New York child support calculator
Combined income, up to a cap. A percentage of both incomes up to $193,000 a year, split by income share. Above the cap, the court decides.
How New York gets to $3,012.50
New York's formula (combined income, up to a cap), written out with your numbers. Each step names the part of the law it comes from.
Take off Social Security and MedicareFCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(vii)(H) and DRL § 240(1-b)(b)(5)(vii)(H), FICA paid
Social Security and Medicare come off each income: the other parent $12,000 − $918.00 = $11,082.00, and the parent the children live with $8,000 − $612.00 = $7,388.00 a month. $7,388 + $11,082 = $18,470 a month. The other parent's share is $11,082 ÷ $18,470 = 60%.
60%Apply the percentage up to the capFCA § 413(1)(b)(3) and (1)(c)(2) and DRL § 240(1-b), percentages and the cap
$18,470 × 12 = $221,640 a year, above the $193,000 cap. 25% × $193,000 = $48,250 a year for both parents. The other parent's share: $48,250 × 60% ÷ 12 = $2,412.50 a month.
$2,412.50Add the share of child careFCA § 413(1)(c)(4), (5) and (d), DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4), (5), child care and health insurance
60% of the $1,000 of child care the parent the children live with pays is $600.00. $2,412.50 + $600.00 = $3,012.50.
$3,012.50 a month
Notes
- Deductions from income not modeled: unreimbursed employee business expenses, maintenance paid to a spouse who is not a party, maintenance paid to the other parent (deducted only when the order or agreement provides a child support adjustment for when it ends), child support actually paid for other children, public assistance, SSI, and New York City or Yonkers income taxes (FCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(vii)(A) to (G)).
- Social Security and Medicare are computed as an employee pays them; self-employment tax is not modeled.
- Cash medical support when the children have no health insurance and are on Medicaid or the state child health plan is not modeled. It is capped at 5% of the paying parent's gross income or that parent's income above the self-support reserve, whichever is less (FCA § 413(1)(c)(5)(iii) and (iv)).
- Education costs and child care while the custodial parent looks for work are added at the court's discretion (FCA § 413(1)(c)(6) and (7)); not modeled.
- Combined income above the cap of $193,000 a year: support on the income above it is up to the court.
Rules: New York guideline in force from 1 Mar 2025, checked 2 Nov 2026.
Quick facts (2026)
New York's guideline as the calculator applies it on the date the page was built.
- Guideline model
- Combined income, up to a cap
- Income used
- Both gross incomes, minus Social Security and Medicare
- Percentages
- 17% for 1 child, 25% for 2, 29% for 3, 31% for 4 and 35% for 5 or more
- Cap
- The percentage applies to combined income up to $193,000 a year (from 1 Mar 2026 to 29 Feb 2028). Above the cap, the court decides how much of the extra income counts.
- Days with each parent
- The parent the children live with most of the time is the custodial parent, and the other parent pays. With equal time, the statute names no custodial parent; this calculator then treats the parent with the higher income as the paying parent, as appellate courts have done, and says so in the result. Time with each parent does not otherwise change the amount; a court can consider it when it varies from the guideline.
- Rules in force
- New York guideline from 1 Mar 2025, NY Family Court Act § 413, checked 2 Nov 2026. Next review due 1 Mar 2027.
| Children | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1 | 17% |
| 2 | 25% |
| 3 | 29% |
| 4 | 31% |
| 5 or more | 35% |
Support by income
The guideline amount as the other parent's income rises, for 1 to 3 children, with the income of the parent the children live with held fixed.
| Other parent's income a month | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $51.50 | $51.50 | $25.00 |
| $4,000 | $627.98 | $923.50 | $1,071.26 |
| $6,000 | $941.97 | $1,385.25 | $1,606.89 |
| $8,000 | $1,255.96 | $1,847.00 | $2,142.52 |
| $10,000 | $1,518.98 | $2,233.80 | $2,591.20 |
| $12,000 | $1,640.50 | $2,412.50 | $2,798.50 |
| $15,000 | $1,783.15 | $2,622.28 | $3,041.85 |
Custody time, health insurance and child care
How each one enters New York's formula.
Days with each parent
The parent the children live with most of the time is the custodial parent, and the other parent pays. With equal time, the statute names no custodial parent; this calculator then treats the parent with the higher income as the paying parent, as appellate courts have done, and says so in the result. Time with each parent does not otherwise change the amount; a court can consider it when it varies from the guideline. Child support with shared or 50/50 custody in New York (2026).
