NYS Child Support Calculator: CSSA Percentages, Cap, and Add-Ons

The New York State child support calculator applies the Child Support Standards Act (CSSA) formula: it takes each parent’s income, subtracts a short list of allowed deductions, adds the two adjusted figures together up to a $193,000 cap, multiplies that combined income by a fixed percentage based on how many children you have, and then splits the result between the parents in proportion to what each earns.¹ Everything else in a support order (add-ons, deviations, duration) builds on that base number.

The Percentages That Drive the Calculation

The CSSA sets the basic child support obligation as a flat percentage of combined parental income, scaled to the number of children:

One child: 17%
Two children: 25%
Three children: 29%
Four children: 31%
Five or more children: no less than 35%

Multiply combined parental income (up to the cap) by the applicable percentage. That gives you the total annual obligation. Then divide it between the parents by their income shares. If you earn 65% of the combined total, you are responsible for 65% of the obligation; the other parent covers 35%.¹

What Counts as Income

The formula doesn’t run on your gross paycheck. Each parent starts with gross income and subtracts a specific list of items to reach “adjusted gross income” for CSSA purposes:

FICA taxes actually paid: 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare, totaling 7.65% for most employees²
New York City or Yonkers local income taxes actually paid
Maintenance or alimony paid to a current or former spouse under a court order or written agreement
Child support already paid for other children under a separate order
Unreimbursed employee business expenses, to the extent they don’t reduce personal spending
Public assistance and Supplemental Security Income received

Add the two parents’ adjusted figures together to get combined parental income.¹ Note what isn’t on the list: regular New York State income tax. Only NYC and Yonkers local taxes come off the top, so parents outside those jurisdictions keep a slightly higher adjusted income for calculation purposes.

The $193,000 Income Cap

The automatic formula applies to combined parental income up to $193,000, effective March 1, 2026.³ The cap adjusts every two years based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Above the cap, the court has discretion. A judge can apply the same CSSA percentages to the excess income, weigh the statutory deviation factors instead, or combine both approaches. There is no requirement to award additional support on income above $193,000, but judges often do when the child’s needs and the family’s pre-separation standard of living support a higher figure. Two families with identical high incomes can end up with noticeably different orders depending on how the judge weighs the child’s lifestyle, educational needs, and each parent’s finances.

The Floor for Low-Income Parents

The formula also protects parents at the low end. The CSSA uses a “self-support reserve” set at 135% of the federal poverty level for a single person.¹ The 2026 poverty level for a single person is $15,960.⁴

In practice:

If the paying parent’s income is below the federal poverty level, the court orders a minimum of $25 per month.
If income is above the poverty level but below the self-support reserve, the order is $50 per month or the difference between the parent’s income and the self-support reserve, whichever is greater.

These minimums update each March 1 when the poverty guidelines are revised. Even at the floor, the court can still require a contribution to childcare and health insurance on top of the base.

Add-Ons Split on Top of the Base

Basic child support covers food, clothing, and shelter. Three categories of expenses sit on top and get divided between parents in the same income ratio used for basic support:

Childcare costs needed while a parent works or attends school
Health insurance premiums for the child, as long as the premium doesn’t exceed 5% of that parent’s gross income
Unreimbursed medical, dental, and related healthcare expenses

If you earn 60% of the combined income, you pay 60% of these add-ons.¹ Post-secondary education costs can also be included in a support order to the extent the parents can afford them; there’s no automatic entitlement, but judges often factor college into orders for families with the means. Private school tuition is usually handled through the deviation factors below.

When Courts Deviate from the Guideline

The CSSA number is presumptively correct, not mandatory. A judge can order more or less if the guideline amount is unjust or inappropriate, weighing ten statutory factors:

The financial resources of each parent and the child
The child’s physical and emotional health, special needs, and abilities
The standard of living the child would have had if the family stayed together
Tax consequences for each parent
Non-monetary contributions each parent makes to the child’s care
Educational needs of either parent
A significant income gap between the parents
The noncustodial parent’s obligations to other children not covered by this case
Extraordinary visitation expenses or extended parenting time that substantially reduces the custodial parent’s costs
Any other factor the court finds relevant

That final catch-all gives judges real room to adjust.¹ Deviations most commonly come up around heavy visitation costs, expensive medical needs, or situations where the strict formula would produce a wildly disproportionate result.

Imputed Income

Quitting a job or taking a lower-paying one to reduce support doesn’t work. Courts regularly impute income to parents who are voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, based on work history, education, skills, and local job opportunities. The calculation then uses the imputed figure, not actual earnings. If you’re out of work and want the order based on your current income, you’ll need documented job search efforts to back it up.

How Long Support Lasts

Child support in New York runs until the child turns 21, which is older than in most states.⁵ It can end earlier if the child is emancipated: marriage, becoming self-supporting, or joining the military all qualify.

Changing an Existing Order

Support orders aren’t locked in. Either parent can petition to modify under any of three grounds:

A substantial change in circumstances, meaning a significant shift in either parent’s income or the child’s needs
Three years have passed since the order was entered or last modified, which alone allows a recalculation at current incomes
Either parent’s gross income has gone up or down by 15% or more through no choice of their own

The parent asking for the change carries the burden of proof. Wanting a lower payment isn’t a reason; something has to have actually shifted.

Documents to Gather Before You Calculate

The calculator is only as good as the numbers you feed it. Pull these together first:

Federal and state tax returns (Form 1040 with all schedules) for the most recent year
W-2 statements. Box 1 shows federal taxable wages, the usual starting point; Boxes 3 and 5 show Social Security and Medicare wages, which you need for an accurate FICA deduction. These often differ because fewer items are excluded from FICA than from federal income tax.
Recent pay stubs showing year-to-date earnings and deductions
Proof of NYC or Yonkers taxes paid, if applicable
Records of maintenance or child support paid for a prior spouse or other children

In divorce cases, the official worksheet is Form UD-8(3), published by the New York State Unified Court System.⁶ Having your records organized before filling it out heads off the disputes that come from sloppy income disclosure.

The Official Online Calculators

Two official tools can estimate your obligation. The New York State Unified Court System hosts a calculator on its divorce resources page that lets you run scenarios with guideline maintenance, zero maintenance, or a custom maintenance figure.⁷ New York City’s Office of Child Support Services runs a separate estimator through its website.⁸

Both walk you through prompts for income, deductions, and the number of children. The output is an estimate, not a court order; a judge can still adjust based on deviation factors, add-ons, and anything specific to your case. For families under the $193,000 cap with no unusual factors, the estimate will land close to what a court would order.

1
New York State Senate. New York Domestic Relations Law 240 – Custody and Child Support
2
Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates
3
New York State Division of Child Support Services. Child Support Standards Chart
4
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
5
New York State Unified Court System. Ask a Law Librarian – Child Support FAQ
6
New York State Unified Court System. Form UD-8(3) Child Support Worksheet
7
New York State Unified Court System. Post-Divorce Maintenance and Child Support Tools
8
NYC Human Resources Administration. OCSS Child Support Calculator