Every child needs financial and emotional support from both parents. Even when parents do not live together, they can work collaboratively to offer their children opportunities they need and deserve to reach their full potential. The child support program helps with this by collecting the money from the person paying support, recording each payment and sending the amount collected to the person receiving support. The child support program is a federal, state and local partnership aimed at securing this support.
There are two parents in every child support case.
Person Receiving Support | Person Paying Support |
The person receiving support is usually the parent who lives with the child the majority of the time and has the primary day-to-day responsibility. They may be referred to as the custodial parent, the obligee or the payee. | The person paying support is the parent who owes a financial and/or medical obligation. They may be referred to as the non-custodial parent, the obligor or the payor. |
Both parents share responsibility to ensure their child’s financial and emotional wellbeing. For consistency, we will primarily use the terms person receiving support and person paying support. To learn more about terms used in the child support program, visit our glossary.
This page covers important information you need to know about filing for child support services, establishing your child support order and going to court as well as other things you need to know for the life of your child support case.
Start by filing (or applying) for child support. Click the first dropdown to learn how, then continue down the page to explore each stage of the child support process. Use this information as a guide throughout your case.
You can apply for child support online.
View the application checklist to ensure you have all the required documents to complete your application.
There is a one-time fee of $6 to apply for child support services. You have the option to pay after you submit your application or later.
There are several situations where you may not be able to use the online application:
- You already have an existing, or previous case between you and the other parent you would list on this application.
- You or the other parent resides outside of New Jersey.
- There are pending or existing court actions to establish or enforce support for your child(ren) in New Jersey or any other state.
- You do not know where the other parent lives (the application requires their home address).
- The child(ren) does not reside with you the majority of the time.
- You are currently receiving or previously received Work First New Jersey/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (WFNJ/TANF) and/or Medicaid for the child(ren) you are applying for.
If any of these situations apply to you, here are the ways you can apply:
- Print the paper application and required court forms. Email the forms to Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) or mail them to the Family Division in the county in which you reside.
- Call 1-877-NJKiDS1 (655-4371) to have an application form mailed to you.
Once you submit your application, the complaint will be filed with the court and a child support case will be created. Please note that the information provided in the court filing will also be mailed to the other parent. A copy of the application, legal complaint and accompanying documents will be available to download for your records from application.njchildsupport.gov. You can expect to receive a notice informing you of the date of the child support court hearing in the mail within 10 business days.
If you have any questions about the application process, call 1-877-NJKiDS1.
If you are not sure where the non-custodial parent (the parent who does not have physical custody of the child on a day-to-day basis) lives, the child support program has many tools available to help locate them whether they live in or out-of-state. The more information you are able to provide about the person, the easier it will be to locate them.
If locating the non-custodial parent is necessary, the following information will be helpful:
- Full name and other names that may be used
- Last known address and phone number
- Last known work address, phone number and the kind of work they do/did
- Social Security number
- Birth date
- Birth certificate
- Mother’s maiden name
- Relatives’ names and addresses
- Whether the parent has any children by another person, and where they live
- Whether the parent belongs to a union, a social club, sports club or holds any other memberships
- Whether the parent is in the military and where they are stationed
- Whether the parent has a driver’s license from New Jersey or another state
- Whether the parent owns a vehicle and if it is registered in New Jersey
- The license plate number of the parent’s car
Once the non-custodial parent has been located, a court hearing can be scheduled.
New Jersey is committed to ensuring the child support process is as safe as possible. If you have any safety concerns about locating the non-custodial parent, please address them with your caseworker.
Child support services can be provided even if one parent lives in another state. The New Jersey Child Support Program will work with the out-of-state child support agency to establish and enforce your order. All states are required to honor any child support order issued by another state and employers must comply with the income withholding orders of other states.
Child support services can also be provided if the other parent lives in another country. Federal and state agreements make it possible for the New Jersey Child Support Program to work with certain countries to ensure support is established and enforced. For more information and a list of current federal agreements, visit the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE).
Paternity is the legal term for determining the father of the child.
