Family Matters

What Does Child Support Actually Cover in New Jersey?

Most people are familiar with the term “child support” and have a general understanding that child support is money one parent provides to the other for the benefit of a child. However, you may wonder what expenses are covered by a parent’s child support obligation. 

Appendix IX-A

In New Jersey, our rules of court have adopted the child support guidelines in Appendix IX-A, which provides insight into what expenses are intended to be covered by a person’s child support obligation. Appendix IX-A provides the guidelines have considered “the average amount” that a family spends on a child or children for housing, food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, unreimbursed medical care expenses, and miscellaneous items. The fact that parents may or may not incur costs on a specific expense contemplated by the guidelines Appendix IX-A is not a basis for the Court to deviate from requiring a parent to provide a child support obligation per the guideline calculation.

While the child support guidelines provide an extensive list of expenses it has considered, not all expenses that you may incur for your child may be included. Appendix IX-A provides for certain expenses that can be added into a child support guideline calculation.

For example, a common expense that parents incur which can be added to the guidelines is the cost of work-related childcare.

The cost for a child to attend a private school can also be added to the guidelines calculation. When considering support for the benefit of your child, it is important to consider what costs are already contemplated by the guidelines calculation and what expenses may need to be added to ensure sufficient support is being provided for the benefit of the child.

Although our guidelines are meant to ensure a child is receiving the appropriate level of financial support from both parents, “the average amount” that a family incurs for a child inevitably changes with the fluctuations of the cost of living. In these instances, you may find that while a parent’s child support is meant to cover their share of a certain expense, it pales in comparison to what you are actually paying for a certain expense for the child. In these instances, you may want to discuss whether a certain expense for a child should be handled separately and regardless of whether the guidelines contemplated the same. For example, while the cost of extracurricular activities is an expense covered by the guidelines, this may be an expense that you and the other parent agree should be shared separately due to the costs associated with same.

Child support is the child’s right, and it is important to ensure the child receives an appropriate level of support from both parents. Obermayer’s experienced family law attorneys can help you determine what that support may look like.

The information contained in this publication should not be construed as legal advice, is not a substitute for legal counsel, and should not be relied on as such. For legal advice or answers to specific questions, please contact one of our attorneys.