Child support in Maine
Child support ensures both parents provide a fair amount of the child's financial support.
The parent whom the child spends the most time with is the obligee; they receive support. The other parent is the obligor; they pay support. If parents spend nearly equal time with their child, the parent with the higher income pays support.
How support is calculated
Maine's Child Support Guidelines help courts determine support amounts.
The guidelines include a Schedule of Basic Support Obligations showing the baseline support amount parents should pay based on their combined incomes and number of children. The obligor pays a portion of the basic obligation that is equal to their share of the combined income. Use the calculator above to estimate what the payment will be in your case.
Courts may deviate from the guidelines if there's reason to. This is most common in cases of extraordinarily high income (combined annual income over $400,000) or low income (obligor's annual income under $22,800).
Applying for child support
You can apply for child support when you start a case for parental rights and responsibilities.
If you apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the state will start a support case for you.
Applying for child support services (CSS) also initiates a support case. CSS gives you access to services like paternity establishment and order enforcement. If you've never received TANF, you'll pay a $25 annual fee for CSS.
In all of the situations above, each parent should fill out a Child Support Affidavit. Then, the parent applying for support fills out a Child Support Worksheet (and Supplemental Worksheet if parents have near-equal contact) to get the exact support amount.
Paying and receiving child support
Typically, support is paid weekly on Friday (and becomes available on Monday), but parents can agree to biweekly or monthly support payments. It's uncommon for the court to order this without parents agreeing to it.
If you're enrolled in CSS, you can pay support through the CSS office. CSS will put the money on a U.S. Bank card for the obligee.
Alternatively, an obligor can pay support directly to the obligee through direct deposit, check or mobile payment apps like Venmo.
Modifying support orders
After three years, you can request to modify your support order.
If it hasn't been three years, you can only modify the order if there's been a substantial change that would adjust support by at least 15%.
If you're enrolled in CSS, contact your local office if you need to modify your order. If you're not enrolled in CSS, you'll file a Motion to Modify.
Enforcing support orders
If the obligor is not paying support as ordered, the court can order income withholding, which automatically deducts support from the obligor's income. The obligor is charged a small fee for the withholding.
Alternatively, the obligee can file a Motion to Enforce the child support order.
Keeping track of payments and expenses
Your child support order will include how you and the other parent split the cost of other expenses for your child.
Whether you're a custodial or noncustodial parent, the Custody X Change app can help you keep track of those expenses and your child support payments.
You can customize this with Custody X Change.
Log details of every payment or expense into your parenting expense tracker to ensure that you're on time and following the court's order.
When you're owed money, share an expense report with the other parent — either digitally or on paper. This is just one way Custody X Change makes co-parenting simpler.