Rule 5:6A.Child Support Guidelines
Last amended September 1, 2025 · Current through September 1, 2026 · Last verified September 8, 2026
Full Text of Rule 5:6A
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “Note” beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; a “Source” line names the former rule the current one grew out of, and “R. (1969)” citations refer to the earlier numbering it replaced.
Note: Adopted May 9, 1986 to be effective immediately; amended November 7, 1988 to be effective January 2, 1989; amended June 23, 1992 to be effective September 1, 1992; amended May 13, 1997 to be effective December 1, 1997; amended July 31, 2025 to be effective September 1, 2025.
Plain-English Summary
The guidelines in Appendix IX are not advisory. They apply whenever the court considers an application to establish or modify child support, and may be modified or disregarded only where good cause is shown.
Good cause has two components, and the rule joins them. It consists of the considerations set out in Appendix IX-A, or other relevant factors that make the guidelines inapplicable or subject to modification — and the fact that an injustice would result from applying them. Whether good cause exists is left to the sound discretion of the court.
The paperwork requirement is what makes deviation visible. A completed guidelines worksheet must be attached to any order or judgment that includes child support, whether the court calculated it or the parties submitted it for approval. If the proposed award differs from the guidelines figure, the worksheet has to state the reason and the amount the guidelines would have produced. The order and worksheet both go to the parties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the New Jersey child support guidelines mandatory?
They apply to every application to establish or modify child support and may be modified or disregarded only where good cause is shown, in the court's sound discretion.
What counts as good cause to depart from the guidelines?
The considerations in Appendix IX-A or other relevant factors making the guidelines inapplicable or subject to modification, together with the fact that an injustice would result from applying them.
Does a guidelines worksheet have to be attached to the order?
Yes. A completed worksheet in the prescribed form must be attached to any order or judgment that includes child support, and if the award differs from the guidelines figure the worksheet must state the reason and the guidelines amount.