Child Support If You Make $1,000 a Week in Maine
Maine law protects a paying parent minimum standard of living, and at $1,000 a week that protection has receded enough that the table responds fully to income.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Guideline child support scenarios at $1000 a week
The paying parent earns $1000 a week ($4,333.33 a month) in every cell below. The other parent's monthly income changes across rows, and the number of children changes across columns; both genuinely change the result.Every figure is computed with the real Maine guideline engine, the same one behind the full calculator, not a lookup table built for this page.
| Other parent's income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| No reported income | $767.00 | $1,152.67 | $1,391.00 |
| $2,000 a month | $681.93 | $1,031.79 | $1,236.37 |
| $4,000 a month | $588.12 | $883.31 | $1,054.56 |
| $6,000 a month | $528.81 | $781.40 | $915.87 |
Every dollar figure is a monthly amount, the presumptive guideline result before add-ons like child care or health insurance and before any court deviation. "Not available" means the engine behind this site declined to compute that specific combination rather than guess; the reason is shown next to it.
The self-support protection in the background
Section 2006 of Title 19-A protects a self-support reserve so that a low-income paying parent is not left without enough to live on. When the payer income is low, that protection can hold the obligation down or shape the weekly amount. As income rises, its influence fades.
At $1,000 a week, $4,333.33 a month gross, the payer has moved past the zone where the protection dominates. The table below responds to the other parent income across every row, with one child falling from $767 to $528.81 as that income rises from none to $6,000 a month.
How the protection fades as income rises
Compare this page with the $500 Maine page in the series, where the self-support protection is more active. Here the weekly amounts move smoothly with the other parent income, which is the sign that the protection is no longer flattening the result.
The protection never disappears from the statute, but its practical effect is strongest at the bottom of the income scale. This page sits above that zone.
What this estimate includes
- The section 2006 self-support protection and its income-dependent role
- Weekly per-child amounts from the 2023 table
- Results for 1, 2, or 3 children across four other-parent incomes
What it leaves out
- The substantially-equal-care offset, not used at the primary baseline
- Child care and health insurance add-ons
- Any income near the bottom of the scale where the protection dominates
Worth knowing
The self-support protection is one of the honest reasons Maine low-income pages behave differently from this one. Naming it lets a reader understand why the same table structure changes shape across income levels.
Because the figures are weekly, a reader comparing to monthly states should multiply by 4.33 to convert, or keep the unit distinction in mind.
Frequently asked questions
What does section 2006 do?
It protects a paying parent self-support reserve so that support does not leave them without a minimum standard of living. The protection matters most when payer income is low.
Why is the table fully responsive at $1,000 a week?
At $4,333.33 a month gross the payer has risen past the zone where the self-support protection dominates, so the weekly amounts respond fully to the other parent income.
Does the other parent income change the result?
Yes. For one child the weekly amount falls from $767 to $528.81 as the other parent income rises from none to $6,000 a month, and the two and three-child columns move similarly.
Are the figures on this page weekly or monthly?
Weekly. Maine expresses support as a weekly per-child amount, so the table below is in weekly dollars throughout.
Does the primary-care baseline still apply?
Yes. This page runs the primary-care path, so the substantially-equal-care offset is not applied, and the numbers reflect the primary arrangement only.
Where can I see the protection applied at lower income?
The $500 Maine page in this series shows the protection more active, and the full Maine child support calculator applies section 2006 at any income you enter.
About the numbers on this page
Every figure in the table above comes from running the real Maine child support engine on this site, the same engine and data pack behind the full Maine child support calculator. Nothing on this page is a separate estimate or a reimplementation of the math. See the sources below for the statutes and official worksheets behind the Maine guideline.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published as part of the child support by income series. Material changes are dated in the update log.