New Jersey child support calculator (2026 guidelines)
New Jersey guidelines effective June 1, 2026. Change state
For 2 children, with Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, New Jersey's guideline amount is $972 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
New Jersey uses the income shares model; its current guidelines took effect June 1, 2026.
This is the guideline amount, not a court order.
Calculate your New Jersey guideline amount
Guideline child support
Choose your state and enter both incomes to see the guideline amount.
New Jersey child support at a glance
| Children | $30,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 child | $159 | $757 | $993 | $1,178 |
| 2 children | $159 | $860 | $1,127 | $1,316 |
| 3 children | $692 | $1,019 | $1,367 | $1,621 |
| 4 children | $774 | $1,140 | $1,527 | $1,810 |
| 5 children | $847 | $1,251 | $1,673 | $1,991 |
How New Jersey calculates child support
New Jersey uses the income shares model: the parents’ combined weekly net income sets a basic amount from the schedule, and each parent owes their share of it by income.
The guidelines work on weekly net income. Taxes come from the official combined withholding tables (federal, state, Social Security and Medicare), and the parent the children live with mostly claims them as dependents. Monthly amounts are divided by 4.3 to get weekly amounts.
The parent the children don’t live with mostly gets a credit for 37% of the basic amount times their share of overnights. From 28% of overnights (101 a year) the shared parenting worksheet also counts the fixed costs of a second home. If the primary household’s income would fall below twice the poverty guideline, the sole worksheet is used instead.
If paying would leave the paying parent with less than the self-support reserve of $460 a week, the amount is reduced to the income above the reserve, but not below $5 a week. When combined net income is under $180 a week, the court sets an amount between $5 and the schedule amount at $180.
Child care (after the federal and New Jersey child care credits), the children’s health insurance and recurring medical costs above $250 per child a year are added and shared by income. The parent who pays them directly gets credit.
Support a parent pays for other children, and a theoretical amount for other children living with a parent, are deducted in one calculation and ignored in another; the guideline amount is the average of the two.
The schedule ends at $3,600 of combined weekly net income. Above that, the top amount is the minimum and the court adds a discretionary amount.
Every worksheet line is rounded to whole dollars and income and overnight shares to two decimals, as the guidelines require.
Parenting time in New Jersey
The parent the children don’t live with mostly gets a credit for 37% of the basic amount times their share of overnights. From 28% of overnights (101 a year) the shared parenting worksheet also counts the fixed costs of a second home. If the primary household’s income would fall below twice the poverty guideline, the sole worksheet is used instead.
| Overnights with Parent A | Guideline amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,071 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 52 | $972 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 104 | $877 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 128 | $826 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
| 182 (about equal) | $722 a month | Parent A pays Parent B |
Low and high incomes in New Jersey
For 2 children with Parent B earning $40,000, the guideline amount is about $22 a month when Parent A earns $20,000 a year and about $2,378 a month when Parent A earns $250,000.
If paying would leave the paying parent with less than the self-support reserve of $460 a week, the amount is reduced to the income above the reserve, but not below $5 a week. When combined net income is under $180 a week, the court sets an amount between $5 and the schedule amount at $180.
The schedule ends at $3,600 of combined weekly net income. Above that, the top amount is the minimum and the court adds a discretionary amount.
Child support by number of children in New Jersey
- 1 child$851 a month
- 2 children$972 a month
- 3 children$1,170 a month
- 4 children$1,303 a month
- 5 children$1,432 a month
Parent A earns $60,000, Parent B $40,000; the children live mostly with Parent B.
Official sources and verification
- Law: N.J. Court Rules, R. 5:6A and Appendix IX (Child Support Guidelines); N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23
- New Jersey child support guidelines
- Appendix IX-C Sole Parenting Worksheet (CN 10788) and Appendix IX-D Shared Parenting Worksheet (CN 10727)
- Official New Jersey child support calculator
- New Jersey Child Support Program (Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development)
- Changing a New Jersey child support order
Guidelines effective June 1, 2026. Verified against the official New Jersey sources on October 7, 2026. How we calculate →
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in New Jersey?
New Jersey uses the income shares model: the parents’ combined weekly net income sets a basic amount from the schedule, and each parent owes their share of it by income. The guidelines work on weekly net income. Taxes come from the official combined withholding tables (federal, state, Social Security and Medicare), and the parent the children live with mostly claims them as dependents. Monthly amounts are divided by 4.3 to get weekly amounts.
What is the child support for one child in New Jersey on $50,000?
If Parent A earns $50,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the child lives mostly with Parent B, New Jersey's guideline amount for one child is about $757 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). Courts can deviate from the guideline amount.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in New Jersey?
Not necessarily. With about equal parenting time, 2 children, Parent A earning $60,000 and Parent B $40,000, the guideline amount is about $722 a month (Parent A pays Parent B). The parent the children don’t live with mostly gets a credit for 37% of the basic amount times their share of overnights. From 28% of overnights (101 a year) the shared parenting worksheet also counts the fixed costs of a second home. If the primary household’s income would fall below twice the poverty guideline, the sole worksheet is used instead.
What is the minimum child support in New Jersey?
If paying would leave the paying parent with less than the self-support reserve of $460 a week, the amount is reduced to the income above the reserve, but not below $5 a week. When combined net income is under $180 a week, the court sets an amount between $5 and the schedule amount at $180.
When does child support end in New Jersey?
Support ends automatically when a child turns 19, marries, dies or enters the military. The parent the child lives with can ask to continue it for a child who is still in high school, in full-time post-secondary education or has a disability. The request is due within 45 days of the child's 19th birthday and must propose an end date before the child's 23rd birthday.