New Jersey’s Child Support Guidelines

It is the law in New Jersey that both parents contribute to the support of their children.

New Jersey has publicized guidelines for the Court’s use in determining the amount of child support after a divorce. As a result, the Family Part judges set child support in a uniform fashion throughout the state. The theory behind these guidelines is that parents at different income levels spend a certain percentage of their combined incomes or a specific amount of money toward raising their child(ren). The statistics were generated by socio-economic studies. The Court may modify or disregard the guidelines only when good cause is shown or otherwise provided.