How to Use the New Jersey Child Support Calculator
Enter what you know and press Calculate Estimate. The calculator follows the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines (Appendix IX-A), the worksheet line instructions (Appendix IX-B) and the schedule of awards (Appendix IX-F).
- Enter each parent's gross monthly income. The calculator converts it to weekly net income.
- Choose the number of children and the parent of primary residence (where the children spend most overnights).
- Enter monthly work-related child care and the children's health insurance, and say who pays them.
- Enter the overnights a year with the other parent, or tick equal overnights.
New Jersey support is a weekly amount; the result also shows the monthly equivalent (weekly x 4.3). Your numbers are sent with the form, not placed in the page address, and this site does not store them. This is a planning estimate. A New Jersey Superior Court judge sets the actual amount.
New Jersey Child Support Guidelines in 2026
Looking for New Jersey child support guidelines for 2026? Two recent changes matter:
- New schedule of awards: after the quadrennial review, the Supreme Court adopted a revised Appendix IX-F on July 31, 2025, effective September 1, 2025 (Notice to the Bar, August 8, 2025). Many awards went up.
- Annual update: an order of March 31, 2026 updated Appendices IX-A, IX-B, IX-E and IX-H effective June 1, 2026 (NJ Courts order).
The self-support reserve is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person. Based on the 2026 guideline ($15,960 a year), that is about $460 a week; the June 2026 appendices state the official figure.
The New Jersey Schedule of Child Support Awards
Sample rows (weekly award at combined net weekly income):
| Combined net weekly income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|
| $180 | $63 | $125 | $133 |
| $500 | $172 | $224 | $248 |
| $1,000 | $293 | $339 | $390 |
| $1,500 | $369 | $420 | $499 |
| $2,000 | $425 | $481 | $589 |
| $2,500 | $481 | $538 | $674 |
| $3,000 | $561 | $605 | $769 |
| $3,600 | $717 | $719 | $917 |
The schedule runs from $180 to $3,600 a week in $10 steps for one to six children. Below $180 the court sets an award between $5 and the $180 amount. At $3,600 the amount is only the minimum basic award; above that the court adds a discretionary amount, and the schedule must not be extrapolated.
Self-Support Reserve
If paying support would leave the noncustodial parent with less than the self-support reserve (150% of the poverty guideline for one person, about $460 a week in 2026), and the custodial parent stays above it, the award is limited to the paying parent's net income minus the reserve. When the paying parent is already below the reserve, the court uses its discretion.
New Jersey Child Support Examples
In each example Parent B is the parent of primary residence. Amounts are weekly and come from this calculator.
Example 1: One child
A earns $5,000 and B earns $3,000 a month. Weekly net incomes are about $935 and $588 ($1,523 combined, $1,520 row). The basic award is $372, and A's 61.39% share is $228 a week (about $980 a month).
Example 2: Two children with child care and insurance
A earns $6,000 and B earns $4,000 a month. The basic award is $465, plus $140 child care and $47 insurance a week paid by B. A pays 59.01% of $652: $385 a week.
Example 3: Shared parenting
A earns $9,000 and B earns $7,000 a month, two children, 120 overnights with A. The basic award is $574; A's fixed costs are $143, so the two-household cost is $717. A's 55.31% share minus $143 fixed and $70 variable costs is $184 a week.
Example 4: Published worksheet example
A family law software publisher's example for the 2025 schedule (two children, 245 overnights with the primary parent, net incomes $1,045 and $2,007 a week) gives $276 a week. This calculator's shared-parenting formula gives the same result from those net incomes.
These are illustrations, not court rulings.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Jersey Child Support
Is this the official New Jersey child support calculator?
No. ChildSupportCalculator.xyz is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the State of New Jersey or the New Jersey Courts. It applies the Appendix IX guidelines and the September 2025 schedule. A judge sets the actual amount.
Is New Jersey child support weekly or monthly?
Weekly. The schedule and worksheets use weekly amounts. This calculator also shows the monthly equivalent (weekly x 4.3).
Did New Jersey child support change in 2025?
Yes. A revised schedule of awards (Appendix IX-F) took effect on September 1, 2025, and many awards increased. The other appendices were updated again effective June 1, 2026.
Does New Jersey use gross or net income for child support?
Net income. Taxes, Social Security, Medicare, mandatory retirement and union dues are subtracted, and the parents' weekly net incomes are combined.
How is child support calculated in New Jersey?
Read the basic award at combined net weekly income, add net child care and health insurance, multiply by the noncustodial parent's income share, and subtract direct payments and the parenting time adjustment.
How does shared parenting work in New Jersey?
With two or more overnights a week (about 28%), costs are split into fixed, variable and controlled parts. The alternate-residence parent's own fixed and variable costs are subtracted from their share of the two-household cost.
What is the self-support reserve in New Jersey?
150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, about $460 a week in 2026. Support should not push the paying parent below it if the other parent stays above it.
Is there an income cap for child support in New Jersey?
The schedule ends at $3,600 of combined net weekly income. That amount is the minimum basic award above it, and the court adds a discretionary amount.
Does the New Jersey calculator need my personal details or a login?
No. This site needs no login and does not store your numbers.
