New York child support calculator
Enter both parents' yearly gross income, the number of children and who the children live with most of the time. See the yearly amount New York's formula gives, and the same amount per month, step by step as on the court's worksheet.
- New York's own percentages, 17% for one child up to at least 35% for five or more, from the Child Support Standards Act.
- 2026 figures, in force from March 1, 2026: the $193,000 combined income cap and the $21,546 self-support reserve.
- Yearly and monthly, because New York calculates support per year.
How New York calculates child support
New York's guideline is the Child Support Standards Act, written into Domestic Relations Law section 240(1-b) and, in the same words, Family Court Act section 413. It is a percentage of the parents' combined income, up to a cap, shared between the parents by income. There is no lookup table in the law: the state's Child Support Standards Chart (form LDSS-4515) just prints the formula's results in $100 steps.
The parent the children live with most of the time is the custodial parent. The court orders the other parent, the noncustodial parent, to pay their share to the custodial parent. All amounts are yearly. The figures that change each year come from the chart released March 1, 2026: a combined income cap of $193,000 (it was $183,000 before), a self-support reserve of $21,546 and a poverty guideline of $15,960 for one person.
| 1. Income | Each parent's gross (total) income, as on the federal tax return, plus some income not on it. Minus FICA (Social Security and Medicare) actually paid, New York City or Yonkers income tax actually paid, support paid for other children under an order, and maintenance paid. Federal and New York State income tax are not deducted. The calculator doesn't cover unreimbursed employee business expenses, which the law also deducts unless they reduce personal spending. |
|---|---|
| 2. Combined income | Add the two incomes. Each parent's share is their income divided by the total. |
| 3. Percentage | Combined income, up to $193,000, × 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, at least 35% for five or more. |
| 4. Paying parent's share | That amount × the paying parent's share of the income. Under the cap this always equals the paying parent's own income × the percentage. |
| 5. Low-income check | If paying would leave that parent under the $21,546 self-support reserve, or under the $15,960 poverty guideline, a lower amount applies (see below). |
| 6. Add-ons | Shares of child care for work or school and of the children's health insurance are added (or, for insurance the paying parent provides, the other parent's share is deducted). The yearly total ÷ 12 is the monthly figure. |
Example: $36,000 and $24,000 a year, two children
This is the illustration in New York's 2023 review of its guidelines (Exhibit 21), prepared for the state's Division of Child Support Services. The review shows it per month: $3,000 and $2,000 gross, giving $692.63 a month. Here it is in yearly figures, the calculator's starting numbers: you earn $36,000, the other parent $24,000, and the children live with the other parent.
| Your income: $36,000 − $2,754 FICA (7.65%) | $33,246.00 |
|---|---|
| Other parent's income: $24,000 − $1,836 FICA | $22,164.00 |
| Combined parental income | $55,410.00 |
| Your share: $33,246 ÷ $55,410 | 60% |
| 25% for two children: 25% × $55,410 | $13,852.50 |
| Your share of it, per year: 60% × $13,852.50 | $8,311.50 |
| Low-income check: $33,246 − $8,311.50 = $24,934.50, above the $21,546 reserve | No change |
| Each month: $8,311.50 ÷ 12 | $692.63 |
The same result comes from 25% of your own income: 25% × $33,246 = $8,311.50. Under the cap, the other parent's income changes only the shares of child care and health insurance, not the basic amount.
New York's special rules
Shared parenting. New York has no shared-parenting formula and no overnight threshold. In Bast v Rossoff (1998), the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, held that child support in a shared custody case "should be calculated as it is in any other case". The custodial parent is usually the one with the children "for a majority of time". The court rejected reducing support in proportion to time spent with the children, leaving any such formula to the Legislature. If the formula gives an unjust or inappropriate result, the court may order a different amount using the ten factors in DRL 240(1-b)(f), one of which is the paying parent's expenses for extended visitation when the custodial parent's expenses are substantially reduced. So the calculator asks only who has the children most of the time. If the time is exactly equal, neither the statute nor Bast says which parent is custodial; tick "Our time is exactly equal" to see the amount both ways.
