NORTH CAROLINA SUPPORT GUIDELINE
North Carolina child support calculator & worksheet
The North Carolina child support calculator estimates basic support from the income-shares schedule. Your custody arrangement determines which official worksheet applies. This guide explains Worksheets A, B and C and links to the NC worksheet here; shared and split custody require the full state calculation.
Current module status
| State | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Status | Active base worksheet module |
| Guideline model | income shares monthly table |
| Primary income field | Combined monthly adjusted gross income |
How North Carolina child support law works
Legal starting point. North Carolina uses income-shares guidelines and three principal worksheets that correspond to the custody arrangement. The schedule supplies the basic obligation from combined adjusted gross income, while the appropriate worksheet accounts for the family’s actual residential schedule. Read North Carolina Child Support Guidelines.
How the guideline is calculated
Worksheet A is used for ordinary primary custody, Worksheet B for shared custody, and Worksheet C for split custody. Child care, insurance, extraordinary expenses, low-income treatment, high income, and deviations require the complete worksheet rather than a table lookup.
What this site’s worksheet covers
Uses the North Carolina Schedule of Basic Support Obligations effective January 1, 2023. The schedule is part of North Carolina’s income-shares guidelines and the basic child support obligation is allocated between parents by income share in the applicable worksheet. Between-row support is interpolated. Verified shaded payer-only reserve amounts and the ordinary minimum below $1,150 are applied; the gap from $1,150 to the first published $1,300 row is withheld for review. Child care, health insurance, extraordinary expenses, Worksheet B shared custody, Worksheet C split custody and high-income cases above $40,000 require separate worksheet handling.
Documents that make the worksheet more useful
North Carolina Worksheet A, B, or C for the actual custody arrangement. Gather the records that support the income, parenting-time, insurance, child-care, and other adjustment entries that apply to the family. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute.
For a filing or agreement, complete the official court forms linked on this page. They use the same guideline structure explained here, and the court applies it to the facts of the case.
Before you enter your numbers
How do I choose North Carolina Worksheet A, B, or C?
North Carolina publishes different worksheets for primary, shared, and split custody. Shared custody and split custody are different situations: in a split arrangement, different children primarily live with different parents. Selecting the wrong worksheet can change the calculation even when the same income figures are used.
Prepare this: Prepare a per-child residential calendar and identify who pays coverage and care. Match the actual arrangement to the guideline definitions before opening the corresponding worksheet.
Read the relevant official instructions: North Carolina Child Support Guidelines.
These preparation notes explain one part of the state guideline. A new estimate does not change an existing order; a modification request does.
How North Carolina cases actually get to a number
Pick Worksheet A (primary), B (joint), or C (split) before entering income. Combined gross income is interpolated on the schedule. Using Worksheet A on a true joint-custody family is the usual error.
North Carolina’s 2023 child-support guidelines use an income-shares schedule with interpolation between income rows and a worksheet A/B/C structure for custody types. That is a different path from neighboring states that use another model, so do not import a table, percentage, or overnight credit from somewhere else.
Parenting time in North Carolina
Worksheet B is for joint physical custody as the guidelines define it, based on overnight shares. Worksheet C is split custody of different children. Overnight estimates should match the order.
Costs North Carolina usually treats separately
- Work-related child-care costs
- Health-insurance premiums
- Extraordinary expenses
- Other guideline add-ons on the chosen worksheet
When North Carolina courts leave the guideline
High income, a child’s own resources, and other support orders are deviation topics. Interpolation between schedule rows is required, not optional.
Official North Carolina forms to keep beside this guide
North Carolina Worksheet A, B, or C for the actual custody arrangement. The calculator applies the guideline formula described above and identifies any listed worksheet line it does not compute. The primary authority is the published North Carolina source. Fill the official form from source documents. Use this page only to check that you chose the right North Carolina path—primary versus shared, table versus percentage, add-ons versus basic support.
Where this is typically filed
District Court hears family cases; NC Child Support Services handles IV-D. Use the 2023 guidelines until a later set is adopted.
Questions about North Carolina child support
Which North Carolina child support worksheet should I use?
Worksheet A is for primary custody, Worksheet B is for shared custody and Worksheet C is for split custody. Apply the definitions in the official North Carolina guidelines to the actual parenting arrangement. Do not choose Worksheet B merely because both parents are involved, or reuse another state’s custody rules.
Official NC guidelines and worksheet selection
Does this NC child support calculator complete Worksheet B?
This site’s North Carolina module calculates the base schedule amount. It does not complete the shared-custody Worksheet B or split-custody Worksheet C calculation. For those arrangements, use the official worksheet and include the required income, parenting-time, child-care, insurance and expense information.
North Carolina official worksheet resources
What income do I need for a North Carolina estimate?
Prepare both parents’ monthly income using the definitions and adjustments in the NC guidelines. Business income and support of other children need the state’s own treatment; paycheck take-home pay is not a substitute for guideline income. Keep child care, health insurance and extraordinary expenses separate from the base schedule inputs.
Prepare both parties’ income records · Open the North Carolina base worksheet
Guide wording updated .
Run the calculator
Open the free support calculator, select North Carolina, complete the state worksheet, and print or export the output for review.