Understanding Child Support in New Jersey
Child support is a legally mandated payment from one parent to the other for the care of their child. Understanding how child support is calculated in New Jersey can help both parties navigate the process.
From the team at The Law Office of Blake W. Rush, here is an overview of New Jersey’s guidelines regarding calculating and paying child support:
Determining Child Support Payments
In the State of New Jersey, support guidelines are utilized to determine how much money should be paid in child support weekly. These complex guidelines calculations are based on several factors, including the gross and net income of both parents, the ages and the number of children involved, and the parenting time arrangements. Depending upon the circumstances, the support guidelines may also factor in additional expenses or adjustments, such as mandatory retirement contributions, union dues, medical insurance premiums for the children, childcare costs, private school tuition, and other court-approved expenses that either parent may be responsible for paying.
Once these support calculations have been made, they must be submitted to the court, where they will be reviewed by a support hearing officer and judge for approval. Once approval is given, an order outlining the amount to be paid will be issued and must then be followed by both parents until it is otherwise modified by the court. Unless good cause is shown otherwise, the court often adjusts child support orders every two years to account for the cost of living increases
It is important to understand that the support guidelines are intended to apply only to children less than 18 years old or still attending high school. The support guidelines are not used to determine parental contributions for college expenses or the amount of support for a child attending college.
Payment Options
In New Jersey, several options are available for making payments on time and in full each month.
- Electronic funds transfer (EFT) provides an easy way to pay electronically using your bank account information. You can also use credit cards, debit cards, cashier’s checks, or money orders if you prefer not to use EFT.
- Additionally, payments can also be made online through NJChildSupport.org, which allows for secure payments to be made directly from your checking or savings account with minimal processing fees incurred by you.
- Lastly, you may also choose to mail your payments directly to the court or family court services office handling your case with a check or money order payable to the “State of New Jersey” and include your case number on it for reference purposes only.
Contact our office today for a consultation with our expert child support lawyers.
For all areas of family law, including child support payments, our expert attorneys are here to help. Here at the Law Office of Blake W. Rush, we represent clients in custody matters throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Give us a call at (903) 713-9800 or visit our website to contact us and learn more about how we can help you.