Above $193,000. The formula fixes the amount only on combined income up to the cap. For income above it, the court decides "through consideration of the factors" in paragraph (f) "and/or the child support percentage" (DRL 240(1-b)(c)(3)). The calculator shows the amount on the first $193,000 and, separately, what the percentage on all income would give. For example, with $250,000 and $50,000 of income for child support (after FICA) and one child, the paying parent's share is $27,341.67 a year on the first $193,000, or $42,500 a year with 17% on all $300,000. Courts usually land between these two figures, but the law doesn't limit them to it.
Child care and health care. Child care the custodial parent pays to work, or to attend school or training that leads to work, is shared by income and added. The cost of the children's health insurance is shared the same way: the paying parent's share is added if the custodial parent provides it, and the custodial parent's share is deducted if the paying parent does. Uncovered medical costs are shared by income too, stated as a percentage in the order. The court may also share child care while the custodial parent looks for work, and education costs; there is no formula for those.
| Left under $21,546 | If the basic amount would leave the paying parent with less than the self-support reserve, the amount is the greater of $50 a month ($600 a year) or their income minus $21,546. The court decides whether to add child care and health costs. |
|---|---|
| Left under $15,960 | If it would leave them under the poverty guideline for one person, the amount is $25 a month ($300 a year), with no add-ons. The court may order a different amount if it finds that unjust. |
| On the state chart, one child | Paying parent's income $19,200: $300 a year. $19,300: $600. $22,200: $654. $26,000 and up: 17%, e.g. $4,420. |
| Five or more children | "No less than" 35%; the court may use more. The calculator uses 35%. |
Questions people ask
How is child support calculated in New York?
Each parent's income is their gross income minus FICA, New York City or Yonkers income tax, and a few other items the law lists. The two incomes are added, and the combined income up to $193,000 is multiplied by 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four or at least 35% for five or more. The parent the children don't mainly live with pays their share of that amount, in proportion to their income, plus their share of child care and health insurance. The result is a yearly amount; divide by 12 for the monthly figure.
Does 50/50 custody change child support in New York?
Not by formula. New York has no shared-parenting adjustment. The Court of Appeals held in Bast v Rossoff (1998) that support in a shared custody case is calculated as in any other case, with the parent who has the children the majority of the time treated as the custodial parent. With exactly equal time, neither the statute nor that decision says which parent is custodial. If the result is unjust or inappropriate, the court may order a different amount using the factors in DRL 240(1-b)(f).
What is the minimum child support in New York?
If paying the formula amount would leave the paying parent below the poverty guideline for one person ($15,960 in 2026), the basic amount is $25 a month. If it would leave them below the self-support reserve ($21,546 from March 1, 2026) but not below the poverty guideline, it is the greater of $50 a month or their income minus the reserve. The court may order a different amount if it finds the result unjust or inappropriate.
What if we earn more than $193,000 together?
The formula applies to combined income up to $193,000. For the income above that, the court decides using the factors in DRL 240(1-b)(f) and/or the child support percentage. This calculator shows the amount on the first $193,000 and what the percentage on all combined income would give. Courts usually land between these two figures, but the law doesn't limit them to it.
Are taxes deducted from income for New York child support?
Only some. FICA (Social Security and Medicare) actually paid and New York City or Yonkers income tax actually paid are deducted. Federal and New York State income tax are not. The calculator estimates FICA from gross wages if you leave that box empty.
Until what age is child support paid in New York?
Under the Child Support Standards Act, child support is for an unemancipated child under the age of 21.
Updated November 9, 2026. Sources: DRL 240(1-b) and FCA 413 (latest revision October 4, 2024); SSL 111-i; Child Support Standards Chart LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26), released by the Division of Child Support Services (read from the copy on the state's otda.ny.gov server, since childsupport.ny.gov didn't load for us), with the $193,000 cap, $21,546 self-support reserve and $15,960 poverty guideline in force from March 1, 2026; Child Support Worksheet UD-8(3) (Rev. 12/23/25; method only, it still prints the 2025 figures); Bast v Rossoff, 91 NY2d 723 (1998); HHS 2026 poverty guidelines; 2023 Review of the New York Child Support Guidelines (Exhibit 21). An estimate, not legal advice: the court or support magistrate sets the actual amount, and guidelines allow deviations. Not affiliated with the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the New York State Unified Court System, or any New York agency or court.