We generalize the definition of complexity for self-gravitating object proposed by Herrera (Phys Rev D 97(4):044010, 2018), for the case of charged spherical matter distribution in f(R, T, Q) theory of gravity, where R and T represent the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy–momentum tensor, respectively, and Q≡RμνTμν\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$Q\equiv R_{\mu \nu }T^{\mu \nu }$$\end{document}. We split the Riemann tensor orthogonally to determine the modified structure scalars, and one of these scalars has been found to be involved in the emergence of complexity of the system. We consider the vanishing of the complexity factor to study some mathematical models of field equations under the influence of dark source terms of f(R, T, Q) gravity. By applying the restriction, f(R,T,Q)=R\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$f(R,T,Q)=R$$\end{document}, one can get all these results in general relativity.