How Much Is Child Support in New York for One, Two or Three Children?
By Pieter G. Weinrieb, Esq. · Admitted NY 2005 · 42-hour certified family and divorce mediator · Published
The short answer
New York child support is a percentage of income: 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four, and at least 35% for five or more (Family Court Act §413(1)(b)(3); DRL §240(1-b)). The percentage is applied to both parents’ combined income up to $193,000 (the cap since March 1, 2026), and the paying parent owes their share. Below the cap, that works out to the paying parent’s own income (after FICA) times the percentage. A parent earning $1,000 a week owes about $157 a week for one child, before add-ons like child care and health insurance.
How Much Child Support Per Child: The Percentages
The Child Support Standards Act sets one percentage for each family size. It does not add a fixed dollar amount per child; the percentage for the whole family simply steps up. The table shows what each percentage means on $50,000 and $100,000 of the paying parent’s income, after the FICA deduction the statute allows.
| Children | CSSA percentage | On $50,000 a year | On $100,000 a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17% | $8,500 a year ($708 a month) | $17,000 a year ($1,417 a month) |
| 2 | 25% | $12,500 a year ($1,042 a month) | $25,000 a year ($2,083 a month) |
| 3 | 29% | $14,500 a year ($1,208 a month) | $29,000 a year ($2,417 a month) |
| 4 | 31% | $15,500 a year ($1,292 a month) | $31,000 a year ($2,583 a month) |
| 5 or more | at least 35% | at least $17,500 a year | at least $35,000 a year |
These are the basic obligation only. Child care, health insurance and uncovered medical costs are added on top, as explained below.
Why Your Share Comes Out to Your Own Income Times the Percentage
The statute works in three steps. The court adds both parents’ incomes together, multiplies the total (up to the cap) by the child support percentage, and then divides that amount between the parents in proportion to their incomes (FCA §413(1)(c)(1)–(2)). The paying parent pays their proportional share. The custodial parent’s share is treated as spent directly on the child in their home.
The arithmetic has a useful side effect. When combined income is under $193,000, multiplying the combined figure by 17% and then taking your proportional share gives exactly the same answer as multiplying your own income by 17%. So below the cap, the other parent’s income does not change your basic number. It does change your share of the add-ons, and it matters once combined income passes the cap.
If I Make $1,000 a Week, How Much Child Support Do I Pay?
This is the question we hear most, so here is the math for one child, using the statute’s own steps.
- Gross pay: $1,000 a week is $52,000 a year.
- Less FICA (Social Security and Medicare, 7.65% for most employees), which the statute lets you deduct (FCA §413(1)(b)(5)(vii)(H)): $52,000 minus $3,978 = $48,022.
- Times 17% for one child: $8,163.74 a year.
That is about $157 a week, or $680 a month, for one child. With two children at 25% it would be about $231 a week; with three at 29%, about $268 a week. Federal and state income taxes are not deducted. That surprises many parents, but the CSSA starts from gross income as reported on the tax return, not take-home pay.
To run your own numbers, our free New York child support calculator applies the same formula, including the cap and the low-income rules.
Worked Examples for Two and Three Children
Two children, paying parent earns $75,000. After FICA ($5,737.50), CSSA income is $69,262.50. Twenty-five percent is $17,315.62 a year: about $1,443 a month.
Three children, paying parent earns $100,000. After FICA ($7,650), CSSA income is $92,350. Twenty-nine percent is $26,781.50 a year: about $2,232 a month.
In both examples the other parent’s income does not change the basic figure, as long as combined income stays under $193,000. These examples assume ordinary W-2 wages and no other deductions. Self-employment income, bonuses and investment income are handled differently, and a court can impute income to a parent who is earning less than they could (see our guide to imputed income in New York child support).
What Counts as Income Before the Percentage Applies
“Income” starts with the gross income that should be reported on the most recent federal tax return, plus investment income and items like workers’ compensation, disability, unemployment, Social Security, pensions and voluntarily deferred pay (FCA §413(1)(b)(5)(i)–(iii)). Then the statute subtracts a short list, including:
- FICA taxes actually paid;
- maintenance (spousal support) actually paid to the other parent under an order or written agreement (the order must then say how child support adjusts when maintenance ends);
- child support actually paid for other children the parent is legally required to support;
- unreimbursed employee business expenses, public assistance and SSI;
- New York City or Yonkers income taxes (which do not apply to Erie or Niagara County residents).
