The Family Law does not set a fixed minimum child support amount in euros. A court sets support according to the child's needs and the parent's means, and the total amount needed for support cannot be lower than the permanent cash assistance that social protection rules give a person with no income in the municipality where the child lives. When support is set as a percentage of wages or pension, it is as a rule between 15% and 50% of the parent's regular monthly income. Parents support a child after the age of majority while the child is in education, and at the latest until the age of 26. A support case is urgent: the first hearing is scheduled within eight days of the claim reaching the court.
This guide explains how the amount is set, until when parents pay, how the procedure runs and what you do when a parent does not pay.
How much is child support?
| Rule | What it means for you |
| needs and means | the amount depends on the child's needs and on the means of the paying parent |
| lower limit | the total amount for support is not lower than permanent cash assistance for a person with no income in the child's municipality |
| fixed amount | as a rule the court sets a fixed monthly amount in money |
| percentage | if the parent has regular income, at your request the court sets a percentage, as a rule between 15% and 50% |
| child's standard | support should give the child at least the standard of living the paying parent enjoys |
- For the child's needs the court looks at the child's assets, health, age and educational needs.
- For the parent's means the court looks at all income, the real ability to earn, the parent's own needs and other legal support obligations.
- For the parent the child lives with, the court counts daily work and care for the child as a contribution to support.
- Support is paid in money as a rule, and in another form only if the payer and the recipient agree.
- Waiving the right to support has no legal effect.
Until when do parents pay child support?
- Parents must support a minor child.
- If an adult child has not finished education, parents support the child according to their means until the end of education, and if education is extended for justified reasons, at the latest until the age of 26.
- If an adult child cannot work because of illness or impairment and has no sufficient means, parents support the child for as long as that lasts.
- A parent deprived of parental rights must still support the child.
- When several people claim support at the same time, the child's right comes first.
How do you claim child support in court?
- In divorce proceedings the court decides on support for minor children on its own motion.
- The court accepts the parents' agreement on support only if it complies with the legal rules on setting support.
- The procedure is urgent: the first hearing is scheduled within eight days of the claim reaching the court, and the appeal court decides within 15 days of receiving the appeal.
- The court is not bound by the amount you asked for in the claim.
- If the other parent does not contribute, the court orders an interim measure on its own motion, so the child receives support before the case ends.
- If the parent the child lives with fails to sue without a good reason, the guardianship authority brings the case on the child's behalf, and at the court's request it collects the facts relevant to the decision.
What do you do when a parent does not pay?
- If a parent does not pay and the parent the child lives with does not seek enforcement, the guardianship authority files an enforcement motion on the child's behalf.
- When a parent does not meet the obligation regularly, the guardianship authority takes steps so that the child receives temporary support under social and child protection rules.
- When the paying parent's employment ends, the old employer must send the details of the enforceable decision to the new employer, and the new employer immediately informs the recipient of support.
- If circumstances change, for example the parent's income or the child's needs, the court may on request increase, reduce or end the support set earlier.
When the state pays support in place of a parent who does not pay is explained in our guide to the Alimony Fund, and how much a bailiff may take from wages in our guide to wage garnishment. How property is divided after divorce is covered in our guide to property division, and who gets a lawyer at the state's expense in our guide to free legal aid. When the parents live in different countries, RoNa Legal explains which law applies and how Montenegrin courts approach cross-border maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum child support in Montenegro in 2026? The Family Law sets no fixed amount in euros; the total amount for support cannot be lower than permanent cash assistance for a person with no income in the municipality where the child lives.
What percentage of wages goes to child support? When the court sets a percentage, support is as a rule between 15% and 50% of the parent's regular monthly income.
Until what age is child support paid? Until the age of majority, and if the child is in education, until the end of education, at the latest until the age of 26.
Can child support be increased? Yes, on request the court increases, reduces or ends support when circumstances change.
How quickly does the court schedule a hearing? A support case is urgent, so the first hearing is scheduled within eight days of the claim reaching the court.
What if the other parent does not pay child support? You seek enforcement, and if the parent does not pay regularly, the child can receive temporary support through the guardianship authority.
Sources
The amount, the lower limit, the 15% to 50% percentage, how long the obligation lasts, the urgent procedure, interim measures and the role of the guardianship authority are set by the Family Law (Official Gazette 1/07, 53/16 and 76/20, Arts. 253 to 256, 272 to 284 and 365 to 371), whose consolidated text is published by the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms. The information was checked on 28 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.