North Carolina Child Support: Worksheets and 2027 Changes

North Carolina child support is moving to a new table. On January 1, 2027, revised statewide guidelines replace the ones in force since 2023, and they apply to every case heard on or after that date, whatever day it was filed. A single mom who applies this fall could reach her first hearing under the new numbers, so it pays to know both.

This guide follows the official worksheet one line at a time, then turns to what happens once an order exists: collecting it, enforcing it and changing it. It was written by a researcher, not a lawyer, and is not legal advice. Each rule below was read on October 30, 2026 on the Judicial Branch, NCDHHS or General Assembly page linked beside it.

What the 2027 revision changes

• A rebuilt schedule based on new cost-of-raising-children data from the Center for Policy Research
• The top of the table rises from $40,000 to $50,000 of combined monthly income
• The minimum order rises from $50 to $100 a month, now for paying parents under $1,600 of adjusted income (was under $1,150)
• The self-support reserve moves to the 2026 poverty line for one person, $1,330 a month (was $1,133)
• Clearer wording on one-time income, retroactive support and arrears
• Unchanged: the 243-night and 123-night lines, the 1.5 shared-custody multiplier and the 15% test for changing an order

The chief district judges adopted the revision at their October 7, 2026 meeting, after a June 4 public hearing in Raleigh, according to the Judicial Branch announcement. The full 2027 guidelines text is already posted.

Which rulebook applies to your hearing?

The trigger is the hearing date, not the application date. Until December 31, 2026, judges use the guidelines effective January 1, 2023. From January 1, 2027, they use the new set. An order entered before then stays as written until a court modifies it; a fresh schedule does not rewrite it on its own.

North Carolina child support guidelines come from the Conference of Chief District Judges, which G.S. 50-13.4 directs to set statewide presumptive guidelines and review them at least every four years. The 2027 text puts the next review in 2030.

Worksheet A, B or C: count overnights first

Every North Carolina child support calculation runs on one of three court forms, and the choice turns on where the children sleep. Legal custody labels, joint or sole, play no part in it.

Form	Use it when	Night count	How the math works
Worksheet A (AOC-CV-627)	One parent has primary physical custody of every child in the case	243 or more nights a year with that parent	Both obligations are figured, but only the parent without primary custody is ordered to pay
Worksheet B (AOC-CV-628)	Parents share custody of all the children, or share one child while one parent has primary custody of another	At least 123 nights with each parent, who covers the child's costs during that time	Basic obligation times 1.5, split by income and by time with the other parent; the larger obligation pays the difference
Worksheet C (AOC-CV-629)	Each parent has primary custody of at least one child	243 or more nights for each child, in different homes	Split by income and the number of children in each home; the larger obligation pays the difference

Below 123 nights, regular visits change nothing on paper, which surprises many parents. A father with 100 overnights a year still lands on Worksheet A, which has no line that trims support for his visits. Georgia handles the same question with a day-count formula, explained in this site's guide to how child support works in Georgia.

Line 1: what counts as his income, and yours

A North Carolina child support worksheet starts from gross monthly income, before taxes, insurance or retirement come out. That covers wages, commissions, bonuses, severance, self-employment profit, rent, pensions, Social Security, unemployment, workers' compensation, disability pay, gifts, prizes and alimony from someone outside the case.

Means-tested help is left out. Work First cash (TANF), SSI, food and nutrition benefits and General Assistance are excluded, so a single mother's SNAP never raises her side of the form. Child support she receives for a child from another relationship is excluded too.

A judge can impute income only when a parent is unemployed or underemployed in bad faith, to hold down support. A parent with no recent work history is assumed to earn at least minimum wage for a 35-hour week. Incarceration cannot be treated as voluntary unemployment, and the court considers a young or disabled child at home before imputing income to the parent caring for that child.

Each parent should bring at least one full month of pay stubs or business records plus the latest tax return. The bonus rule is not new, but the 2027 text adds a worked example: a father who pays 10% of his regular income as support can be ordered to pay 10% of a one-time payment.

