Child support in New Jersey for one child runs from roughly $63 to $717 per week under the state’s guidelines, and the figure that applies to your family depends on the parents’ combined net income, how the parenting time is divided, and the cost of the child’s health insurance and work-related childcare. Both parents’ incomes go into the calculation, and the resulting obligation is split between them in proportion to what each one earns.
What the Guidelines Schedule Shows for One Child
The starting point is the Schedule of Child Support Awards in Appendix IX-F of the New Jersey Court Rules. The schedule lists a basic weekly support amount for one child at each level of combined parental net income. These figures are effective September 1, 2025:
- $400 combined net weekly income: $141 per week
- $800 combined net weekly income: $250 per week
- $1,000 combined net weekly income: $293 per week
- $1,500 combined net weekly income: $369 per week
- $2,000 combined net weekly income: $425 per week
- $2,800 combined net weekly income: $525 per week
- $3,600 combined net weekly income: $717 per week (schedule maximum)
The schedule tops out at $3,600 per week in combined net income, or $187,200 per year. For combined incomes below $180 per week, the court sets support somewhere between $5 per week and the amount listed at $180.1New Jersey Courts. Appendix IX-F Schedule of Child Support Awards
These are base amounts. Health insurance premiums for the child and work-related childcare get added on top, so the actual total obligation is usually higher than the schedule figure alone.
How the Amount Gets Split Between Parents
New Jersey uses the Income Shares Model. The idea is to estimate what parents would have spent on the child if they still lived together and divide that cost according to each parent’s share of the combined income.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines
Say Parent A earns $1,400 per week net and Parent B earns $600. Combined income is $2,000, and the schedule shows $425 per week for one child at that level. Parent A’s share of the income is 70%, so Parent A is responsible for 70% of the obligation. Parent B covers 30%. Only the non-custodial parent’s share actually gets paid as “child support”; the custodial parent is presumed to spend their share directly on the child.
What Counts as Income
Gross taxable income is the starting figure. That includes wages, salary, bonuses, commissions, and self-employment earnings. To reach net income, you subtract federal and state taxes, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement contributions, and union dues.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines
You will also need the weekly cost of the child’s share of any health insurance premium, work-related childcare expenses, and any alimony or child support either parent pays or receives from another relationship.
How Parenting Time Changes the Calculation
The number of overnights the child spends with each parent per year determines which worksheet the court uses. When the child spends fewer than two overnights a week with the non-custodial parent (less than roughly 28% of the year), the case runs on the Sole Parenting Worksheet. At two or more overnights a week, the Shared Parenting Worksheet applies, and the non-custodial parent must also maintain separate living space for the child during those overnights.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines
Shared parenting generally lowers the paying parent’s obligation because it credits the direct spending that happens during overnights with the child.
Add-Ons on Top of the Basic Amount
Two costs are handled separately from the schedule figure and layered on. The first is the child’s share of health insurance premiums. The second is work-related childcare. Both get added to the basic obligation, and the total is then split according to each parent’s income share. So the number your family lives with is usually the schedule amount plus these add-ons, not the schedule amount by itself.
Using New Jersey’s Free QuickCalc
The state offers a free online estimator called QuickCalc. You enter the number of children, worksheet type (sole or shared), each parent’s gross weekly income, filing status, and any prior support orders, and it returns a weekly estimate.3New Jersey Child Support. NJ Child Support Guidelines QuickCalc
The tool has limits. It uses a simplified tax method and can produce inaccurate results if either parent has self-employment income, rental income, or other non-wage earnings. In those situations a full guideline worksheet is needed. And the number QuickCalc gives you is only an estimate. The court has final authority over the actual order.
When the Number Moves Off the Schedule
The guidelines are the presumptive answer, but they are not the final word in every case. A judge can deviate when a strict application would be unjust, and certain situations pull the calculation off the schedule entirely.
High-Income Families
When combined net income tops $187,200 per year, the schedule no longer applies directly. The court calculates the base amount at the $187,200 ceiling and then adds a discretionary supplement for the income above that line, based on the child’s actual needs and the family’s standard of living under the factors in N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23. The $717-per-week figure at the top of the schedule is the floor for these cases, not the ceiling.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines
Low-Income Parents and the Self-Support Reserve
At the other end, the guidelines include a self-support reserve so the paying parent is not driven below subsistence. If the full guideline amount would leave the paying parent with less than $451 per week (150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, as of January 2025), the obligation is adjusted down. This protection applies only when the custodial parent’s own income is above that same $451 threshold. When it does apply, the paying parent’s obligation is reduced to the difference between their net income and the reserve.4New Jersey Courts. Appendix IX-B
Imputed Income for Unemployment or Underemployment
A parent who voluntarily quits or takes a lower-paying job without good reason does not get a reduction based on the smaller paycheck. When the court finds voluntary unemployment or underemployment, it imputes income based on what the parent could be earning, looking at work history, education, occupational qualifications, and local job opportunities. If those factors do not settle the question, the court can use the parent’s most recent wage records from the New Jersey Department of Labor. As a last resort, income is imputed at full-time minimum wage.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines
Context matters. A parent laid off during a downturn is treated very differently from a parent who left a well-paid position for a part-time gig.
College Costs Are a Separate Question
New Jersey is one of the states where a court can order parents to contribute to a child’s college education on top of regular child support. If a child is enrolled full-time and making a good-faith academic effort, the court considers whether the parents would have contributed had they stayed together, weighing each parent’s financial ability, the cost of the school relative to the child’s field, the child’s commitment, available financial aid, and the relationship between the child and the paying parent. College-related contributions can cover tuition, room and board, books, application fees, and living expenses, and they are allocated based on each parent’s ability to pay. This obligation is separate from the guideline amount for one child.
When Support Ends
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.67, child support in New Jersey terminates automatically when a child turns 19, unless one of these exceptions applies:
- A court order sets a later termination date.
- The child is still in high school at age 19.
- The child is enrolled full-time in college or vocational school.
- The child has a severe disability and remains dependent on the parents.
Support can also end sooner if the child marries, enters the military, or dies. The outer limit is the child’s 23rd birthday, with one exception: a severely disabled child who remains dependent may receive support indefinitely. Support does not stop on its own when a child turns 18 or gets a job. Either a court order or the automatic cutoff at 19 controls.