Child Support in a New Jersey Divorce: Guidelines, 2025 Schedule, $460 Reserve, Shared Parenting and Age 19
New Jersey family law · Last reviewed October 23, 2026
New Jersey sets child support with guidelines adopted by the Supreme Court under Rule 5:6A. They are an income-shares model: the court estimates what the parents would spend on the child if they lived together, then divides that amount by their shares of combined net income. A new support schedule took effect September 1, 2025.
The guidelines are presumptive
"In accordance with Rule 5:6A, these guidelines must be used as a rebuttable presumption to establish and modify all child support orders." They apply to contested and agreed cases alike, including temporary support during the divorce. "The guidelines may be modified or disregarded by the court only where good cause is shown," and the order has to state the guideline amount and the reason for any departure. A guidelines worksheet is attached to every order.
How the number is built
- Each parent's net income. "Generally, net income is gross income minus income taxes, mandatory union dues, mandatory retirement, previously ordered child support orders, and, when appropriate, a theoretical child support obligation for other dependents." A parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed without just cause can have income imputed.
- The basic award. Combined net weekly income and the number of children give a figure from the schedule in Appendix IX-F. The schedule reflects what intact families spend on children: housing, food, clothing, transportation and other everyday costs.
- Add-ons. Net work-related child care, the cost of adding the child to health insurance, and predictable health costs above $250 a year per child are added.
- Each parent's share. The total is divided by income shares. The custodial parent's share is assumed to be spent directly on the child; the other parent pays the rest as support, with credits for parenting time where the rules allow.
The 2025 schedule: the key numbers
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule in effect | Adopted July 31, 2025, effective September 1, 2025 | Appendix IX-F |
| Top of the schedule | $3,600 combined net weekly income (about $187,200 a year) | Appendix IX-F; IX-A |
| Basic award at $3,600 | $717 (one child), $719 (two), $917 (three) a week | Appendix IX-F |
| Below $180 combined | Set case by case, from $5 a week up to the $180-row amount | Appendix IX-F |
| Self-support reserve | $460 a week (150% of the one-person poverty guideline) as of January 1, 2026 | Order of March 31, 2026 |
| Health costs inside the schedule | Unreimbursed costs up to $250 per child per year | Appendix IX-B |
The one-child and two-child figures at the top row really are $2 apart; that is what the official schedule says.
Above the schedule. "For cases in which the combined net income of the parents is more than $3,600 per week, the child support award at $3,600 represents the minimum basic support award." The court adds a discretionary amount based on the statutory factors, and the schedule warns in capitals not to extrapolate it beyond $3,600.
Very low incomes. "For combined net incomes that are less than $180 per week, the court shall establish a child support award based on the obligor's net income and living expenses and the needs of the child."
The self-support reserve
The reserve protects a paying parent at or near the poverty line: if paying the full award would leave the obligor below 150% of the poverty guideline for one person, the award can be reduced, but only if the custodial household stays above that level too. The amount changes every year:
| As of | Weekly reserve | Order |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2024 | $434 | Order of April 2, 2024 (effective June 1, 2024) |
| January 1, 2025 | $451 | Order of April 8, 2025 (effective June 1, 2025) |
| January 1, 2026 | $460 | Order of March 31, 2026 (effective June 1, 2026) |
Several guides still give $451. The current figure is $460.
Shared parenting
A separate shared-parenting worksheet can be used when the parent with less time has the substantial equivalent of two or more overnights a week (the guidelines put it at "approximately 28% of overnights excluding vacations and holidays"), there's a parenting plan, and the child has separate accommodations in both homes. Even then the shared-parenting award isn't presumptive, and it can't be used if it would push the primary household below twice the poverty guideline. Equal time doesn't automatically mean zero support; the parent with the higher income often still pays.
Child care and health insurance
- Child care. "Qualified child care expenses are those incurred to care for a dependent who is under the age of 13 or is physically or mentally handicapped." The net cost, after federal and state tax credits, is added to the award.
- Health insurance. "The parent's marginal cost of adding a child to a health insurance premium is not included in the support schedules and should be added to the basic obligation if incurred."
- Uncovered medical bills. The first $250 per child per year is built into the schedule. Above that, predictable recurring costs are added to the award, and unpredictable ones are shared by income percentages.
When support ends
N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56.67: "a child support obligation shall terminate by operation of law without order by the court when a child reaches 19 years of age unless:" an order sets a different age, the child has a severe mental or physical incapacity, or the custodial parent asks in writing before the child turns 19 and the continuation is approved. Continuation is available for a child still in high school, a full-time college or vocational student, or a child with a disability that began before 19. Notices go out at least 180 and 90 days before the 19th birthday.
There is a hard stop: "the obligation to pay child support shall terminate by operation of law when a child reaches 23 years of age," except for support of a child with a severe incapacity. The statute doesn't stop an adult child from seeking other forms of financial maintenance, and a court can convert support to another form of maintenance in exceptional circumstances such as a disability. Since March 2026, Directive #04-26 sorts which court division hears requests about adult children.
Support also ends if the child marries, dies or enters the military.
The calculator and the agency
The Judiciary's official calculator is QuickCalc at quickcalc.njchildsupport.gov. It warns that it "is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of the amount of child support that will be ordered," and that "The Court has the final authority to determine the amount of the child support order." Self-employment income and other complications need a full guidelines worksheet.
Payments run through the New Jersey Child Support Program and the Probation Division. "There is a $6 fee to apply for full child support services. This includes child support enforcement services." Apply through njchildsupport.gov or call 1-877-NJ KIDS1 (1-877-655-4371).
Changing an order
To change or enforce a support order from your divorce, you file a motion with the court that issued it. Courts look for a substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss, a large change in income or a change in custody. The Judiciary's post-judgment packet (CN 10483) has the forms.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in New Jersey?
With the income-shares guidelines: both parents' net incomes, the September 2025 schedule, add-ons for child care and health insurance, and parenting-time credits. QuickCalc gives an estimate.
What is the maximum child support in New Jersey?
There isn't one. The schedule stops at $3,600 a week of combined net income; above that, the $3,600 amount is the minimum and the court adds more at its discretion.
What is the self-support reserve in New Jersey for 2026?
$460 a week, as of January 1, 2026.
When does child support end in New Jersey?
At 19 by operation of law, unless extended for school, college or a disability. It can't continue past 23 except for a child with a severe incapacity.
Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in New Jersey?
No. With two or more overnights a week the shared-parenting worksheet may apply, but the parent with more income often still pays.
Can child support be changed in New Jersey?
Yes, by motion, on a substantial change in circumstances.