New York Child Support & Maintenance Calculator
Estimate guideline support amounts under New York’s statutory formulas — DRL §236B and the Child Support Standards Act.
Estimates only — not legal advice. Results do not account for all case-specific factors.Step 3 (optional) — add the expenses the percentages leave out Child care, health insurance, unreimbursed medical and education are prorated on top of basic support under DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4)–(7). Add them here to see one real monthly number.
Enter the annual cost of anything that applies. Leave the rest blank.
Step 3 (optional) — add the expenses the percentages leave out Child care, health insurance, unreimbursed medical and education are prorated on top of basic support under DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4)–(7). Add them here to see one real monthly number.
Enter the annual cost of anything that applies. Leave the rest blank.
Methodology & Statutory Sources
Maintenance: Calculated under DRL § 236-B(5-a) (post-divorce) and § 236-B(6) (temporary). Formula A uses 30% of payor − 20% of payee (standard) or 20% of payor − 25% of payee when the payor is also the child-support payor. Formula B uses 40% of combined income − payee income. The guideline amount is the lower of the two (not less than zero). The statutory payor-income cap is $241,000 effective March 1, 2026 under the biennial adjustment published by the NY Office of Court Administration.
Child Support (CSSA): Calculated under FCA § 413 and DRL § 240. Combined parental income is multiplied by 17% / 25% / 29% / 31% / 35% for 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5+ children, then prorated between parents. The combined-income cap is $193,000 effective March 1, 2026. Per FCA § 413(1)(b)(5)(vii), maintenance is deducted from the payor's income and added to the payee's income before calculating child support.
FICA: Social Security tax of 6.2% on wages up to the annual SSA wage base ($183,600 for 2026, as announced by the Social Security Administration in October 2025), Medicare tax of 1.45% on all wages, plus the Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000 under IRC § 3101(b)(2). Because this calculator uses the current-year SSA wage base, FICA totals for high earners may differ by a few hundred dollars from calculators still using the prior year's base. NYC / Yonkers income tax, self-employment tax treatment, pensions, maintenance paid to non-parties, public assistance, and SSI deductions are not currently applied — see your attorney for a full CSSA income calculation.
Add-Ons: Basic child support is calculated above; the add-on expenses under DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4)–(7) and FCA § 413(1)(c) are calculated in Step 3 if you enter them. Child care necessary for work or schooling, health insurance premiums, and unreimbursed health expenses are mandatory add-ons the court shall prorate in proportion to income. Child care while a parent seeks work, and educational expenses, are discretionary — the court may award them “as justice requires.” The “SUNY cap” sometimes applied to college costs is a matter of judicial and negotiating practice, not statute.
Disclaimer: This calculator is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Results are guideline estimates. A court retains discretion under DRL § 236-B(5-a)(h)(1), (6)(e)(1) and FCA § 413(1)(f) / DRL § 240(1-b)(f) to deviate based on the enumerated factors. Consult a matrimonial attorney before relying on these figures for any legal or financial decision. Caps effective March 1, 2026 are subject to biennial adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Child Support Calculator
How accurate is this New York child support calculator?
It applies the exact CSSA formula from Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b) and Family Court Act § 413: 17% of combined parental income for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, and at least 35% for five or more, up to the $193,000 combined-income cap in effect since March 1, 2026. It is an educational estimate — courts can deviate based on statutory factors and can apply the percentages to income above the cap.
What counts as income for child support in New York?
Gross income from essentially all sources: wages, self-employment, bonuses, overtime, investment and rental income, and certain benefits. Courts can also impute income to a parent who is voluntarily underemployed or whose reported income doesn’t match their lifestyle. Deductions before the percentage applies include FICA and NYC taxes, among others.
Will the judge order exactly the number this calculator shows?
Not necessarily. The formula sets the presumptive basic obligation, but judges may deviate where the result is unjust or inappropriate, and mandatory add-ons — health insurance, unreimbursed medical costs, and work-related child care — are allocated on top of the basic support number.
Two things this calculator does not include
The CSSA percentages produce the basic obligation only. Child care, health insurance, unreimbursed medical, and education are prorated separately — run them through the add-ons calculator. And if you already have an order, the number above is only useful if you can change it.
The New York child support percentages (CSSA)
New York does not leave basic child support to a judge’s discretion. The Child Support Standards Act — Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b)(b)(3) and Family Court Act § 413 — sets a flat percentage of combined parental income, and that percentage is presumptively correct.
| Number of children | Percentage of combined parental income |
|---|---|
| One child | 17% |
| Two children | 25% |
| Three children | 29% |
| Four children | 31% |
| Five or more children | No less than 35% |
How the number is actually built
The formula runs in four steps. First, each parent’s CSSA income is calculated — gross income, less FICA and a short list of statutory deductions. It is not your take-home pay. Second, the two incomes are added to produce combined parental income. Third, the percentage from the table above is applied. Fourth, the resulting obligation is split between the parents pro rata, in proportion to each parent’s share of the combined income, and the non-custodial parent pays their share.
Above a statutory income cap, adjusted every two years, the court has discretion: it may apply the percentages to the excess, or not, based on the statutory factors. Below the cap, the guideline is presumptive.
What these percentages do not include
This is the single most common surprise in a New York child support case. The percentages produce the basic obligation only. Four categories of expense — the add-ons — are calculated separately and paid on top, each prorated by income under DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4)–(7): child care while a parent works or attends school, health insurance premiums, unreimbursed medical expenses, and educational costs. A parent who budgets only for the percentage above will be caught short. Run the add-ons here.
And if you already have an order, the figure above only matters if you can change it — check the three statutory grounds with our child support modification checker.