Updated for 2026 guidelines
New York Child Support Calculator 2026
New York adds both parents’ incomes together, applies a fixed percentage, and splits the result in proportion to income. This page runs the 2026 numbers step by step.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate New York child support
Estimated monthly child support: $1,875.00
The paying parent pays this amount to the receiving parent each month.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Combined parental income (annual)FCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula) (NY Senate (nysenate.gov)) | $150,000.00 |
| Basic child support obligation (annual, 25 percent)FCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula) (NY Senate (nysenate.gov)) | $37,500.00 |
| Noncustodial parent pro rata share (annual)FCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula) (NY Senate (nysenate.gov)) | $22,500.00 |
| Basic obligation, NCP share, monthlyFCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula) (NY Senate (nysenate.gov)) | $1,875.00 |
| Total monthly supportFCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula) (NY Senate (nysenate.gov)) | $1,875.00 |
Assumptions
- Incomes are annual CSSA income (gross minus FICA and other FCA 413(1)(b)(5)(vii) deductions); monthly support is the annual obligation divided by 12, rounded to cents.
- No formulaic parenting-time adjustment: CSSA applies in full in shared-custody cases (Bast v. Rossoff).
Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.
New York guidelines, effective 2026-03-01.
New York guideline facts
- Guideline model
- Fixed percentages of combined parental income, allocated pro ratasource
- Statutes
- DRL § 240(1-b) and FCA § 413 (the CSSA)source
- CSSA percentages
- 17% / 25% / 29% / 31% / 35%+ for 1 to 5 or more childrensource
- Combined income cap
- $193,000 per year, effective March 1, 2026source
- Self-support reserve
- $21,546 per year (135 percent of the poverty guideline)source
- Poverty income guideline
- $15,960 per year for a single person (2026)source
- Next cap adjustment
- March 1, 2028 (the cap is indexed to inflation every 2 years)source
- Parameter set effective
- March 1, 2026 (chart LDSS-4515 Rev. 03/26)source
- Next scheduled data review
- March 1, 2027, when the next chart is duesource
How the CSSA formula works
New York child support follows the Child Support Standards Act, usually shortened to CSSA. Family Court applies it under Family Court Act section 413, and Supreme Court applies the same rules in divorce cases under Domestic Relations Law section 240(1-b).
The starting point is each parent’s CSSA income. That is gross income from the latest tax return, minus FICA taxes actually paid (7.65 percent for a typical employee) and a short list of other deductions, such as NYC or Yonkers income tax and support actually paid for other children.
Both parents’ CSSA incomes are combined. A flat percentage applies to the combined figure: 17 percent for 1 child, 25 percent for 2, 29 percent for 3, 31 percent for 4, and at least 35 percent for 5 or more.
Each parent then owes a share of that basic obligation in proportion to income. The noncustodial parent pays their share to the custodial parent. The statute states amounts per year; orders translate them into monthly, biweekly, or weekly payments.
The percentages are mandatory only up to a ceiling on combined income. The March 2026 chart sets that ceiling at $193,000 a year. Where the parents earn more, the judge chooses how to treat the income above the line: keep applying the percentage, weigh the statutory factors, or blend the two, with reasons stated on the record.
Two floors protect a low-earning payor. If the obligation would drop the paying parent below the poverty guideline of $15,960, the order is $25 a month. If it would drop them below the self-support reserve of $21,546, the order is $50 a month or income minus the reserve, whichever is greater.
Worked example: $90,000 and $60,000 a year, 2 children
- Take a noncustodial parent with $90,000 in annual CSSA income and a custodial parent with $60,000, with 2 children in the case.
- Combined parental income is $90,000 plus $60,000, which is $150,000. That sits under the $193,000 cap, so the whole amount counts.
- For 2 children the CSSA percentage is 25 percent. The basic obligation is 25 percent of $150,000, which is $37,500 a year.
- The noncustodial parent earns $90,000 of the $150,000 combined, a 60 percent share. Their pro rata share of the obligation is 60 percent of $37,500, which is $22,500 a year.
- Divided by 12, the guideline order comes to $1,875.00 a month, before any add-ons for child care or the children’s health insurance.
The steps above follow the calculation method described on our methodology page.
New York guideline history
- The CSSA became law (L.1989 c. 567), with a combined income cap of $80,000.source
- Cap indexing began: the cap now moves with the consumer price index every 2 years under Social Services Law § 111-i.source
- Chart update set the combined income cap at $183,000.source
- Chart LDSS-4515 Rev. 03/26 set the cap at $193,000, the self-support reserve at $21,546, and the poverty guideline at $15,960.source
New York child support FAQs
What is the New York child support income cap for 2026?
The CSSA percentages are mandatory on combined parental income up to $193,000 a year, effective March 1, 2026. Above that line the judge has discretion: apply the percentage, weigh the statutory factors, or combine the approaches. Cassano v. Cassano, the leading Court of Appeals case, requires the judge to explain the choice. The cap moves with inflation every 2 years, next on March 1, 2028.