Health insurance and child care
Add the paying parent's income share of child care and health insurance paid by the parent the children live with. When the paying parent pays the health insurance, the amount goes down by the other parent's income share of it; child care the paying parent pays is not taken off. When the poverty-guideline rule applies, nothing is added. When the self-support reserve rule applies, the court may add these shares at its discretion, so they are listed but not added. A parent's share of health insurance is left out when it would take that parent's income below the self-support reserve; coverage above 5% of combined gross income is not presumed reasonable in cost.
New York's formula, step by step
The steps in the order the calculator runs them, each with the part of the law it comes from. The worked example under the calculator shows them with numbers.
Start from monthly incomeNY Family Court Act § 413
Start from each parent's monthly gross income.
Take off Social Security and MedicareFCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(vii)(H) and DRL § 240(1-b)(b)(5)(vii)(H), FICA paid
Take off the Social Security and Medicare tax each parent pays: Social Security 6.2% of wages up to $184,500 a year, Medicare 1.45%, and 0.9% more on wages above $200,000 a year (from 1 Jan 2026).
Add the two incomesNY Family Court Act § 413
Add the two incomes and work out each parent's share of the total.
Find the paying parentat 204: with equal time, the parent with the greater pro rata share pays
The parent the children live with most of the time is the custodial parent, and the other parent pays. With equal time, the statute names no custodial parent; this calculator then treats the parent with the higher income as the paying parent, as appellate courts have done, and says so in the result.
Apply the percentage up to the capFCA § 413(1)(b)(3) and (1)(c)(2) and DRL § 240(1-b), percentages and the cap
Take a percentage of the combined income for a year: 17% for 1 child, 25% for 2, 29% for 3, 31% for 4 and 35% for 5 or more. It applies to combined income up to the cap of $193,000 a year (from 1 Mar 2026 to 29 Feb 2028). The paying parent's income share of that amount, divided by 12, is the basic obligation for a month.
Check the low-income rulesFCA § 413(1)(d) and DRL § 240(1-b)(d), low income
Check what paying would leave the paying parent for a year. Below the poverty guideline ($15,960 a year (from 1 Mar 2026)), the basic obligation is $25 a month. Below the self-support reserve ($21,546 a year (from 1 Mar 2026)), it is the income above the reserve, at least $50 a month.
Add the shares of child care and health insuranceFCA § 413(1)(c)(4), (5) and (d), DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4), (5), child care and health insurance
Add the paying parent's income share of child care and health insurance paid by the parent the children live with. When the paying parent pays the health insurance, the amount goes down by the other parent's income share of it; child care the paying parent pays is not taken off. When the poverty-guideline rule applies, nothing is added. When the self-support reserve rule applies, the court may add these shares at its discretion, so they are listed but not added. A parent's share of health insurance is left out when it would take that parent's income below the self-support reserve; coverage above 5% of combined gross income is not presumed reasonable in cost.
Note what the formula leaves outFCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(iii)(I) and (vii)(B), (C), maintenance
Spousal support entered is not used. New York deducts maintenance paid to the other parent, and counts it as income of the parent who receives it, only when the order or agreement provides a specific child support adjustment for when the maintenance ends (FCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(iii)(I) and (vii)(C)); maintenance paid to a spouse who is not a party is deducted ((vii)(B)). Neither is modeled.
Caps and dated figures
Percentages are written in the rule file. Caps, reserves and minimums move on their own calendar, so each is a dated value; the calculator uses the one in force on the date it computes for.
| Figure | Value | In force | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guideline percentages | 17% for 1 child, 25% for 2, 29% for 3, 31% for 4 and 35% for 5 or more | from 1 Mar 2025 | NY Family Court Act § 413, checked 2 Nov 2026 |
| Social Security and Medicare | Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 a year; Medicare 1.45%, plus 0.9% above $200,000 a year | from 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025 | Social Security Administration: contribution and benefit base, and OASDI and HI tax rates, checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Social Security and Medicare | Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500 a year; Medicare 1.45%, plus 0.9% above $200,000 a year | from 1 Jan 2026in force | Social Security Administration: contribution and benefit base, and OASDI and HI tax rates, checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Combined parental income cap | $183,000 a year | from 1 Mar 2024 to 28 Feb 2026 | NY Courts: what's new in matrimonial legislation (cap raised from $183,000 to $193,000), checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Combined parental income cap | $193,000 a year | from 1 Mar 2026 to 29 Feb 2028in force | NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Self-support reserve | $21,128 a year | from 1 Mar 2025 to 28 Feb 2026 | NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/25), archived copy, checked 2 Nov 2026 |
| Self-support reserve | $21,546 a year | from 1 Mar 2026in force | NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Poverty guideline for one person | $15,650 a year | from 1 Mar 2025 to 28 Feb 2026 | HHS ASPE 2025 poverty guidelines, checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Poverty guideline for one person | $15,960 a year | from 1 Mar 2026in force | NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026 |
Not confirmed yet
- Nothing in New York's formula is marked unconfirmed.
