Calculation is client-side, income figures are never transmitted or stored.
How New Jersey Child Support Is Calculated
- Determine each parent's net weekly income (New Jersey's guidelines run on weekly figures, not monthly).
- Combine both parents' net weekly income for combined net weekly income.
- Look up the basic child support award from the official Schedule of Child Support Awards (Appendix IX-F) for that combined income and number of children.
- Each parent's share equals their income divided by combined income, applied to the basic award.
- The Self-Support Reserve (150% of the one-person federal poverty guideline, $460/week as of 2026) is checked: if paying support would drop the paying parent's net income below the reserve AND the receiving parent's net income minus their share would stay above the reserve, courts review income and living expenses rather than applying the schedule automatically.
- Below $180/week combined net income, and above the $3,600/week cap, the guideline is explicitly discretionary rather than a formula — the rule text says not to extrapolate the schedule.
New Jersey Child Support Worksheet Walkthrough
Example: combined net income $1,000/week, 2 children, Parent A earns $600/wk (60% share), Parent B earns $400/wk (40% share) and is the noncustodial parent.
- Basic child support award for $1,000 combined, 2 children: $339/week.
- Parent B's share: 40% × $339 ≈ $136/week guideline child support paid by Parent B.
How This Calculator Works — Formula & Constants
Source: New Jersey Court Rules, Appendix IX-F (Administrative Office of the Courts) · Calcul déterministe — no AI, no arbitrary estimate.
Constants used
| Constant | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Self-support reserve | $460/mo | N.J. Ct. R. 5:6A, Appendix IX-A through IX-F |
Formula
base_obligation = schedule_lookup(combined_income, children)
share_B = parentB_income / combined_income
total_obligation = base_obligation + childcare_cost + health_insurance_cost
obligation_B = total_obligation × share_B
Deterministic calculation based on New Jersey's official guideline schedule table. Verify against New Jersey's official calculator for a court-ready figure.
FAQ
How is child support calculated in New Jersey?
Determine each parent's net weekly income (New Jersey's guidelines run on weekly figures, not monthly). Combine both parents' net weekly income for combined net weekly income. Look up the basic child support award from the official Schedule of Child Support Awards (Appendix IX-F) for that combined income and number of children. Each parent's share equals their income divided by combined income, applied to the basic award. The Self-Support Reserve (150% of the one-person federal poverty guideline, $460/week as of 2026) is checked: if paying support would drop the paying parent's net income below the reserve AND the receiving parent's net income minus their share would stay above the reserve, courts review income and living expenses rather than applying the schedule automatically. Below $180/week combined net income, and above the $3,600/week cap, the guideline is explicitly discretionary rather than a formula — the rule text says not to extrapolate the schedule.
Is New Jersey child support based on weekly or monthly income?
Weekly. New Jersey's Schedule of Child Support Awards (Appendix IX-F) and worksheets run on net WEEKLY income figures, from $180 to $3,600/week combined — not monthly amounts like most other states. If your pay is monthly or biweekly, it needs to be converted to a weekly figure first.
What is New Jersey's Self-Support Reserve?
The Self-Support Reserve is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for a one-person household — $460/week as of January 1, 2026. It only adjusts the award when BOTH conditions are met: paying the guideline amount would drop the paying parent's net income below the reserve, AND the receiving parent's income minus their own share would stay above the reserve. If the receiving parent would also fall below the reserve, no adjustment is made regardless of the paying parent's income — courts prioritize the custodial household's basic needs.
What happens if combined income is above $3,600/week in New Jersey?
Above $3,600/week ($187,200/year) in combined net income, New Jersey's rule explicitly says not to extrapolate the schedule. Courts instead apply the $3,600 guideline amount as a floor and add a discretionary amount based on the family's actual circumstances under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23, rather than a formula.
Methodology & Source
Formula model: income shares. Effective 2025-09-01, guideline version 2025-NJ-v1, last reviewed 2026-07-12.
Official source: New Jersey Court Rules, Appendix IX-F (Administrative Office of the Courts) (N.J. Ct. R. 5:6A, Appendix IX-A through IX-F).
Below $180/week combined net income, and above the $3,600/week cap ($187,200/year), New Jersey's guideline is explicitly discretionary -- the rule text says "DO NOT EXTRAPOLATE THIS SCHEDULE." Above the cap, courts apply the $3,600 guideline amount as a minimum and add a discretionary amount based on the factors in N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23. This calculator does not model NJ's Parenting Time (PAR) adjustment, which changes the sole-parenting worksheet calculation when the non-custodial parent has substantial parenting time.
Guideline figures transcribed from the primary source above and cross-checked against New Jersey's official calculator/worksheet for multiple test scenarios — see our verification methodology.