Menu
Maryland's child support laws changed last year, bringing an important update for parents supporting children in multiple households. Effective October 1, 2025, Maryland's new multifamily adjustment allows courts to consider a parent's financial responsibility for additional children living in their home when calculating child support. If you're a parent who pays child support for one child but also supports another child who lives with you for more than 92 overnights per year, you may qualify for an adjustment that could lower your child support obligation. The goal of this change is to provide a more balanced calculation that recognizes a parent's financial responsibility to all qualifying children, not just those included in an existing child support order. The change comes from a new statute commonly called the Multifamily Adjustment Law (HB 275 / SB 1038).
Let’s walk through what that actually means.
Plenty of families don’t fit into a neat one-household setup. It’s common for a parent to:
Under the old guidelines, the child living in your home didn’t count in the support math unless there was a separate order. So the court looked at your income as if that child didn’t exist — even though you were paying for food, housing, clothes, school needs, childcare, and everything else that comes with raising a kid.
Effective October 1, 2025, Maryland's new multifamily adjustment allows courts to account for a parent's financial responsibility to additional children living in their household who are not included in the child support order being calculated.
To qualify for this adjustment, the following conditions must be met:
The parent has another child living in their household.
The parent has a legal duty to support that child, such as a biological or adopted child.
The child is not covered by an existing child support order.
The child spends more than 92 overnights per year in the parent's home.
Maryland uses an income-shares model to calculate child support, considering both parents' incomes and certain expenses associated with raising their children.
Under the new law, the court calculates a basic child support obligation for each qualifying additional child using Maryland's child support guidelines and only the income of the parent requesting the adjustment. The court then takes 75% of that amount and deducts it from the parent's income before calculating the child support obligation for the child involved in the current case.
For example: If the calculated basic support obligation for an additional child is $800 per month, the adjustment would be $600. This means $600 would be deducted from the parent's monthly income used in the child support calculation, rather than directly reducing the child support payment by $600.
The adjustment is not automatic in every case. Courts may decline to apply it if doing so would be unjust or inappropriate based on the evidence and the best interests of the child receiving support.
Because every family's financial circumstances are different, the final child support obligation will depend on the parents' incomes, qualifying expenses, and other factors considered under Maryland law.
This isn’t automatic for existing orders. The law applies to:
So if you already have an order and your household situation fits this new rule, you’d typically need to file for a modification to have it considered.
This change is about fairness and reality. Supporting a child who lives with you isn’t optional or theoretical, it’s daily, ongoing cost. The new law finally acknowledges that parents in multifamily situations are often stretching one income across multiple kids in different homes.
It also helps avoid outcomes where one child’s support order unintentionally puts another child at a disadvantage, simply because they live in the paying parent’s home.
Even though the statute lays out the formula, judges still have discretion, and parents should be ready to document overnight schedules. Courts may look to parenting plans, calendars, school or daycare records, or credible testimony to confirm that 92-overnight threshold.
If you’re paying support for one child and raising another in your home, Maryland’s new law could reduce your support obligation, but only if you qualify and only in cases filed or modified after October 1, 2025.
At Ruben Law Firm, we help Maryland parents navigate child support, child support modifications, protect their rights, and guide them through the legal process efficiently. Don’t wait, contact us promptly and schedule your free initial consultation with one of our talented Ruben Law Firm Attorneys.