Compare New York
The sample family above in every state the calculator covers. Each state reads only what its formula uses.
| State | Guideline model | Support a month | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Income shares | $2,311.80 | the other parent |
| Texas | Percentage of net resources | $2,285.21 | the other parent |
| New York | Combined income, up to a cap | $3,012.50 | the other parent |
- New York vs Virginia child support: which state is higher? (2026)For most middle income families New York's guideline is higher. For two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month it is $1,385.25 in New York and $1,094.40 in Virginia, and New York support runs to 21 rather than 18. Virginia can come out lower still with shared custody, which its formula uses and New York's does not, while at very high incomes Virginia, which has no cap, can be higher.
- Texas vs New York child support: which state is higher? (2026)For a typical middle income family New York's guideline is higher than Texas's. For two children and a paying parent earning $6,000 a month, it is $1,385.25 in New York and $1,239.21 in Texas, and the gap widens when there is child care, which New York adds and Texas does not. At low incomes the order flips: New York's low income rules can bring support far below the Texas amount.
- Virginia child support calculatorIncome shares. Both incomes are added, a schedule sets what the children need, and each parent covers their share. Shared custody starts after 90 days a year with each parent.
- Texas child support calculatorPercentage of net resources. A set percentage of the paying parent's income after tax: 25% for two children.
Questions about New York child support
How is child support calculated in New York?
Combined income, up to a cap. A percentage of both incomes up to $193,000 a year, split by income share. Above the cap, the court decides. The calculator on this page shows every step with your numbers and the part of the law it comes from.
How much is child support in New York for 2 children?
It depends on the incomes. For 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $8,000 a month and the other parent $12,000, before tax; child care of $1,000 a month, paid by the parent the children live with, the guideline amount is $3,012.50 a month, paid by the other parent to the parent the children live with, with the rules in force on 2 Nov 2026.
Is there an income cap in New York?
The percentage applies to combined income up to $193,000 a year (from 1 Mar 2026 to 29 Feb 2028). Above the cap, the court decides how much of the extra income counts.
Does time with each parent change child support in New York?
The parent the children live with most of the time is the custodial parent, and the other parent pays. With equal time, the statute names no custodial parent; this calculator then treats the parent with the higher income as the paying parent, as appellate courts have done, and says so in the result. Time with each parent does not otherwise change the amount; a court can consider it when it varies from the guideline.
Are child care and health insurance included?
Add the paying parent's income share of child care and health insurance paid by the parent the children live with. When the paying parent pays the health insurance, the amount goes down by the other parent's income share of it; child care the paying parent pays is not taken off. When the poverty-guideline rule applies, nothing is added. When the self-support reserve rule applies, the court may add these shares at its discretion, so they are listed but not added. A parent's share of health insurance is left out when it would take that parent's income below the self-support reserve; coverage above 5% of combined gross income is not presumed reasonable in cost.
Is this the amount a court will order?
This is an estimate of the guideline amount. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.
Is child support different in New York City, Buffalo or Long Island?
No. The Child Support Standards Act (Family Court Act § 413, Domestic Relations Law § 240) applies statewide, so the same percentages and income cap apply everywhere. A case can be filed in the Family Court of the county where either parent lives (Family Court Act § 421). The one local difference: New York City and Yonkers income taxes actually paid are deducted from income before the percentage is applied.
New York guides
Every scenario of New York's guideline, explained with figures from the same engine.
- Back child support (arrears) in New York: interest, enforcement and jail (2026)Back child support (arrears) in New York stays owed: a court cannot reduce or cancel arrears that built up before a modification was asked for (Family Court Act § 451(1)). The court enters a money judgment for the arrears, with interest at the judgment rate of nine percent a year when the default was willful, and the Child Support Program collects through income withholding, driver's and professional license suspension, tax refund intercepts, liens, bank freezes and, above 2,500 dollars, passport denial. A willful violation can mean up to six months in jail, and non-support of a child is a crime under Penal Law § 260.05.
