How Is Child Maintenance Calculated in Jordan and What Is the Expected Amount?

Child support under Jordanian law is calculated on the basis of the father's ability and the child's need, not a fixed amount. Article 187 of the Personal Status Law makes children's maintenance owed by a father of means where the children have no property, continuing for sons until they can earn and for daughters until they marry.

Article 189 provides that assessment take account of the father's means, whether comfortable or constrained, without falling below the level of sufficiency. The judge assesses a reasonable amount covering the child's essential needs of food, clothing, and housing, to which education under Article 190 and treatment under Article 192 are added. The child's age, the number of children, and the family's circumstances are taken into account.

Article 64 allows maintenance to be adjusted up or down as circumstances change, subject to Article 202's bar on hearing an adjustment claim before a year passes, except in exceptional circumstances.

Assessing the appropriate amount remains within the Sharia Court's competence according to the evidence, so no particular figure is guaranteed in advance.

This is a general explanation based on Jordanian Personal Status Law and does not replace advice from a qualified lawyer in a specific dispute.