New York child support: how the guideline works (2026)

New York’s guideline is the Child Support Standards Act. The same rules are in two places: Family Court Act § 413(1), used in Family Court, and Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b), used in divorce cases in Supreme Court. This page walks through the guideline in order, with a worked example, and links to a guide for each situation.

How is child support calculated in New York?

The statute sets out the steps in § 413(1)(c):

1. Each parent’s income. Start from gross income on the most recent federal tax return, add certain benefits, and subtract the listed deductions, such as Social Security and Medicare taxes.
2. Combined parental income. Add the two incomes together and work out each parent’s share of the total.
3. The percentage. Multiply combined income, up to the cap, by the percentage for the number of children.
4. Each parent’s share. Split that amount in proportion to the two incomes. The other parent’s share is what that parent pays.
5. Low income check. If paying would leave the other parent below the poverty guideline or the self-support reserve, a lower floor applies instead.
6. Add-ons. Add each parent’s share of work related child care and the children’s health insurance. The court may also add education costs.

Here is the whole calculation for one family, with the arithmetic written out by the engine:

How New York gets to $3,012.50 a month

In New York: 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.

1. 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%

2. 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.

   $2,412.50

3. Add 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

This family’s combined income is above the cap, so the guideline percentage only applies to the first $193,000 a year of it. What to order on the rest is up to the court, as the guide to incomes above the cap explains.

What percentage of income is child support in New York?

Children	Share of combined parental income
1	17%
2	25%
3	29%
4	31%
5 or more	no less than 35%

Source: Family Court Act § 413(1)(b)(3). The percentage applies to both parents’ income together, and each parent is responsible for their share of the result. Below the cap, that works out the same as applying the percentage to the other parent’s own income, so the income of the parent the children live with mostly matters through the add-ons, the cap and the low income check.

The guideline amount for one, two and three children at a few incomes, with the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month:

Other parent's income a month	1 child	2 children	3 children
$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	$1,569.95	$2,308.75	$2,678.15
$12,000	$1,883.94	$2,770.50	$3,213.78

The support by income guide has the full table, up to five children and above the cap.

Is New York child support based on gross or net income?

It starts from gross income and subtracts a short list of items. Under § 413(1)(b)(5), income is:

• gross income as reported, or as it should have been reported, on the most recent federal income tax return;
• plus investment income and, if not already counted, workers’ compensation, disability benefits, unemployment insurance, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, pensions, fellowships, stipends and annuities;
• minus Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes actually paid, New York City or Yonkers income taxes actually paid, unreimbursed work expenses, child support actually paid for other children under an order or written agreement, maintenance in the cases the statute lists, public assistance and supplemental security income.

Federal and New York State income taxes are not deducted. The court may also impute income, for example to a parent who reduced their income to avoid support. The guide to self-employed and imputed income covers both.

What is the New York child support income cap in 2026?

The percentage applies to combined parental income up to $193,000 a year (from 1 Mar 2026 to 29 Feb 2028; NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026). Social Services Law § 111-i raises the amount every two years on 1 March by the change in consumer prices, rounded to the nearest thousand dollars. The next change is due on 1 March 2028.

On income above the cap, § 413(1)(c)(3) says the court sets support through the factors in paragraph (f) and/or the child support percentage. The state’s chart puts it this way: the law permits, but does not require, using the percentages above the cap.

What is the New York child support standards chart?

The Child Support Standards Chart (form LDSS-4515) is the official table the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance publishes every year under Social Services Law § 111-i(2). The current edition was released on 1 March 2026. The law says what it must list:

What the chart lists	Value from 1 March 2026
Poverty income guideline for one person	$15,960 a year
Self-support reserve	$21,546 a year
Child support percentages	17%, 25%, 29%, 31% and no less than 35% for one to five or more children
Dollar amounts the percentages give	The basic obligation at levels of combined income
Combined parental income amount (the cap)	$193,000 a year

The chart ends with a basic worksheet that runs through the same steps as the calculator. A court generally cannot enter a support order for a parent without a lawyer unless that parent received a copy of the chart (§ 413(1)(i)). The chart PDF is on the Child Support Program’s site.

What is added on top of basic child support?