Line 2: credits for other children

Support a parent actually pays under an existing order for other children is subtracted from gross income, though payments on old arrears are not. For other children living with a parent, the schedule amount for those children, figured on that parent's income alone, comes off too, but it cannot be the only reason to change an order. Alimony paid is not subtracted.

Lines 3 and 4: your income share and the schedule

North Carolina child support uses the income shares model: children should get the same share of parental income they would have if the parents lived together. Line 3 divides each parent's adjusted income by the combined total. Line 4 reads the combined total off the schedule, which climbs in $50 rows; amounts between rows are interpolated.

The schedule reflects estimated household spending on children from birth to 18. It leaves out child care, health insurance and medical costs above $250 per child per year, which is why those go on line 5. Here is how the same rows compare across the two schedules:

For most families the 2027 figures run higher. At $7,500 of combined income with two children, the basic amount rises from $1,655 to $1,811, about 9.4%. The bottom of the table moves the other way: the row for $2,000 with two children falls from $522 to $376, reflecting the new low-income protection described further down.

Line 5: day care, insurance and extraordinary costs

Reasonable child care paid so a parent can work or look for work is added and shared by income. Day care a single mom pays while she is in school is not added automatically, though it can justify a deviation, and so can child care tax credits a parent actually receives.

Only the children's slice of a health insurance premium goes on line 5b. If a family policy does not show it, divide the premium by everyone covered and multiply by the children in the case. Coverage paid by an employer and never taken from wages does not count. A policy is reasonable if the child's cost stays within 5% of that parent's gross income.

The schedule already includes $250 a year per child for uninsured medical and dental bills. Beyond that, a judge can split costs such as orthodontia, vision care, asthma treatment, therapy and counseling. Special or private school costs tied to a child's needs, and travel between the two homes, can be added as extraordinary expenses.

Lines 6 through 9 for a Durham mom of two

Here is a made-up case worked on the official Worksheet A form. A single mom in Durham earns $3,000 a month gross and has the two children 313 nights a year. She pays $520 a month for after-school care so she can work. Their father earns $4,500 gross and pays $140 a month for the children's share of his health insurance. Neither pays support for other children.

Worksheet A line	Heard by Dec. 31, 2026	Heard from Jan. 1, 2027
Lines 1 and 2: adjusted income, mom / dad / combined	$3,000 / $4,500 / $7,500	$3,000 / $4,500 / $7,500
Line 3: income share, mom / dad	40% / 60%	40% / 60%
Line 4: basic obligation, two children	$1,655.00	$1,811.00
Line 5d: child care (mom $520) plus insurance (dad $140)	$660.00	$660.00
Line 6: total obligation	$2,315.00	$2,471.00
Line 7: dad's 60%	$1,389.00	$1,482.60
Line 8: minus what dad pays directly	$140.00	$140.00
Line 9: recommended order	$1,249.00	$1,342.60

Her own 40% share of line 6 is never paid to anyone, since she already covers day care and most daily costs. His insurance premium comes off his line because he pays it straight to the insurer. The whole $93.60 gap between the two columns comes from line 4, the schedule itself.

Shared time on Worksheet B

Once each parent has at least 123 nights, Worksheet B takes over. The combined basic amount is multiplied by 1.5 to reflect two households, then each parent's obligation is weighted by the nights the children spend with the other parent. Whoever owes more pays the difference.

The multiplier and night weighting can shrink the payment sharply, and a mother who out-earns the father can end up owing. If a custody fight over overnights is likely, estimates in what a custody lawyer costs can help with planning.

The floor under a low-income father

North Carolina child support guidelines protect a self-support reserve so the paying parent keeps enough to live on. Under the 2023 rules it is based on $1,133 a month; under the 2027 rules, $1,330. Below the cutoff, $1,150 now and $1,600 from January, the presumptive order is a flat minimum: $50 now, $100 in 2027, unless a judge deviates.

Just above the cutoff, a shaded band of the schedule applies on Worksheet A. Support is then figured from his income alone, and child care and insurance are left off, though either can be grounds for a deviation. Worksheets B and C never use the shaded band. For a single mother, the reserve can mean a smaller order than the main table suggests.

