North Dakota Child Support Guidelines

North Dakota operates under the Percentage of Income model, one of 6 U.S. states using this framework. For a parent supporting one child, the base guideline applies roughly 14.35% of income, scaling to 20.35% for two children and 24.35% for three. That places North Dakota at rank #49 of 51 states by single-child base percentage. Unlike capped states, there is no statutory income ceiling — the formula applies to the full reported income before deductions. Median household income across North Dakota is $73,959 annually, which shapes the real-world dollar obligations families face under these percentages.

On the enforcement side, the North Dakota child support program manages 29,000 active cases and collected approximately $70 million in the most recent OCSE reporting year. The state's collection rate of 67.5% compares to a national average of 60.6% across reporting states — placing North Dakota at rank #2 of 51 on collection efficiency, and rank #49 by caseload volume (national average: 285,686 cases per state). Paternity is established in 97.3% of North Dakota cases, compared to 94.9% nationally — a critical step because child support orders cannot be enforced without legal parentage on record. Orders are in place for 83.8% of the caseload.

Context matters when interpreting these numbers. A higher percentage-of-income figure does not automatically mean higher dollar obligations — the underlying income brackets, deductions, parenting-time adjustments, and self-support reserves vary meaningfully between states. North Dakota allows a parenting time adjustment, which can materially reduce the base obligation when the non-custodial parent exercises substantial overnight time. Use the official North Dakota calculator linked below for a binding estimate. Data sources: OCSE FY2022 Annual Report, North Dakota Revised Statutes, and Census ACS 2022.