Why these six
Each of the six examples shows something different in the calculation: the basic chain without special features; the needs table does not rise linearly with the number of children; the highest care discount bracket; the minimum capacity of a parent without income; a capacity shortfall, half of which comes off the care discount; the cap above the highest table row. Is your situation not among them? Use the calculator — it uses the same core, in your own browser.
What none of these examples includes
All six assume a fixed housing budget (30% of the NBI) instead of the actual housing costs, salary as the type of income, no debts and no assets. The child-related budget is not included: the calculation core treats it as income of the parent who receives it, and it requires details that a general example cannot give. With the child-related budget that parent's capacity rises and the paying parent's share usually falls. The amounts below can therefore differ from your situation in either direction. The ages of the children, exceptional costs, a home of your own, business income, pensions, the tax gross-up and spousal maintenance are not included either.
These are therefore examples, not a determination of what someone has to pay. That is for the parties together or the court, on the full situation.
1. One child, regular contact arrangement
The most common starting point: two working parents, one child, every other weekend and one weekday. This is the row most visitors compare themselves with first.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 3,750 gross a month
- Other parent: € 2,500 gross a month
- Number of children: 1
- The child is with the paying parent: two days a week (104 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 3,051 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 2,313 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 5,364 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 727 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 539 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 178 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 547 / month |
| Capped at the paying parent's capacity | € 539 / month |
| Care discount — on average 2 days a week (25%) | – € 182 / month |
| Shortfall adjustment: half of € 10 comes off the care discount | + € 5 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 362 / month |
Note: capacity shortfall. The combined capacity of both parents (€ 717) is lower than the parents' own share of the children's costs (€ 727). Half of that shortfall then comes off the care discount: of € 182, € 177 remains. Each parent then pays their full capacity. The amount is therefore higher than the capacity minus the full care discount (€ 539 − € 182 = € 357) — the opposite of what most people expect.
2. Two children, regular contact arrangement
The same family with a second child. Shows that the amount does not double: the parents' share of the costs rises less than proportionally, and the payer's capacity is the same.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 3,750 gross a month
- Other parent: € 2,500 gross a month
- Number of children: 2
- The children are with the paying parent: two days a week (104 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 3,051 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 2,313 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 5,364 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 1,229 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 539 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 178 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 924 / month |
| Capped at the paying parent's capacity | € 539 / month |
| Care discount — on average 2 days a week (25%) | – € 307 / month |
| Shortfall adjustment: half of € 512 comes off the care discount | + € 256 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 488 / month |
That is € 244 per child per month.
Note: capacity shortfall. The combined capacity of both parents (€ 717) is lower than the parents' own share of the children's costs (€ 1,229). Half of that shortfall then comes off the care discount: of € 307, € 51 remains. Each parent then pays their full capacity. The amount is therefore higher than the capacity minus the full care discount (€ 539 − € 307 = € 232) — the opposite of what most people expect.
3. Co-parenting with almost equal incomes
The question co-parents always come back to: does anything still have to be paid? Shows how the care discount for a roughly half-and-half split reduces the amount.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 4,200 gross a month
- Other parent: € 3,900 gross a month
- Number of children: 2
- The children are with the paying parent: co-parenting, roughly half the time (182 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 3,278 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 3,130 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 6,408 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 1,465 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 651 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 578 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 776 / month |
| Capped at the paying parent's capacity | € 651 / month |
| Care discount — on average 3 days a week or more (35%) | – € 513 / month |
| Shortfall adjustment: half of € 236 comes off the care discount | + € 118 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 256 / month |
That is € 128 per child per month.
Note: capacity shortfall. The combined capacity of both parents (€ 1,229) is lower than the parents' own share of the children's costs (€ 1,465). Half of that shortfall then comes off the care discount: of € 513, € 395 remains. Each parent then pays their full capacity. The amount is therefore higher than the capacity minus the full care discount (€ 651 − € 513 = € 138) — the opposite of what most people expect.
4. One parent without income of their own
Common after a divorce in which one parent did the caring. Shows that the parent without income of their own only has the minimum capacity (€ 50 for two children, Rapport alimentatienormen 2026 §4.3.2) — zero if that parent receives social assistance — and that the family income on which the children's costs are based is also lower.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 4,500 gross a month
- Other parent: € 0 gross a month
- Number of children: 2
- The children are with the paying parent: one day a week (52 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 3,427 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 0 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 3,427 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 716 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 724 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 50 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 670 / month |
| Care discount — on average 1 day a week (15%) | – € 107 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 563 / month |
That is € 282 per child per month.
5. Together too little capacity for the children's costs
The situation most often misunderstood. If both parents together cannot cover the children's costs, half of that shortfall comes off the care discount — so the amount turns out higher than people expect.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 2,400 gross a month
- Other parent: € 1,800 gross a month
- Number of children: 2
- The children are with the paying parent: two days a week (104 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 2,248 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 1,748 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 3,996 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 904 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 146 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 50 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 673 / month |
| Capped at the paying parent's capacity | € 146 / month |
| Care discount — on average 2 days a week (25%) | – € 226 / month |
| Shortfall adjustment: half of € 708 comes off the care discount | + € 226 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 146 / month |
That is € 73 per child per month.
Note: capacity shortfall. The combined capacity of both parents (€ 196) is lower than the parents' own share of the children's costs (€ 904). Half of that shortfall then comes off the care discount: of € 226, € 0 remains. Each parent then pays their full capacity. The care discount lapses entirely here: the paying parent pays their full capacity of € 146.
6. Higher income, three children
Shows the top of the needs table and where it stops. Above the highest table row the calculation core caps the children's costs; we show that here deliberately.
The situation
- Paying parent: € 8,000 gross a month
- Other parent: € 3,000 gross a month
- Number of children: 3
- The children are with the paying parent: two days a week (104 days a year)
The calculation
| Net disposable income of the paying parent | € 5,079 / month |
| Net disposable income of the other parent | € 2,612 / month |
| Net disposable family income | € 7,691 / month |
| Parents' own share of the children's costs | € 1,835 / month |
| Capacity of the paying parent | € 1,533 / month |
| Capacity of the other parent | € 324 / month |
| The paying parent's share of that | € 1,515 / month |
| Care discount — on average 2 days a week (25%) | – € 459 / month |
| Child maintenance in this scenario | € 1,056 / month |
That is € 352 per child per month.
How these amounts come about
Every amount on this page is calculated by the calculation core of our calculator, under the Rapport Alimentatienormen (Trema guidelines), standards set 2026 (januari 2026). The chain is always the same: net disposable income per parent, the parents' own share of the children's costs from the needs table, the capacity of both parents, the payer's share of that, and finally the care discount.
The page is regenerated at every publication. If the calculation core or the standards set changes, these examples change with it — they cannot fall behind the calculator. We publish the underlying tables separately under CC BY 4.0: child maintenance table 2026 and NBI table 2026.