- Child support and your tax refund: the offset rules (2026)Yes. Under 42 U.S.C. § 664, the Treasury withholds a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support that a state child support agency has certified, and sends the money to that state. A case qualifies when at least $150 is owed on support assigned to the state for public assistance, or at least $500 in other cases (45 CFR 303.72). The state must send a notice first that explains how to contest the amount, and a spouse on a joint return can claim their share back with IRS Form 8379.
- Child support when parents live in different statesWhen parents live in different states, the court that sets support applies its own state's law and guideline (Texas Family Code § 159.303). A state can make an order against a parent who lives elsewhere only on one of the jurisdiction bases in the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (§ 159.201); otherwise the case is heard in the other parent's state, with the two states' child support agencies working together. An order from another state is registered to be enforced, and in Texas the other party has 30 days after notice to contest it (§ 159.605).
- Does 50/50 custody mean no child support? Texas, New York and Virginia (2026)No. In Texas, New York and Virginia, equal time with each parent does not by itself end child support. Only Virginia's guideline uses the number of days: above 90 days a year with each parent, a shared custody formula lowers support, and with equal time the parent who earns more usually pays the difference. Texas and New York apply their usual formula; in Texas, parenting time is a factor a court may weigh to depart from it, and New York's statute has no shared custody formula, but with truly equal time its appellate courts make the parent with the larger income share the paying parent.
- How child support is calculatedEvery state sets a guideline formula in law, and courts apply it unless they find it unjust or inappropriate. The formula takes the parents' income (gross or net, one parent's or both), turns it into a base amount with a percentage or a schedule, adds some costs such as child care and health insurance, and in some states adjusts for parenting time and very low or high incomes. Texas, New York and Virginia each do these steps differently, so the same family gets a different figure in each.
- Self-employed and imputed income in New York child support (2026)New York counts the income a parent reported, or should have reported, on the most recent federal tax return. For self-employed parents, accelerated depreciation and personal entertainment and travel deductions are added back. A court may also impute income: from resources such as assets, perks and money from family, or from former income if a parent reduced their income to avoid support. Imputation requires specific written findings based on the parent's circumstances (Family Court Act § 413(1)(b)(5)).
- Income shares vs percentage of income: how child support models differ (2026)A percentage of income model sets support as a fixed share of the paying parent's income, and the other parent's income does not enter the formula. An income shares model starts from both parents' combined income, finds the basic support amount the guideline sets for that income, and splits it in proportion to each parent's income. Texas uses a percentage of the paying parent's net resources, Virginia uses income shares, and New York applies a fixed percentage to both parents' combined income and splits it by income.
- Child support and taxes: what the IRS says (2026)Child support is neither taxable nor deductible under federal tax law: the IRS says child support payments are not deductible by the parent who pays them and not taxable to the parent who receives them. Who claims the child is a separate question. The IRS treats the parent the child lived with for more nights in the year as the one entitled to claim the child; that parent can release the child tax credit to the other parent with Form 8332, but head of household status, the earned income credit and the child care credit stay with the parent the child lived with.
- Low-income child support in New York: the minimum and the self-support reserve (2026)If paying the guideline amount would leave the paying parent's income below the federal poverty guideline for one person ($15,960 a year), New York sets the basic obligation at $25 a month. If it would leave that parent below the self-support reserve ($21,546 a year) but above the poverty line, the basic obligation is $50 a month or the income above the reserve, whichever is greater. Both come from Family Court Act § 413(1)(d).
- Modifying a child support order in New York (2026)A New York child support order can be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances, when three years have passed since it was entered, last modified or adjusted, or when either parent's gross income has changed by 15 percent or more since then (Family Court Act § 451(3); Domestic Relations Law § 236(B)(9)(b)(2)). Parents can opt out of the three-year and 15 percent grounds in a validly executed agreement or stipulation. Separately, the Child Support Program reviews orders it handles every two years for a cost of living adjustment.
- Moving to another state: what happens to a child support orderMoving to another state does not change an existing child support order. The state that issued it keeps continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify it as long as either parent or the child still lives there, or the parents agree otherwise (28 U.S.C. § 1738B; Texas Family Code § 159.205). Once all of them have left, the order is usually modified in the state where the parent not asking for the change lives. The new state's guideline then sets the amount, but how long support lasts stays governed by the law of the state that issued the original controlling order (§ 159.611).
- Child support with shared or 50/50 custody in New York (2026)Yes, child support can still be owed with shared or 50/50 custody in New York. The guideline has no shared custody formula: the parent the children live with most is treated as the one who receives support, and the other parent's share is worked out with the usual percentages. When time is truly equal, the appellate courts treat the parent with the larger share of combined income as the paying parent, and a court can depart from the guideline for reasons the statute lists, including the costs of extended time with the children.
