How Much Is Child Support in NJ: Guidelines, Adjustments, and Duration

Child support in New Jersey is calculated from a state schedule that combines both parents’ net incomes, the number of children, and the parenting-time split. On the current schedule, effective September 1, 2025, the weekly base for one child runs from $63 at the low end of the income range up to $717 at the top of the schedule, with adjustments layered on for childcare, health insurance, and other factors. Two families with identical paychecks can still end up with different orders once those adjustments are applied.

The Schedule at a Glance

New Jersey publishes its dollar amounts in Appendix IX-F of the Court Rules. The figures below are the total weekly cost of raising the children at each combined net income level. They are not what one parent pays; they are the pool that gets divided between the two parents in proportion to what each earns.

  • $500 combined net weekly income: $172 for one child, $224 for two, $248 for three
  • $1,000 combined net weekly income: $293 for one child, $339 for two, $390 for three
  • $1,500 combined net weekly income: $369 for one child, $420 for two, $499 for three
  • $2,000 combined net weekly income: $425 for one child, $481 for two, $589 for three
  • $3,000 combined net weekly income: $561 for one child, $605 for two, $769 for three
  • $3,600 combined net weekly income (schedule maximum): $717 for one child, $719 for two, $917 for three

If one parent brings in 60% of the combined net income, that parent is responsible for roughly 60% of the amount shown. The other 40% is presumed to be spent directly on the children by the parent they live with most of the time.1New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-F – Schedule of Child Support Awards

How the Guidelines Actually Work

New Jersey uses an income shares model. The premise is that children should receive the same portion of parental income they would have received if the household had stayed together. The worksheet combines both parents’ incomes, pulls the total child-rearing figure from the schedule, and splits that obligation according to each parent’s share of the total.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines

Court Rule 5:6A makes the guidelines figure a rebuttable presumption. That means the judge will use the calculated amount unless a party shows a real reason to depart from it.3New Jersey Child Support Guidelines. NJ Child Support Guidelines QuickCalc Most orders land at or very near the guidelines number.

What Moves the Number Up or Down

The base schedule is only the starting point. The worksheet also takes in:

  • Gross income of both parents, including wages, bonuses, and commissions, then converted to net by subtracting federal and state taxes, Social Security, and Medicare.
  • The number of children, with per-child cost dropping slightly as the count rises.
  • Parenting time. If the non-custodial parent has the child fewer than two overnights per week (under 28% of overnights), the sole-parenting worksheet is used. At two or more overnights per week, the shared-parenting worksheet applies and reallocates certain costs between the two homes.4New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-B – General Information and Line Instructions
  • Work-related childcare. Daycare and after-school program costs tied to a parent’s work schedule are added to the base and split proportionally.
  • Health insurance premiums for the children, which sit on top of the base and are shared according to income.
  • Existing support obligations. Court-ordered alimony or child support paid for other children is deducted from a parent’s income before the calculation runs.

Parenting Time Adjustment

In sole-parenting cases, the non-custodial parent gets a credit for variable expenses (food and transportation) that they cover directly during their time with the child. The guidelines treat those variable costs as roughly 37% of total child-rearing spending. The credit equals the base support amount times the non-custodial parent’s share of overnights times 0.37.4New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-B – General Information and Line Instructions

Imputed Income

A parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed does not get to lower the support number by shrinking their paycheck. The court can assign a reasonable income based on work history, education, occupational qualifications, and recent earnings, and calculate support from that figure.

Low-Income and High-Income Cases

The published schedule covers combined net weekly income from $180 to $3,600. Outside that range, different rules apply.

When combined net income falls below $180 per week, the schedule does not run directly. The judge sets an amount between $5 per week and whatever the $180 income level would produce, based on the paying parent’s actual income, living expenses, and the child’s needs.1New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-F – Schedule of Child Support Awards A self-support reserve prevents any order from pushing a parent below 150% of the federal poverty line, which was $451 per week as of January 2025.5New Jersey Courts. Order – Child Support Guidelines Annual Updating Amendments

At the other end, the schedule caps at $3,600 in combined net weekly income, about $187,200 per year. Above that ceiling, the top-of-schedule number becomes the floor, and the court adds a discretionary amount based on the child’s actual needs, the family’s standard of living before separation, and each parent’s financial resources.1New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-F – Schedule of Child Support Awards

What the Base Amount Covers

The scheduled amount is built to cover the child’s share of ordinary household costs: housing, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, and routine unreimbursed medical expenses up to $250 per child per year.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines

Several costs sit outside the base amount. Unreimbursed medical and dental expenses above $250 per child per year, private school tuition, and significant extracurricular activities are handled separately, usually split between the parents by agreement or order. Health insurance premiums for the children are added to the worksheet on top of the base.

New Jersey law requires children to be covered by health insurance when it is available through a parent’s employer. When an order directs a parent to provide coverage, the employer must enroll the children even if the parent has not signed up for benefits, using a standardized National Medical Support Notice.6State of New Jersey. National Medical Support Notice

Estimating Your Own Number

The state runs a free calculator called QuickCalc at quickcalc.njchildsupport.gov. To use it, you need each parent’s gross weekly taxable income, the number of children, each parent’s filing status, any existing support orders, the percentage of parenting time the non-custodial parent has, and whether the arrangement is sole or shared parenting.3New Jersey Child Support Guidelines. NJ Child Support Guidelines QuickCalc

Treat the output as a ballpark. QuickCalc uses a simplified tax method and does not handle non-wage or business income well. A full worksheet built with actual tax data produces a more accurate figure, and the court makes the final call either way.

When a Judge Departs From the Calculated Amount

Appendix IX-A lists reasons a court may set support higher or lower than the guidelines produce, including:

  • An uneven property distribution in the divorce.
  • A gifted or disabled child whose needs exceed what the schedule assumes.
  • Fixed direct payments by one parent, such as carrying the mortgage on the family home, which can generate a credit.
  • Private school or post-secondary tuition not built into the base amount.
  • Documented financial responsibility for an aging parent or a disabled relative.
  • Equal parenting time, where the standard calculation may not reflect the real cost split.

Any deviation must be tied to the child’s best interests, and the judge has to explain on the record why the guidelines amount is not appropriate.2New Jersey Courts. New Jersey Rules of Court Appendix IX-A – Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines

How Long Support Continues

New Jersey ends child support automatically when a child turns 19, which is later than the age-18 cutoff used in most states. Support also ends earlier if the child marries, joins the military, or dies.

Several exceptions extend the obligation past 19:

  • Full-time college or vocational school enrollment can keep support running up to age 23.
  • If the child has not yet graduated high school at 19, support continues through graduation.
  • A child who is severely disabled and dependent on the parents can receive support indefinitely.
  • A court order can set a different termination date than the default.

New Jersey is among the states where courts can order a parent to contribute to college costs, including tuition, room and board, and related expenses. That obligation is separate from regular child support. Judges look at whether the parent would have contributed had the family stayed together, each parent’s ability to pay, available financial aid, the child’s academic commitment, and the parent-child relationship. Age 23 is the ceiling for any education-related support obligation.