Short answer: No—stepchildren generally do not qualify under Maryland’s new multifamily child support adjustment.
Here’s the clean breakdown so you don’t get tripped up:
What the new law actually allows
Maryland’s 2025–2026 “multifamily adjustment” lets a parent reduce their income (and therefore support owed) only for certain children living in their home.
To count, the child must meet all of these:
- The parent has a legal duty of support (typically biological or adopted child)
- The child lives with the parent at least 92 overnights/year
- There is no existing child support order for that child
That “legal duty of support” requirement is the key gatekeeper.
Why stepchildren usually don’t qualify
In Maryland, a stepparent typically does not have a legal duty to support a stepchild unless:
- They’ve legally adopted the child, or
- A court has imposed some specific obligation (rare)
Since the multifamily adjustment explicitly requires that legal duty, stepchildren are excluded in most cases.
What does count
These usually qualify:
- Your biological children from another relationship
- Children you’ve legally adopted
- Children living with you full-time (meeting the overnight requirement)
These are the situations the law was designed for—parents supporting kids across multiple households.
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