Legislation · Maryland · Child support · Enforcement
Maryland caps certain child-support earnings deductions at 35%
Chapter 868 caps certain deductions at 35% of disposable earnings for obligors below an income threshold and updates a related administrative-contest reference; effective October 1, 2028.
Published November 3, 2026 · Reviewed by David Martino
Maryland Senate Bill 16, enacted as 2026 Maryland Laws chapter 868, adds a 35% cap on certain earnings deductions for child-support withholding. It applies under Family Law § 10-129(a)(2) when the obligor’s current-year individual income does not exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines for a family of one. The final enacted text contains no voluntary-impoverishment exception to this cap. Section 2 sets an October 1, 2028 effective date, so the provision is not yet operative as of this report’s October 2026 cutoff.
The enrolled bill’s final text also amends Family Law § 12-102.3 to add references to § 10-129 in the administrative contest ground for a withholding that exceeds statutory limits. Section 12-102.3 concerns administrative contests of employer earnings withholding, including withholding connected to a court order to provide health-insurance coverage for a child. Its existing investigation and hearing procedures remain in the enacted text, including the 15-day periods stated there.