Low-income child support in New York: the minimum and the self-support reserve (2026)

What is the minimum child support in New York?

New York has two floors, both in Family Court Act § 413(1)(d) and the matching Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b)(d). They protect a minimum income for the parent who pays:

If paying the guideline amount would leave that parent’s income	The basic obligation is
below the poverty guideline for one person ($15,960 a year)	$25 a month, unless the court finds that unjust or inappropriate
below the self-support reserve ($21,546 a year) but not below the poverty guideline	$50 a month, or the income above the reserve if that is more
at or above the self-support reserve	the normal guideline amount

The comparison is yearly: the parent’s income as the statute defines it, minus the yearly guideline amount, against the yearly poverty guideline and reserve. The state’s own worksheet at the end of the Child Support Standards Chart does the same test.

What is the self-support reserve in 2026?

The self-support reserve is 135 percent of the federal poverty guideline for one person, and it is revised every 1 March (§ 413(1)(b)(6)). Since 1 March 2026 it is $21,546 a year (from 1 Mar 2026; NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026), and the poverty guideline used with it is $15,960 a year (from 1 Mar 2026; NY OTDA Child Support Standards Chart, LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), checked 31 Oct 2026).

When is support set at the poverty floor?

When the guideline amount would push the paying parent’s income below the poverty guideline. For one child, with $1,500 a month for the other parent and $2,500 for the parent the children live with, the percentage would leave the other parent below the poverty line, so the basic obligation is $25.00 a month:

How New York gets to $25.00 a month

In New York: 1 child; the parent the children live with earns $2,500 a month and the other parent $1,500, before tax.

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 $1,500 − $114.75 = $1,385.25, and the parent the children live with $2,500 − $191.25 = $2,308.75 a month. $2,308.75 + $1,385.25 = $3,694 a month. The other parent's share is $1,385.25 ÷ $3,694 = 37.5%.

   37.5%

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

   $3,694 × 12 = $44,328 a year, within the $193,000 cap. 17% × $44,328 = $7,535.76 a year for both parents. The other parent's share: $7,535.76 × 37.5% ÷ 12 = $235.49 a month.

   $235.49

3. Check the low-income rulesFCA § 413(1)(d) and DRL § 240(1-b)(d), low income

   Paying would leave the other parent $13,797.12 a year, below the poverty guideline of $15,960, so the basic obligation is $25.00 a month.

   $25.00 a month

The court can order a different amount if it finds this one unjust or inappropriate, based on the factors in § 413(1)(f). It can also impute income to a parent who reduced their income to avoid support (see the guide to imputed income).

When is support set at the self-support reserve floor?

When the guideline amount would leave the paying parent between the poverty guideline and the reserve. The basic obligation is then the parent’s income above the reserve, but never less than $50 a month.

Family, one child	Basic obligation a month
Other parent $2,000, parent the children live with $3,000	$51.50 (the income above the reserve)
Other parent $1,950, parent the children live with $3,000	$50.00 (the floor)

Are child care and health costs added to a low-income order?

Not automatically. The statute treats the two floors differently:

• Self-support reserve floor: the basic obligation applies “in addition to any amounts that the court may, in its discretion, order” for child care, health care and education under § 413(1)(c)(4) to (7). So these costs can be added, but it is up to the court.
• Poverty floor: the sentence setting the obligation at $25 a month does not mention them.

Health insurance has its own limit. Under Family Court Act § 416(d), coverage is never “reasonable in cost” if a parent’s share would push that parent’s income below the self-support reserve. When the children are covered by Medicaid or the state child health plan, the paying parent’s contribution is capped at the lesser of five percent of that parent’s gross income or the parent’s income above the reserve (§ 413(1)(c)(5)(iii) and (iv)).

Because these costs are up to the court at low incomes, the amounts on this page leave out child care and health insurance.

Can arrears build up on a low-income order?

There is a limit. Under § 413(1)(g), where the paying parent’s income is less than or equal to the poverty guideline, unpaid child support arrears cannot build up beyond five hundred dollars.

What happens if the paying parent’s income drops?

The order does not change by itself. New York’s Child Support Program says job loss does not end the obligation and only a court can change the order; the parent can file a petition to modify it. The guide to modifying an order covers the grounds, including a 15 percent change in income.

Open this family in the New York calculator

What this guide does not cover

This guide does not cover public assistance cases, enforcement, or how a court decides whether a floor is unjust 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.