Married Parents
In New Jersey, when a child is born to married parents, the husband is presumed to be the legal father, and his name appears on the child’s birth certificate. In this situation, paternity does not need to be established to proceed with the child support process.
Unmarried Parents
When a child is born to unmarried parents, paternity must be established to proceed with the child support process. This may occur in two ways:
- File with the court for an order of paternity establishment
- Sign a Certificate of Parentage (COP)
The first opportunity to sign a COP is at the hospital, right after a baby is born. If the father agrees that a child is his, he may sign a COP to establish legal paternity. A COP may also be signed after leaving the hospital at a state or county registrar’s office or at your County Social Service Agency (CSSA).
New Jersey’s Paternity Opportunity Program (POP) can help establish paternity. POP works with hospitals to provide unmarried parents with information on this process to voluntarily acknowledge paternity. For more information regarding POP, visit NJ-Paternity.com.
Genetic Testing
A genetic test may be requested by either parent or ordered by the court if there is concern regarding the identity of the biological father. Both parents and the child must be tested to establish paternity.
Establishing paternity is important to:
- Give your child a sense of identity and ensure a link to their past.
- Give your child access to medical histories from both parents.
- Obtain health insurance for your child, if available at a reasonable cost.
- Protect your child’s rights to benefits such as inheritance, veteran’s benefits and/or Social Security benefits.
Disestablishment
If the legal father believes that he is not the child’s biological father, he may file with the court to disestablish paternity. This may require genetic testing.
What is a Child Support Order?
Your Child Support Order is the document that sets: (1) an amount of money that is to be provided by a parent for the support of the parent’s child(ren) and/or (2) the responsibility to provide health insurance or medical support for the child(ren). This amount or responsibility must be established by a court order. It may include a judgment for child support arrears.
Either parent, or person with custody, may file with the court to establish a child support order. The New Jersey Child Support Guidelines are used to calculate the amount of child support. These legal guidelines consider both parents’ incomes and account for expenses such as child care and health insurance. If the parties agree, they can consent to the ordered amount and a court appearance may not be necessary. If they do not agree, they can request a hearing before a Hearing Officer or Judge.
To estimate your obligation amount online, visit our Child Support Guidelines Calculator. Note: This Child Support Guidelines Calculator is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of the amount of child support that will be ordered.
After applying, you can expect to receive a notice in the mail within 10 business days, notifying you of your child support hearing date. You may represent yourself or you may hire an attorney. If you would like to hire an attorney, but cannot afford to do so, you may contact:
Legal Services of New Jersey at 1-888-LSNJLAW or visit LSNJLAW.org to find out if you are eligible for free legal services.
In public assistance cases, the County Social Service Agency (CSSA) will file with the court to establish support. The Family Division will schedule a hearing and notify both parents of the date, time and place.
Your case may be heard by a child support hearing officer or a judge. Both parents are expected to present accurate and current information so that a proper decision can be made. You may be asked to provide birth certificates, social security numbers, addresses, paystubs and other income information. Once a decision has been made, the child support order will be reviewed and signed by a judge.
Once the child and/or medical support (health insurance) is ordered by the court, the child support program collects money from the person paying support. The program records each payment and sends the amount collected to the person receiving support via debit card or direct deposit. In rare situations, a check may be issued. All payments are processed through the New Jersey Family Support Payment Center (NJFSPC). The most common payment option is income withholding.
Income Withholding
When income withholding is in place, the employer of the person paying support deducts the child support amount from their paycheck and sends it to the New Jersey Family Support Payment Center (NJFSPC). Income withholding makes it easier for the person receiving support to collect timely, regular payments and the person paying support to ensure that regular payments will be received.
An income withholding order (IWO) will notify the employer of the court-order amount (including any applicable arrears) they need to deduct from their employee’s paycheck. If the person paying support has more than one child support order, the total amount withheld from that parent’s income would be distributed among all the cases.
Employers are required to submit all child support payments withheld through income withholding to the New Jersey Family Support Payment Center (NJFSPC).
