Worked example: Alimony Child Support in North Dakota

Example inputs

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Alimony Child Support calculator.

Below is a worked example for North Dakota using the DocketMath calculator alimony-child-support (jurisdiction US-ND). This walkthrough focuses on how to structure inputs and how outputs change when you adjust key facts.

Household and support facts (example scenario)

Assume the following facts:

• Jurisdiction: North Dakota (US-ND)
• Filing posture: initial calculation example (not enforcement)
• Number of children: 2
• Children’s ages: 6 and 12
• Child custody (for support accounting): 50% / 50% parenting time (shared schedule for example)
• Payor (obligor) gross monthly income: $6,500
• Payee (recipient) gross monthly income: $3,200
• Payor employment type: regular employment income
• Payor claimed health insurance premium (monthly): $250
• Payee claimed health insurance premium (monthly): $0
• Childcare expenses (monthly): $300 (only include if your court-ready inputs support it)
• Alimony request type: rehabilitative-style example
• Marital duration: 8 years
• Alimony duration cap for illustration: calculator uses its ND-aware logic
• Other significant monthly debts: $0 (leave blank in the example if the tool does not have a dedicated field)

Inputs you’ll enter in DocketMath

Use the calculator fields in a consistent way. A typical set of inputs includes:

• jurisdiction = US-ND
• children_count = 2
• payor_gross_monthly_income = 6500
• payee_gross_monthly_income = 3200
• parenting_time_percent_payor = 50 (or the equivalent parenting-time field)
• health_insurance_payor_monthly = 250
• childcare_monthly = 300
• marital_duration_years = 8
• alimony_type = rehabilitative (if the tool offers a selection)
• alimony_requested/target = enabled (depending on the tool toggles)
• Any toggles for shared healthcare/combined responsibility (choose the option that matches your facts)

If your situation differs (for example, unequal parenting time or different childcare inclusion), you should expect changes in both the child support component and the alimony component.

To jump straight to the tool, use: /tools/alimony-child-support

Quick sanity notes (so you don’t feed the tool bad data)

• Use monthly income figures consistently—avoid mixing yearly and monthly.
• If the tool asks for gross income, enter gross even if your net pay is lower.
• Enter healthcare and childcare only when they are attributable to the children for the months you’re modeling.
• Keep parenting-time percentages aligned with the same schedule you use for the scenario (example here: 50/50).

Example run

This example assumes you run DocketMath using /tools/alimony-child-support and the inputs listed above.

Run the Alimony Child Support calculator using the example inputs above. Review the breakdown for intermediate steps (segments, adjustments, or rate changes) so you can see how each input moves the output. Save the result for reference and compare it to your actual scenario.

What the calculator does (conceptually)

The alimony-child-support workflow typically:

1. Computes a child support amount using North Dakota jurisdiction-aware child support logic.
2. Computes an alimony component using ND-aware alimony factors and duration-based structure.
3. Produces a combined monthly obligation and may show sub-components depending on the UI.

Because the exact math depends on the tool’s current ruleset, treat the results as a modeling estimate. A practical habit is to:

• confirm the output components add up as expected in the interface, then
• adjust inputs you can verify (income, parenting time, and whether childcare/health insurance are included).

Example output (illustrative)

After entering the inputs above, a sample output might look like this (numbers rounded to whole dollars for readability):

“Estimated” here means the tool is applying the modeled rules; it isn’t a substitute for a court finding.

How to interpret the “estimated” outputs

• Child support often changes sharply when you alter:

  • parenting time percentage,
  • childcare inclusion,
  • health insurance allocation,
  • and income numbers.
• Alimony can change more gradually, but it may still move meaningfully when you adjust:

  • marital duration,
  • alimony type/duration settings,
  • and the income disparity assumptions.

Common direction-of-change expectations

Use these expectations as quick validation checks:

• If the payor income increases, both child support and potentially alimony typically increase.
• If parenting time shifts away from 50/50 toward the payee, child support often increases.
• If childcare is removed, child support usually decreases because the childcare add-on (or adjustment) is no longer included.
• If alimony type changes (for example, rehabilitative vs. another modeled category), the alimony figure can change even when incomes remain the same.

Sensitivity check

A sensitivity check answers: Which inputs most affect the monthly payment? It also helps you catch data-entry errors (for example, forgetting to switch a percentage or accidentally leaving childcare enabled).

To test sensitivity, change one high-impact input (like the rate, start date, or cap) and rerun the calculation. Compare the outputs side by side so you can see how small input shifts affect the result.

Run 1: baseline (from the example run)

• Parenting time: 50% payor
• Payor gross monthly income: $6,500
• Payee gross monthly income: $3,200
• Childcare: $300
• Health insurance premium: $250
• Marital duration: 8 years

Estimated total monthly obligation: $1,775
(Child support $1,325 + Alimony $450)

Run 2: change parenting time from 50% to 30% (payor has less time)

Adjust:

• parenting_time_percent_payor = 30

Expected effect:

• Child support usually increases because the payee bears more day-to-day parenting costs in this model.

Illustrative result:

• Estimated child support total: $1,470 (up by ~$145)
• Estimated alimony: $450 (similar, depending on how the tool models alimony needs/discretion)
• Estimated total: $1,920

Run 3: remove childcare input ($300 → $0)

Adjust:

• childcare_monthly = 0

Expected effect:

• Child support decreases because the childcare adjustment is removed.

Illustrative result:

• Estimated child support total: $1,205 (down by ~$120)
• Estimated alimony: $450
• Estimated total: $1,655

Run 4: increase payor income by $500 ($6,500 → $7,000)

Adjust:

• payor_gross_monthly_income = 7000

Expected effect:

• Both child support and alimony can rise due to higher ability to pay.

Illustrative result:

• Estimated child support total: $1,410 (up by ~$85)
• Estimated alimony: $510 (up by ~$60)
• Estimated total: $1,920

What these changes tell you (ranked by impact in this example)

In the scenario above, the biggest driver is parenting time, then childcare inclusion, then income changes (though in other fact patterns, income can dominate more).

• Top sensitivity drivers (example):

  • Parenting time split (50/50 → 30/70): ~$145 increase
  • Childcare included vs. not: ~$120 decrease
  • Payor income +$500: ~$145 total increase (combined effect varies by model mechanics)

A practical checklist before you rely on results

Use these checks for each DocketMath run:

Related reading

• Alimony & Child Support Estimator Guide for Alabama
• Alimony & Child Support Estimator Guide for Arizona
• Alimony & Child Support Estimator Guide for Colorado