Comparison of Child Support: Maryland, Virginia and D.C. Guidelines
Here is a comparison applying the child support guidelines of each local jurisdiction to a typical case: two children, sole custody, $0 health insurance and $0 child care costs and combined monthly income of $10,000, non-custodial parent’s income is $7,500 and custodial parent’s income is $2,500:
District
total support $25,174/12 = $2,098
custodial % of income .75
recommended support order $1,573
Maryland
total support $1,811
custodial % of income .75
recommended support order $1,358
Virginia
total support – $1,567
custodial % of income .75
recommended support order $1,175
Again, applying the child support guidelines to a case with the same facts except combined monthly income of $15,000, non-custodial parent’s income is $11,250 and custodial parent’s income is $3,750:
District of Columbia recommended support order – $2,197
Maryland recommended support order – $2,135
Virginia recommended support order – $1,541
And the same facts except combined monthly income of $20,000, non-custodial parent’s income is $15,000 and custodial parent’s income is $5,000
District of Columbia: recommended support order – $2,714
Maryland recommended support order (extrapolated)- $2,847
Virginia recommended support order – $1,765
And now with combined monthly income of $30,000, non-custodial parent’s income is $22,500 and custodial parent’s income is $7,500
District of Columbia: recommended support order – $2,714
Maryland recommended support order (extrapolated)- $4,271
Virginia recommended support order – $2,144
As you can see, at higher incomes, child support is much lower in Virginia than in Maryland or the District, just as it was in 2011. At incomes over $20,000, recommended support in Maryland using extrapolation is much higher than in DC or Virginia.