could receive or be required to pay.
Maine Parenting Time Calculator
While Maine child support guidelines focus on which parent is the "custodial parent", parenting time shares have the potential to affect child support. Actual parenting time percentages could influence the order a judge makes or how much parents agree to.
Use this overnights calculator to work out your parenting time percentage. Most states measure parenting time based on overnight stays.
Calculate annual overnight stays
Regular nights
Vacation nights each year*
183 overnight stays per year.
50.0% of parenting time.
* Vacation nights are all nights when the regular schedule does not apply.
How Child Support is Calculated in Maine
Child support payments in Maine are calculated using the income shares only method. Payments depend on the combined income of the parents as well as the number of children eligible for support. A bigger combined income or extra children typically means higher payments.
The amounts transferred also depend on each parent’s income share or income percentage. Mainers paying the most support are non-custodial parents with high incomes. The biggest receivers are low-income parents with primary physical custody and a high-earning payer.
We refer to the method as "income shares only" since Maine lacks a well-defined way of adjusting payments for the exact amount of parenting time each parent contributes. A parent’s share of care time is not a detailed part of the guidelines, as is usually the case with income sharing models.
If you want the Court to order a different child support payment to the figure on your worksheet, tell the Judge or Magistrate what you think the support amount should be. Be ready to explain why your situation fits one of the criteria listed. Where both parents provide "substantially equal care", the calculation will be different and more complicated.
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 [in theory] on the child while living together as a family.
Maine Child Support
Mainer child support guidelines apply to the whole state, including the cities of Portland, Lewiston and Bangor. Variations in support payments may be made by the agreement of parents or at the discretion of a judge presiding over your case.
Payment Calculators by State