North Carolina is rolling out new child support guidelines on Jan. 1, 2027, and one number stands out for low-income parents: a $100 minimum monthly order when the paying parent’s adjusted gross income is under $1,600 a month. The rest of the schedule has been rebuilt as well, which means support amounts can shift at nearly every income level.
The guidelines apply to cases heard on or after the start date, so a petition filed this fall but heard next year falls under the new schedule. Here is what changes, what stays the same, and what parents and caregivers can check in advance.
What the New Guidelines Set for Jan. 1, 2027
According to Family Law Software’s summary, the revised guidelines, worksheet AOC-A-162, were adopted Oct. 7, 2026 by the Conference of Chief District Court Judges. The trigger is the hearing date, not the filing date. That detail matters for families already in the court system, and it echoes other household changes landing in the same season, such as the news that 109,384 fewer North Carolinians are on food stamps than a year ago, while a list of hardest truths to accept in life, according to baby boomers touches on the money questions families wrestle with.
The statewide guidelines are set by the Conference under state law, which the UNC School of Government’s training slides describe, and the schedule is reviewed on a cycle, with the next review slated for 2030. The 2027 version uses 2026 economic data, including 2026 price levels, the 2026 North Carolina labor market and 2026 federal and state taxes, plus updated estimates of what it costs to raise a child in an intact family. Parents balancing child costs with aging relatives may also relate to the 54 percent of Americans in their 40s sandwiched between an aging parent and a child, and many will find a short roundup of common life choices that go badly a lighter read.
The $100 Minimum and the Low-Income Phase-In
Under the new rules, a parent with adjusted gross income below $1,600 a month owes a $100 minimum order unless a court deviates from it. Family Law Software says the amount is the same regardless of the number of children. A self-support reserve is based on the 2026 federal poverty level for one person, $1,330 a month, and above $1,600 the obligation phases in. For one child, the example from the summary shows an order rising from $100 at $1,600 to $407 at $2,050 and $416 at $2,100. Monthly budgets at these income levels leave little room, which is why a note that North Carolina pays the least for gas matters to some households, and a guide to easy lunch ideas for kindergarten kids shows how families stretch a dollar.
The UNC slides carry the same $1,600 and $1,330 figures. The shaded-area adjustment, where support is based on the paying parent’s income alone without childcare or health insurance premiums, applies only under Worksheet A for primary custody, not under Worksheet B for shared custody or Worksheet C for split custody. Paperwork like this can feel heavy, and a piece on how to stop procrastinating offers a nudge to start early, while families also juggling older relatives can turn to a look at challenges adult children overlook in their aging parents.
A Higher Cap and Case-by-Case Orders at the Top
The schedule now reaches $50,000 a month, or $600,000 a year, in combined adjusted gross income. Above that level, support is set case by case under state statute 50-13.4(c), and the schedule can still serve as evidence of a minimum. The UNC slides add that orders above the cap require findings on the children’s needs and the parents’ ability to pay.
The guidelines also give courts more guidance on one-time income. A bonus or similar payment can be averaged or prorated over a set period, or handled through percentage-matching, where a parent paying 10 percent of recurring income could be ordered to pay 10 percent of a one-time payment, such as $2,000 on a $20,000 bonus.
Modifications, Arrears and What Parents Can Do Now
For orders at least three years old, a gap of 15 percent or more between the current order and the new guidelines amount is presumed to be a substantial change in circumstances, according to Family Law Software, which expects a wave of modification filings, especially for orders entered in 2023 or earlier. Prospective support runs from the filing date, and the UNC slides say retroactive support can reach three years before filing. Arrears are now defined as amounts not paid under an order, and accrued arrears cannot be vacated or reduced except as state law allows.
Practical steps are simple. Parents with an existing order can compare it with the guidelines worksheet, which the North Carolina Judicial Branch publishes as form AOC-A-162, gather recent income records, and note the date of any hearing. The Family Law Software summary also notes that the shaded-area calculation and the worksheets differ by custody type, so the worksheet that applies depends on the arrangement. Anyone with a case pending should consider asking a family law attorney or the local child support office how the hearing date affects the schedule that applies.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Warren LeMay – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