• Child care. When the parent the children live with works, or is in school or training that leads to work, reasonable child care costs are shared in proportion to income and added (§ 413(1)(c)(4)). Child care while that parent looks for work may be shared, at the court’s discretion (§ 413(1)(c)(6)).
• Health insurance. The cost of the children’s coverage is shared in proportion to income. When the parent the children live with pays it, the other parent’s share is added; when the other parent pays it, the first parent’s share is subtracted (§ 413(1)(c)(5)(ii)). Medical costs insurance does not cover are shared the same way.
• Education. The court may order the parents to pay private, special, enriched or college education costs (§ 413(1)(c)(7)).

The health insurance and child care guide has the details and examples.

What happens when the paying parent’s income is low?

Two floors in § 413(1)(d) protect the other parent’s own minimum income:

• If paying the guideline amount would leave that parent’s income below the federal poverty guideline for one person ($15,960 a year), the basic obligation is $25 a month, unless the court finds that unjust or inappropriate.
• If it would leave that parent below the self-support reserve ($21,546 a year) but not below the poverty guideline, the basic obligation is $50 a month or the income above the reserve, whichever is greater. The court may add child care, health and education costs at its discretion.

The low income guide explains both floors.

Which parent pays child support in New York?

The parent the children do not live with most of the time pays the parent they do live with. New York’s court information pages describe the parent with physical custody as the one the child lives with most of the time. Support can be ordered even when that parent could support the children alone.

New York’s formula does not count parenting time. The Court of Appeals treats the parent with physical custody for the majority of the time as the one who receives support (Bast v. Rossoff, 91 N.Y.2d 723, 728). When parents share time equally, the appellate courts treat the parent with the larger share of combined income as the paying parent (Baraby v. Baraby, 250 A.D.2d 201, 204). The shared custody guide covers this.

How long does child support last in New York?

Until the child turns 21 (§ 413(1)(a)), unless the child is emancipated earlier: for example by marrying, joining the military, or being 18 or older and working full time. Support for an adult with a developmental disability can continue to 26 in some cases. See how long child support lasts in New York.

Can the court or the parents change the guideline amount?

The guideline amount is presumed correct. A court may order a different amount only if it finds the guideline amount unjust or inappropriate, based on the ten factors in § 413(1)(f), such as the children’s needs, the parents’ resources, and extraordinary visitation expenses. It then has to say in writing what the guideline amount was and why it ordered something else (§ 413(1)(g)).

Parents can agree on an amount. Under § 413(1)(h), the agreement must say that both were told about the guidelines and what the guideline amount would be, and give the reasons if they agreed to something different.

An existing order changes only through the court or a cost of living adjustment. The guide to modifying an order covers the grounds. Unpaid support cannot be reduced that way once it is owed: the guide to back child support in New York covers arrears, interest and enforcement.

Phone numbers, online account and payments

New York’s Child Support Program lists these contacts and payment options on childsupport.ny.gov:

What it is for	Contact
Child Support Helpline: questions about a case, PIN requests, payoff amounts	888-208-4485 (TTY 866-875-9975), Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Local child support office: enrolling, address and job changes, help with petitions	Local district offices
Online account (MyChildSupport): payments, statements, payment coupons, email to the local office	mychildsupport.ny.gov, with a NY.gov ID and the five-digit PIN mailed when the case opens
Pay online or by phone by card, PayPal and other wallets	ChildSupportBillPay New York, 888-877-0450
Pay by card or by direct debit from a bank account	ExpertPay, 866-645-6347 (registration required)
Pay in cash at participating stores, or by card online	MoneyGram, New York Receive Code 14690
Pay by check or money order (no cash)	NYS Child Support Processing Center, PO Box 15363, Albany, NY 12212-5363, with the New York Case Identifier
Receive payments	The Way2Go Card debit card by default, or direct deposit to a bank account

The online and phone payment services charge processing fees, which the Make Payments page lists. A PIN cannot be given over the phone: the helpline mails it.

Where are New York’s official forms and calculators?

• New York Child Support Services, run by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance: enrolling for services, payments, and help filing a petition. Helpline 888-208-4485.
• The Child Support Standards Chart (LDSS-4515), updated each spring, with a basic worksheet at the end.
• NY Courts maintenance and child support tools: the Child Support Worksheet (UD-8(3)) and the courts’ own online and Excel calculators.
• CourtHelp child support pages, on starting a case, hearings, and emancipation.

Open the example family in the New York calculator

What this guide does not cover

This guide covers the guideline amount for children who live mainly with one parent. It does not cover spousal maintenance, enforcement (see back child support in New York), paternity, or how a court weighs the deviation factors in a particular case. The engine also leaves out these parts of New York’s guideline:

• 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.

The figures are estimates of the guideline amount. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.