Most states have child support guidelines in their statutes—often in the statutes collected in the state’s family code. These child support guidelines provide percentages and methods of calculating child support payments based on the number of children; the parents’ incomes and financial resources; the income and needs of the custodial parent; the needs of the children, including any special needs; and the standard of living for the children before the parents’ divorce or separation. The child support guidelines are just guidelines, and the court generally has discretion to order more or less child support based on the best interest of the children.

In Maryland, child support guidelines are established by state law and are primarily found in the Family Law Article of the Maryland Code. These guidelines are designed to calculate child support obligations based on a formula that takes into account the number of children, the combined adjusted actual income of both parents, and the proportion of income each parent contributes to the combined income. The guidelines also consider the cost of health insurance for the children, work-related childcare expenses, and extraordinary medical expenses. Maryland's child support guidelines are presumed to be correct, but the court has the discretion to deviate from these guidelines if it finds that the application of the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate in a particular case. Factors that may lead to deviation include the terms of any existing separation or property settlement agreement, the presence of other children not before the court, and any special financial needs or resources of the children or parents. The primary goal is to ensure the best interest of the children is met, and the standard of living for the children after the parents' divorce or separation is considered in the process.