When a judge departs from the guideline figure

The North Carolina child support guideline amount is presumed correct. A judge may go above or below it only after finding, in writing, that it would not meet or would exceed the children's reasonable needs, or would be unjust.

Two special cases stand out. If the parents signed a valid separation agreement that was never made part of a court order, the court follows its support amount unless it is unreasonable. And for months before a case was filed, retroactive support can be set either by the guidelines or by his fair share of what was actually spent on the children.

Opening a case: NC Child Support Services or a court filing

Support can be set four ways: a separation agreement, a Voluntary Support Agreement signed by both parents and a judge, a case through North Carolina child support services, or a civil complaint in district court. The Judicial Branch child support help page walks through each.

NCDHHS Child Support Services (CSS) locates fathers, establishes paternity, sets orders, collects and enforces. Families on Work First or in foster care are referred at no cost. A single mom outside those programs files form DSS-4451 at a county office or online and pays up to $25, nonrefundable. It does not handle custody, visitation or property.

Under G.S. 110-130.1, the fee drops to $10 if your gross income is at or below the federal poverty line. If CSS collects at least $550 in a federal fiscal year for a family that never received Work First, a $35 annual fee is kept from collections after that first $550. The CSS attorney represents the agency, not you, so a private lawyer is a separate decision.

Free advice may be available through legal aid for single mothers, including North Carolina programs. On the court route, the father is served and has 30 days to answer, and the first payment is usually due on the first of the month after the judge signs the order.

Paternity before support

For a single mother who was not married at the birth, no support order can be set until the father signs an acknowledgment or is proven the father. The easiest moment is at the hospital: he must be present with identification to sign the Affidavit of Parentage, and both names then go on the birth certificate.

A signed affidavit has the effect of a paternity judgment for support purposes. Either parent can ask a court to rescind it within 60 days of signing, or sooner if a paternity or support order is entered first, under G.S. 110-132; after that, it can be set aside only for fraud, duress, mutual mistake or excusable neglect. If there is any doubt, neither parent should sign before a genetic test.

CSS usually tests with a cheek swab, and lab results can take four to six weeks. When CSS files the case, it requires the test, and a man found to be the father can be charged its cost.

Work First and the support you sign over

Accepting Work First Family Assistance assigns the right to child support to the state or county, up to the cash paid, under G.S. 110-137. In practice, a single mom on Work First does not receive the support collected while she gets the grant; it repays the state. North Carolina child support services collects it either way.

Cooperation with CSS is a condition of the grant, but the Work First agency can find good cause not to pursue the father, for example a risk of physical or emotional harm to you or the child. Ask your Work First caseworker how to make a good cause claim. Other cash help is listed in North Carolina grants for single mothers. For rent, see Section 8 in North Carolina.

How the money reaches you

Every payment in a CSS case runs through NC Child Support Centralized Collections. His employer withholds support from each paycheck and forwards it within seven business days. Withholding can also reach unemployment, workers' compensation, Social Security and VA disability benefits.

Per the CSS frequently asked questions, a single mother's first payment arrives as a check unless she has signed up for direct deposit. After that, payments load to an ncKIDScard debit card within two business days of being receipted. Direct deposit needs a checking or debit card account, not savings, and takes three to four weeks to start. Questions go to 1-800-992-9457.

When he falls behind: the enforcement checklist

Tools in North Carolina child support cases, with the point where each can start

1. Income withholding: required in every CSS order and in court orders first entered since 1994, with narrow exceptions, per G.S. 110-136.3; CSS calls it its most effective tool
2. State tax refund intercept: at $50 past due
3. Federal tax refund intercept: at $500 past due, or $150 on a public assistance case; joint-return refunds can be held six months
4. Bank account levy: at six months of support or $1,000, whichever is less
5. Property lien: at three months of support or $3,000, whichever is less
6. Credit bureau reporting: his support obligation is reported to the credit bureaus
7. Driver's, hunting and fishing licenses: a judge can revoke them at 90 days behind; professional licenses go through the licensing board
8. Passport: denied or revoked once arrears pass $2,500
9. Contempt: civil or criminal, which can mean jail; without CSS, file a Motion for Order to Show Cause

The license step comes from G.S. 110-142.2, which also lets a judge grant a limited driving privilege if he needs to drive for work. On a third contempt finding, the court must impose at least one of those license or registration sanctions.

