Child Support Calculations
Mario A. Joseph, Esq.
Child support in New York is calculated pursuant to the Child Support
Standards Act ("CSSA") The basic child support obligation is calculated
by multiplying the combined parental income by the appropriate child
support percentage. Income is defined as "gross income as was or should
have been reported on the most recent federal income tax return" less
deductions for social security and New York City and Yonkers income
taxes. The "child support percentage" is fixed at: a) 17% of the
combined parental income for one child; b) 25% of the combined parental
income for two children; c) 29% of the combined parental income for
three children; d) 31% of the combined parental income for four
children; and e) no less than 35% of the combined parental income for
five or more children.
In New Jersey, child support is based on Child Support Guidelines in
New Jersey and is basically determined by taking the income of each of
the parties and also some other factors and plugging same into a set
formula that has been determined by a committee of the New Jersey
Supreme Court. Besides including the income of the parties, the amount
of time that each party spends with their children is also a factor so
that essentially, in some sense, the more time that a parent spends
with the children, the lower his or her child support obligation will
be. There are also several other factors that go into the equation,
including the requirement to pay child care and other factors. The only
way to make a definitive answer as to how much the child support
obligation will be is to have all pertinent information available and
then utilize the guidelines step by step in order to find the ultimate
amount.