North Dakota Child Support Calculator 2026
Estimate North Dakota child support from the state's net-income schedule. Enter the paying parent's monthly net income and the number of children; add the other parent's net income for equal residential responsibility. Calculated privately in your browser.
Estimate only — the court or the child support agency sets the order. Official source: North Dakota HHS: estimate support amount (guidelines calculator).
North Dakota reads child support from a schedule in N.D. Admin. Code section 75-02-04.1-10, using the paying parent's monthly net income and the number of children. The other parent's income matters only when the parents have equal residential responsibility. This calculator contains the full schedule and applies the extended parenting time and equal residential responsibility rules.
How North Dakota Child Support Is Calculated
Net income is gross income minus a hypothetical federal income tax (single filer, standard deduction), a hypothetical state income tax, Social Security and Medicare, the children's share of health insurance premiums, union dues, required retirement contributions and certain employee expenses. Net income is rounded to the nearest $100 and the amount is read straight from the schedule. Net income of $800 or less gives $0, and the schedule stops at $25,000.
| Monthly net income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $140 | $183 | $232 | $265 |
| $2,000 | $431 | $562 | $665 | $744 |
| $3,000 | $590 | $846 | $1,007 | $1,122 |
| $5,000 | $907 | $1,415 | $1,691 | $1,880 |
| $8,000 | $1,382 | $2,269 | $2,717 | $3,016 |
| $12,000 | $1,992 | $3,026 | $3,615 | $4,004 |
| $25,000 or more | $3,500 | $4,250 | $5,000 | $5,500 |
Worked Example: North Dakota Schedule
A paying parent with $5,000 of monthly net income and two children owes $1,415 a month on the schedule. With 91 overnights the parenting-time adjustment does not apply, because it needs more than 100 court-ordered overnights.
Extended Parenting Time and Equal Residential Responsibility
When a court order schedules more than 100 overnights a year with the paying parent, the amount for each child is multiplied by (365 minus 0.32 times the overnights) divided by 365. At 146 overnights the $1,415 example becomes $1,234. When the court orders equal residential responsibility, an obligation is calculated for each parent and the lesser is subtracted from the greater: with net incomes of $5,000 and $3,000 the amounts are $1,415 and $846, so the higher earner pays $569.
Health insurance premiums for the children reduce net income rather than being added to support, and childcare is not added by formula.
Estimate Only: Who Sets the North Dakota Order
This page gives an estimate only — the court or the state child support agency sets the order, and either can depart from the guideline where the law allows. Before relying on any figure, run the same figures through the North Dakota HHS: estimate support amount (guidelines calculator). The governing text is N.D. Admin. Code chapter 75-02-04.1.
If your income, the parenting schedule or the children's needs change, ask the court or the agency to review the order, and keep paying the ordered amount until it is changed. Last updated: October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is child support calculated in North Dakota?
North Dakota reads the amount from a schedule in N.D. Admin. Code section 75-02-04.1-10, using the paying parent's monthly net income and the number of children. For example, net income of $5,000 gives $907 for one child and $1,415 for two. The other parent's income matters only when the parents have equal residential responsibility.
What counts as net income in North Dakota?
Net income is gross income minus a hypothetical federal income tax for a single filer, a hypothetical state income tax, Social Security and Medicare, the children's share of health insurance premiums, union dues, required retirement contributions and certain employee expenses. It is rounded to the nearest $100 before the schedule is read.
How does extended parenting time change North Dakota child support?
If a court order schedules more than 100 overnights a year with the paying parent, the amount for each child is multiplied by 365 minus 0.32 times the overnights, divided by 365. The adjustment is not available when the parents have equal residential responsibility.
What happens with equal residential responsibility in North Dakota?
When the court orders each parent to have the children for an equal amount of time, a support obligation is calculated for each parent as if the other had primary responsibility. The lesser amount is subtracted from the greater and the parent with the greater obligation pays the difference.
What is the highest amount on the North Dakota schedule?
The schedule stops at monthly net income of $25,000, where support is $3,500 for one child, $4,250 for two, $5,000 for three, $5,500 for four, $6,000 for five and $6,500 for six or more. Above that income a court may order more based on the child's demonstrated needs.