How it works · official guideline
How child support is calculated in New York
Under New York’s Child Support Standards Act, the court multiplies the parents' combined income (up to a cap, $193,000 as of March 1, 2026) by a fixed percentage for the number of children — 17% for one child up to at least 35% for five or more — and splits the result in proportion to each parent’s income. Above the cap the court may use the percentages, the statutory factors, or both; low-income rules protect a self-support reserve.[1]
Key facts: child support in New York
| Guideline model | Percentage of income[1] |
|---|---|
| Percentages | 17% (1 child), 25% (2), 29% (3), 31% (4), at least 35% (5 or more) of combined parental income[1] |
| Income counted | Gross income per the federal tax return, less listed deductions (e.g. FICA, NYC/Yonkers tax)[1] |
| Top of the guidelines | Combined parental income amount: $193,000 (from March 1, 2026)[2] |
| Official worksheet | Child Support Standards Chart and Basic Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (LDSS-4515) |
| Guideline last checked | October 26, 2026 |
New York’s model
Percentage of income
Fixed percentage of combined parental income (Child Support Standards Act), prorated by each parent’s income share.
Official worksheet · New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Child Support Services
Child Support Standards Chart and Basic Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (LDSS-4515)Link checked October 26, 2026
Why no calculator here? We publish a calculator only after it reproduces the state’s official numbers exactly. We haven’t matched New York’s yet, so use the official worksheet for a number.
From the official text
The rules behind New York’s numbers
The guideline is N.Y. Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b). Open each rule to read the exact words.
- Percentages
17% (1 child), 25% (2), 29% (3), 31% (4), at least 35% (5 or more) of combined parental income
The child support percentage is applied to the sum of both parents' incomes and rises with the number of children.[1]
Official text · N.Y. DRL § 240(1-b)(b)(3)
“(i) seventeen percent of the combined parental income for one child; (ii) twenty-five percent of the combined parental income for two children; (iii) twenty-nine percent of the combined parental income for three children; (iv) thirty-one percent of the combined parental income for four children; and (v) no less than thirty-five percent of the combined parental income for five or more children.”
- Income counted
Gross income per the federal tax return, less listed deductions (e.g. FICA, NYC/Yonkers tax)
Income starts from gross (total) income as reported or reportable on the latest federal tax return, plus some other income, minus listed items such as FICA taxes and New York City or Yonkers income taxes actually paid.[1]
Official text · N.Y. DRL § 240(1-b)(b)(5)(i)
“gross (total) income as should have been or should be reported in the most recent federal income tax return.”
- Top of the guidelines
Combined parental income amount: $193,000 (from March 1, 2026)
The percentages apply automatically to combined income up to $193,000; above that, the court may apply the percentages and/or the statutory factors to the excess.[2]
Official text · OTDA Child Support Standards Chart
“Note: Where the total income of both parents exceeds the combined parental income amount of $193,000 the law permits, but does not require, the use of the child support percentages in calculating the child support obligation on the income above $193,000.”
- Low income
2026 self-support reserve $21,546; poverty guideline $15,960
If paying the guideline amount would leave the paying parent below the self-support reserve, the obligation becomes $50 a month or the income above the reserve, whichever is greater; below the poverty guideline it is $25 a month unless found unjust.[2]
Official text · OTDA Child Support Standards Chart
“The 2026 poverty income guidelines amount for a single person as reported by the United States Department of Health and Human Services is $15,960 and the 2026 self-support reserve is $21,546.”
- Minimum order
$25/month below the poverty guideline; $50/month (or income minus reserve) below the self-support reserve
When the obligation would push the paying parent below the federal poverty guideline for one person, the basic obligation is $25 a month, unless the court finds that unjust or inappropriate.[1]
Official text · N.Y. DRL § 240(1-b)(d)
“where the annual amount of the basic child support obligation would reduce the non-custodial parent's income below the poverty income guidelines amount for a single person as reported by the federal department of health and human services, the basic child support obligation shall be twenty-five dollars per month,”
- Added costs
Child care, health and education costs prorated by income
Reasonable child care costs (and, as ordered, health and educational expenses) are split between the parents in proportion to their incomes and added to the basic amount.[1]
Official text · N.Y. DRL § 240(1-b)(c)(4)
“such child care expenses, where incurred, shall be prorated in the same proportion as each parent's income is to the combined parental income.”
Guideline: N.Y. Domestic Relations Law § 240(1-b) (NY Senate Open Legislation), checked October 26, 2026.
Estimate and general information only — not legal advice. MediationList is a directory, not a law firm, and doesn’t endorse any mediator. Guidelines change; confirm with the official worksheet (sources checked October 26, 2026). See also divorce laws in New York and child support in every state.
Sources
New York’s child support guideline, rules and official tools, read on the official sites, with the date we checked each.