Missed payments do not fade. Under G.S. 50-13.10, each one vests as it comes due and cannot be reduced later unless a motion was filed before it was due. Past-due amounts can also be turned into a judgment that acts as a lien.

Changing the amount: the three-year, 15% test

A North Carolina child support order can be modified on a substantial change in circumstances. If the order is at least three years old, a gap of 15% or more between the current order and a fresh guideline figure is presumed to be one. A new need for the children's health coverage counts too, even if the dollar amount barely moves.

If CSS enforces your order, either parent can request a review every three years, and orders for families on public assistance are reviewed automatically. A review can be asked for sooner after a substantial change. Outside CSS, the motion to modify form is on the courts' help page. Because past payments are vested, file promptly: a change can reach payments due after the motion is filed and served, not the months before.

Birthdays that end support

North Carolina child support normally ends at 18. If the child is still in primary or secondary school, it continues until graduation, until regular attendance or satisfactory progress stops, or until age 20, whichever comes first. A child in a cooperative innovative high school program is covered until 18 or the end of the fourth year, whichever is later.

Support can end sooner if a child marries, joins the military or is emancipated. At graduation or age 20 it stops without a new court order. If he still owes arrears, he keeps paying the same monthly amount until they are cleared.

Questions single moms ask about NC support

Do I need a custody order before I ask for support?

No. A parent or other caregiver whose child lives with her can request support without first getting custody. The case can be filed in the county where the child lives or where a parent lives. It can even be filed against an alleged father whose name is missing from the birth certificate.

Can he stop paying because I limit his visits?

No. North Carolina treats custody and support as separate legal issues, so a dispute over visits does not change what the order says he owes. If he wants more time with the children, he has to ask the court for it in a separate proceeding. CSS cannot help either parent with visitation questions.

What happens to support while he is in prison?

Incarceration cannot be treated as voluntary unemployment, so a court cannot simply assume he still earns his old wage. By statute, no arrears build while he is incarcerated, not on work release and without resources to pay. Payments he missed before that stay vested. Ask CSS whether a review fits your case.

He moved to another state. Can I still collect?

Yes. Apply at your local CSS office either way. Federal interstate law allows only one support order at a time, so a valid order from here does not need to be redone each time he moves. If paternity still has to be established, CSS says the other state's guidelines set the amount.

Can support continue through college?

Only by agreement. Parents can agree, in a separation agreement or consent order, to support a child through college or to keep supporting a disabled adult child, and a valid agreement is binding. Without one, the legal duty ends at 18 or with high school, subject to the age 20 limit and the early college exception.

Sources

• North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, AOC-A-162, effective January 1, 2023. nccourts.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, AOC-A-162, Rev. 1/27, effective January 1, 2027. nccourts.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina Judicial Branch. North Carolina Child Support Guidelines Updated for 2027. nccourts.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. Worksheet A, Child Support Obligation, Primary Custody, AOC-CV-627, Rev. 1/23. nccourts.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina Judicial Branch. Child support help topic. nccourts.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• NC Department of Health and Human Services. Child Support Services. ncdhhs.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• NC Department of Health and Human Services. Frequently asked questions about Child Support Services. ncdhhs.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 50-13.4, Action for support of minor child. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 50-13.10, Past due child support vested. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 110-130.1, Nonrecipient eligibility for child support services. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 110-132, Acknowledgment of paternity. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 110-137, Acceptance of public assistance constitutes assignment of support rights. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 110-136.3, Income withholding procedures; applicability. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)
• North Carolina General Assembly. G.S. 110-142.2, Suspension, revocation, restriction of license to operate a motor vehicle and of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses. ncleg.gov (retrieved October 30, 2026)