How is child support calculated in New Jersey?

Income shares and the schedule

The guidelines use an income shares approach. The parents’ combined weekly net income and the number of children set a basic award from the Appendix IX-F schedule, which the parents share in proportion to their incomes (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 4). Net income is generally gross income minus income taxes, mandatory union dues, mandatory retirement, previously ordered child support and, when appropriate, a credit for other dependents (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 11).

If a parent is, without just cause, voluntarily underemployed or unemployed, the court shall impute income after considering that parent’s specific circumstances, such as work history, education, health and the local job market (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 12).

Parenting time

A shared-parenting calculation may be used when a parenting plan is filed with or ordered by the court and the parent of alternate residence has, or is expected to have, the child for the substantial equivalent of two or more overnights per week over a year or more (at least 28% of the time), with separate living accommodations for the child. Meeting those criteria does not make a shared-parenting award presumptive (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 14). Below that level, the court may reduce the award to reflect the parenting-time parent’s variable expenses (paragraph 13).

Added expenses and income limits

Work-related child care, the child’s health insurance, predictable and recurring unreimbursed health care above $250 per child per year, and other expenses the court approves are added to the basic award (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 9).

When the parents’ combined net income is more than $187,200 a year, the court applies the guidelines up to that amount and adds a discretionary amount based on the factors in N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23 (Appendix IX-A, paragraph 20(b)).