Does 50/50 custody end child support in New York?
No. New York has no shared-custody discount and no overnight-counting formula. In Bast v. Rossoff the Court of Appeals held that the full CSSA calculation applies even in shared custody. When time is truly equal, courts follow Baraby v. Baraby and treat the higher-earning parent as the noncustodial parent, so the higher earner pays. A judge can still deviate if the result would be unjust.
What counts as income under the CSSA?
Gross income as reported on the most recent tax return, plus items like investment income, workers compensation, disability and unemployment benefits, Social Security, and pensions. Courts can also impute income to a parent who is earning below their ability. From that total, the statute deducts FICA taxes actually paid, NYC or Yonkers income tax actually paid, maintenance actually paid, and child support paid for other children.
Is there an official New York child support calculator?
Not an interactive one for the CSSA formula itself. The state publishes the annual Child Support Standards Chart (form LDSS-4515) as a PDF, plus worksheets from the courts, and parents work through the steps by hand. The state child support agency does offer an income withholding calculator, but that tool covers paycheck withholding, not the guideline formula. This page automates the chart math and links every official source.
How are child care and health insurance costs handled?
They ride on top of the basic percentage amount as mandatory add-ons. Reasonable child care costs while the custodial parent works or attends school, and the children’s share of the health insurance premium, are each divided between the parents in proportion to income. In the worked example above, the noncustodial parent would pay 60 percent of those costs.
What happens when the paying parent earns very little?
The chart builds in two protections. If the full obligation would leave the noncustodial parent below the 2026 poverty guideline of $15,960, the order is $25 a month and unpaid amounts are capped at $500. If it would leave them below the self-support reserve of $21,546, the order is $50 a month or their income minus the reserve, whichever is greater.
Why is New York support quoted per year instead of per month?
Because the statute works in annual figures. The CSSA computes an annual basic obligation from annual incomes, and the order then converts it to the payment cycle, most often monthly, biweekly, or weekly. This calculator follows the statute: annual math first, then the monthly figure, rounded to cents.
Good to know in New York
- Two court systems apply one formula. Married parents divorcing use Supreme Court under DRL § 240(1-b); unmarried parents and support-only cases use Family Court under FCA § 413. The math is identical.
- Shared custody carries no formula discount. Bast v. Rossoff, 91 N.Y.2d 723 (1998), holds that the CSSA applies in full however the parenting time is split.
- With a truly equal schedule, the higher earner pays. Baraby v. Baraby, 250 A.D.2d 201 (3d Dep’t 1998), treats the higher-earning parent as the noncustodial parent in a 50/50 arrangement.
- Above the cap, judges must show their work. Cassano v. Cassano, 85 N.Y.2d 649 (1995), requires an explanation whenever combined income tops the cap and the court decides how much of the excess to count.
- The chart is reissued every March 1. The income cap changes every 2 years; the poverty and self-support figures change every year.
How to use this estimate
This tool applies FCA § 413 with the March 2026 chart figures: the $193,000 cap, the $21,546 self-support reserve, and the $15,960 poverty guideline. Enter annual incomes for both parents, because that is how the statute computes.
You can type CSSA income directly, or switch the form to gross pay and let the tool remove the 7.65 percent FICA share for you. If other deductions apply to you, such as NYC income tax or maintenance actually paid, subtract them yourself and enter the result as CSSA income.
The number you get is the mandatory guideline amount. A judge may deviate for the reasons listed in FCA § 413(1)(f), and parents may opt out in a signed agreement, but only if the agreement recites what the guideline amount would have been.
What this estimate includes
- The CSSA percentages for 1 through 5 or more children
- Pro rata allocation between the parents by income share
- The $193,000 combined income cap from the 2026 chart
- Child care and health insurance add-ons split by income share
- The $25 and $50 low-income orders and the self-support reserve check
- A gross-pay mode that deducts the FICA share for you
What it leaves out
- Deductions other than FICA, such as NYC or Yonkers tax and support paid for other children
- Whatever the judge decides about income above the $193,000 cap
- Educational add-ons and unreimbursed medical expenses
- Deviations under the FCA § 413(1)(f) factor list
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- FCA 413 (Child Support Standards Act formula)
NY Senate (nysenate.gov) Last checked
- Child Support Standards Chart LDSS-4515 (Rev. 03/26; $193,000 cap; SSR $21,546; poverty $15,960)
NYS OTDA DCSS (childsupport.ny.gov) Last checked
- NY Courts maintenance and child support tools page (worksheets, maintenance calculators)
NYS Unified Court System Last checked
- 45 CFR 302.56 (state guideline requirements; quadrennial review)
HHS OCSS / eCFR Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the March 2026 chart figures and the $193,000 cap. Material changes are dated in the update log.