Child Support

How much child support is ordered will depend on both parents’ income and the needs of the child.¹ To decide how much child support to order, the judge will follow the New Jersey child support guidelines, which account for:

• basic expenses: housing, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, health, and similar expenses; and
• additional expenses: child care, health insurance, and other expenses approved by the judge.²

However, there are circumstances that could make the judge stray from the guidelines or adjust the result provided by those guidelines.³ The judge, for example, may consider:

• other dependents of either party;
• other support obligations;
• government benefits paid to or for the children;⁴ and
• shared parenting obligations.⁵

The New Jersey Department of Human Services offers a child support calculator, which you can find here.

¹ N.J. Ct. R. App. IX-A
² N.J. Ct. R. App. IX-A(8)
³ N.J. Ct. R. App. IX-A(3)
⁴ N.J. Ct. R. App. IX-A(10)
⁵ N.J. Ct. R. App. IX-A(4)