North Carolina uses two different worksheets, and which one applies changes the answer substantially. Worksheet A covers primary custody. Worksheet B applies only when EACH parent has 123 or more overnights, and it multiplies the obligation by 1.5 before dividing it. The figures here are matched against the state's own worksheet calculator.
Four questions. The estimate updates as you type, and you can open the working to see which figure drives it.
Gross pay before deductions — wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment profit and benefits.
Count the nights the children sleep at your home. This matters financially: 90 overnights is the threshold for an automatic 10% reduction.
Enter both incomes to see an estimate.
Estimate onlyBasic support before health insurance, child care and medical costs are added. Courts can depart from the guideline figure. Based on N.C.G.S. 50-13.4(c) and AOC-A-162 (Rev. 1/23), last checked 2026-08-25.
Income shares on combined adjusted gross income, with a separate shared-custody worksheet once each parent reaches 123 overnights.
Renee and Curtis have one child. Renee's adjusted gross monthly income is $2,000 and Curtis's is $4,000. The child lives mainly with Curtis.
$336 a month. If the schedule moved so that each parent had at least 123 overnights, Worksheet B would apply instead — at a 40/60 split of the year the same case comes out at $404, paid by the higher earner.
This is the number that matters. Below 123 overnights for either parent, Worksheet A applies and parenting time does not change the figure at all. At 123 for both, Worksheet B applies and the calculation changes shape. The form itself says to stop if either parent is under 123.
AOC-CV-628, Worksheet BWorksheet B raises the basic obligation by half before dividing it, because two households cost more than one. So shared custody does not simply halve the payment, and for a higher earner it may not reduce it as much as expected.
AOC-CV-628 line 5North Carolina works from gross monthly income, less any pre-existing child support order actually being paid and an allowance for other children living with you. Ordinary income tax is not deducted.
AOC-CV-627 line 1The worksheet carries cents through the calculation and then drops them from the final figure. A share of $336.67 becomes an order of $336.
AOC-CV-627 line 9Where the children are divided between the parents, North Carolina uses Worksheet C instead. This estimator models one set of children, so a split-custody case needs the AOC form.
AOC-CV-629, Worksheet CKidtime records every overnight, swap and handover as it happens, so the parenting-time figure behind your support order is evidence rather than an estimate. Free to start.
Apply through your county child support office, or file a civil action in District Court. The child support office can establish parentage, set the order and enforce it for a small application fee.
Either parent may ask for a review three years after the order, or sooner on a substantial change in circumstances — commonly a change in income of 15% or more, or a change in the custody schedule that crosses the 123-overnight line.
123, and both parents need it. Below that, Worksheet A applies and parenting time makes no difference to the calculation. At 123 for each parent, Worksheet B applies and the figure is worked out differently.
No. Worksheet B multiplies the basic obligation by 1.5 before splitting it, so the reduction is smaller than people expect — and for a parent who earns much more, it can be modest.
Gross. North Carolina works from gross monthly income, deducting only a pre-existing support order you actually pay and an allowance for other children in your home.
That is Worksheet C, which this estimator does not model. Use the AOC form, or ask the child support office to prepare it.
This calculator gives an estimate of basic guideline support for general information. It is not legal advice and it is not the figure a court will order — judges can and do depart from the guideline, and the calculation leaves out health insurance, child care and medical costs. For the controlling text see N.C.G.S. 50-13.4(c), compare against the state's own calculator, and consult a licensed North Carolina family-law attorney about your situation. Last reviewed 2026-08-25.