- Child support above New York's combined income cap (2026)New York applies its child support percentages to combined parental income up to $193,000 a year, the cap in force since 1 March 2026. On income above that, Family Court Act § 413(1)(c)(3) leaves the amount to the court, which decides using the factors in paragraph (f) and/or the child support percentage. The cap is not a limit on support: it is the point where the fixed formula stops.
- New York child support by income: tables for 1 to 5 children (2026)New York guideline support is a fixed percentage of both parents' combined income, after Social Security and Medicare taxes, up to $193,000 a year, shared by income. Below the cap, the other parent's share works out to that percentage of their own income after those taxes: for example $784.98 a month for one child at $5,000 a month, and $1,154.38 for two.
- Health insurance, child care and education costs in New York child support (2026)New York adds three kinds of costs to basic child support. Reasonable child care costs while the parent the children live with works or studies toward work are shared in proportion to income and must be added. The children's health insurance is shared the same way, along with medical costs insurance does not cover. Private, special, enriched or college education costs may be added if the court finds them appropriate.
- Child support for several children and other families in New York (2026)New York's percentage of combined parental income rises with the number of children: 17% for one, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four and no less than 35% for five or more. Child support a parent actually pays for children in another family under an order or written agreement is deducted from that parent's income first, and the needs of other children can be a reason for a different amount.
- What counts as income for child support in Texas, New York and Virginia (2026)All three states count wages, bonuses, self-employment income, investment income and most benefits, such as unemployment, workers' compensation, Social Security and pensions. They differ on the starting point and the deductions: Texas uses net resources after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax; New York uses gross income on the tax return minus Social Security, Medicare, New York City or Yonkers taxes and a few other items; Virginia uses gross income. All three exclude supplemental security income or deduct it, and all three let a court count income a parent could earn but does not.
- How long child support lasts in New York (2026)In New York, parents must support a child until the child turns 21, not 18 (Family Court Act § 413(1)(a)). Support can end earlier if the child is emancipated, for example by marrying, joining the military, or being 18 or older and working full time. For an adult with a developmental disability who lives with and depends on a parent, support can be ordered until 26.
- All New York guidesNew York sets child support with the Child Support Standards Act: a fixed percentage of both parents' combined income, after certain deductions, up to $193,000 a year, shared between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The other parent pays their share to the parent the children live with most, plus a share of child care and health costs, and a court may depart from that amount only for reasons the law lists.
Versions
When a state changes its formula, the rule file gets a new version with the date it starts. Results use the version in force on their date.
United States, version from 1 Jan 2025in force
- This is an estimate of the guideline amount. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.
New York, version from 1 Mar 2025in force
- Deductions from income not modeled: unreimbursed employee business expenses, maintenance paid to a spouse who is not a party, maintenance paid to the other parent (deducted only when the order or agreement provides a child support adjustment for when it ends), child support actually paid for other children, public assistance, SSI, and New York City or Yonkers income taxes (FCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(vii)(A) to (G)).
- Social Security and Medicare are computed as an employee pays them; self-employment tax is not modeled.
- Cash medical support when the children have no health insurance and are on Medicaid or the state child health plan is not modeled. It is capped at 5% of the paying parent's gross income or that parent's income above the self-support reserve, whichever is less (FCA § 413(1)(c)(5)(iii) and (iv)).
- Education costs and child care while the custodial parent looks for work are added at the court's discretion (FCA § 413(1)(c)(6) and (7)); not modeled.
Sources
Every law, chart and table the formula and its figures come from, with the date each was last checked.
- NY Family Court Act § 413
- NY Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b)
- NY Family Court Act § 416
- NY Courts, CourtHelp: Child Support (who is the custodial parent)
- Bast v. Rossoff, 91 N.Y.2d 723, 728 (Court of Appeals 1998)
- Baraby v. Baraby, 250 A.D.2d 201, 204 (3d Dept 1998)
- Barr v. Cannata, 57 A.D.3d 813, 2008 NY Slip Op 10109 (2d Dept 2008)
- Matter of Carlino v. Carlino, 277 A.D.2d 897 (4th Dept 2000)
- Rubin v. Della Salla, 107 A.D.3d 60 (1st Dept 2013)
- Social Security Administration: contribution and benefit base, and OASDI and HI tax rates
- NY Courts: what's new in matrimonial legislation (cap raised from $183,000 to $193,000)
- NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26)
- NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/25), archived copy
- HHS ASPE 2025 poverty guidelines