Those deductions are why two parents with the same salary can end up with different support numbers. If a maintenance award is part of a divorce, it is calculated first and then deducted before child support is figured.
When Combined Income Is Over $193,000
On combined income above the cap, the court may apply the same percentage, consider the statutory factors (the child’s needs, the standard of living the child would have had, the parents’ resources and others), or both (FCA §413(1)(c)(3)). New York’s highest court has held that a judge may simply apply the percentage to income over the cap, but must put the reasons on the record, showing the parties’ circumstances were considered and no reason to depart was found (Matter of Cassano v. Cassano, 85 N.Y.2d 649 [1995]).
Example: one child; the paying parent earns $150,000 and the other parent $90,000. After FICA, combined income is $221,640 and the paying parent’s share is 62.5%. On the first $193,000, the paying parent owes about $20,506 a year ($1,709 a month). If the court applies 17% to the $28,640 above the cap as well, that adds about $3,043 a year, for a total of about $1,962 a month. Whether that extra applies is often the most contested part of a higher-income case; see our page on high-net-worth divorce.
Low Incomes: The $25 and $50 Floors
The formula has a safety valve for parents who earn very little. If paying the formula amount would push the paying parent below the federal poverty guideline for one person, the basic obligation is $25 a month. If it would push them below the self-support reserve but not below the poverty guideline, the obligation is $50 a month or the difference between their income and the reserve, whichever is greater (FCA §413(1)(d)). The self-support reserve is $21,546 as of March 1, 2026, and it is updated every March (FCA §413(1)(b)(6)).
Example: a parent earning $24,000 a year has CSSA income of $22,164. Seventeen percent ($3,768) would leave $18,396, below the reserve. So the basic obligation becomes $618 a year ($22,164 minus $21,546), about $52 a month. A court can still order a different amount if the result would be unjust.
The Number Is a Starting Point: Add-Ons and Deviations
On top of the basic amount, the court divides certain costs between the parents in proportion to income: reasonable child care while the custodial parent works or attends school, health insurance, and medical costs insurance does not pay (FCA §413(1)(c)(4)–(5)). Education expenses can be added where the court finds them appropriate (FCA §413(1)(c)(7)). For many families the add-ons rival the basic number; our add-ons calculator shows each parent’s share.
A judge can depart from the formula only after finding it “unjust or inappropriate” under the factors in FCA §413(1)(f), and must explain why in writing (FCA §413(1)(g)). Parents can agree to a different amount, but the agreement has to state what the guideline amount would have been and why they chose something else (FCA §413(1)(h)). Shared parenting time does not cancel support either; see whether you pay child support with 50/50 custody.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is child support for 1 child in New York?
17% of combined parental income up to $193,000, split between the parents by income. Below the cap, that equals 17% of the paying parent’s own income after FICA. On $50,000 of CSSA income, that is $8,500 a year, before add-ons.
What is the child support percentage for 2 children in NY?
25% of combined parental income up to the $193,000 cap. On $50,000 of the paying parent’s CSSA income, that is $12,500 a year, or about $1,042 a month, before add-ons.
How much child support for 3 kids in New York?
29% of combined parental income up to the cap. A paying parent earning $100,000 in wages has CSSA income of $92,350 after FICA, so the basic obligation is about $26,782 a year, or $2,232 a month.
If I make $1,000 a week, how much child support do I pay for one child?
About $157 a week. $52,000 a year less 7.65% FICA is $48,022, and 17% of that is $8,163.74 a year, roughly $680 a month. Child care, health insurance and medical add-ons are extra.
Does the other parent’s income change how much I pay?
Not the basic amount when combined income is under $193,000, because your share works out to your own income times the percentage. It does set your share of add-ons like child care and health insurance, and it matters when combined income is over the cap.
Related Questions & Resources
- Free New York child support calculator (2026 CSSA formula)
- Child support in Buffalo and Western New York
- How is child support calculated in New York?
- If I have the kids half the time, do I still pay child support?
- How do I modify my child support?
- When does child support end in New York?
This page is general information about New York law, not legal advice for your situation. The figures assume ordinary wage income and the 2026 cap and self-support reserve; your numbers may differ. If this question is live in your life, talk to a family law attorney before you act.
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