Other Payment Options
If the person paying support is self-employed, unemployed or income withholding is not ordered, they are responsible for making payments. They will receive payment coupons on a quarterly basis. There are several convenient ways to pay. To view all the options, visit our Payment Options page.
The New Jersey Child Support Program offers the person receiving support two options for getting support payments:
- Direct deposit to your bank account;
- a check; or
- the New Jersey Debit Card, also known as the Way2Go Card.
These options make receiving support payments faster, easier and more secure.
You can sign up for direct deposit by entering your bank account information when you are logged into your Case Information Customer Portal account. Once approved, payments will be sent directly to your checking or savings account. Note that only U.S. banks can accept direct deposit.
If you do not sign up for direct deposit or you don’t have a bank account, you will receive a Way2Go Card to receive your support payments. The Way2Go Card can be used to make purchases and get cash back at retailers. You get one free cash withdrawal per deposit each month at participating banks and ATMs (fees may apply for additional withdrawals).
Download the Go Program Way2Go Card app (available in the Google Play and Apple App Store) to:
- Activate your card
- Register your account
- Change your PIN
- View your transaction history
- Receive account alerts
- Perform bank transfers
Additional support is available on the Way2Go Card website or by calling 1-833-322-1441.
Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) and Child Support
If you receive WFNJ cash assistance, any child support payments collected on behalf of your children will be sent to the state to reimburse your cash assistance.
If you have one child, you may receive up to $100 of child support collected in a month. If you have two or more children, you may receive up to $200 of child support collected in a month.
If child support payments are missing, late or incomplete, the unpaid support – known as arrears – is still owed.
When arrears are owed, enforcement action(s) may be taken to collect support. Paying on time, and in full, will help avoid enforcement actions such as:
- Credit reporting
- Judgments
- Federal and state tax refund offset
- Passport denial
- License suspension (driver’s, professional or recreational)
- Seizure of assets (e.g., bank levies, liens, civil awards and settlement intercept)
- Court enforcement
- Bench warrants
- Lottery intercept
- Gaming intercept (e.g., in-person slot machine jackpot, online sports wagering and internet gaming)
See our Enforcement page to learn more about how the child support program enforces child support orders.
If you are the person paying support and are struggling to meet your child support obligation, call 1-877-NJKiDS1 (655-4371) to talk with your caseworker about your situation.
As your child grows or your situation changes, you have the right to have your case reevaluated. Possible reasons to have your case reevaluated include:
- Incomes may have increased or decreased substantially
- Your child may have special needs
- Employee health insurance benefits may have changed
Requesting a Modification
If your situation has changed and you would like to request a modification of your support order, please visit our Materials and Forms page to download the required court forms. Please note that court fees may be required when requesting a modification to your order.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
Cases are automatically eligible for a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) every two years. This type of adjustment is based upon the change in the cost of living as reflected in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) averaged for New Jersey’s metropolitan area. Persons paying support maintain the right to contest this adjustment if their income does not increase at an equal rate to the amount of the CPI.
Triennial Reviews
A Triennial Review ensures that the support amount is still in accordance with the Child Support Guidelines and determines if that amount should be adjusted. Every three years, you will receive a notice that you have the right to request a Triennial Review (both parties will receive the notice). If you receive public assistance, your case will be reviewed automatically. If you do not receive public assistance, and you would like your order to be reviewed, you may request a Triennial Review upon receipt of the Triennial Review Notice.
You will receive a notice of termination six months before your child's 19th birthday. If there is no response to this notice, you will receive a second notice three months prior to your child’s 19th birthday. These notices contain the termination date and information on how to submit a written request for continuation of support. Child support may only be continued to the age of 23 when using the written request for continuation of support process.
To request continuation of support using this process, you must fill out a "Continuation of Support" form and upload any supporting documentation. The form will be mailed to you and is available on your Case Information Portal six months prior to your child's 19th birthday. The "Request for Continuation of Support" form and acceptable supporting documentation must be received no later than 45 days prior to the termination date to be considered. The due date will be specified in your notice. Any request form received past that due date will not be considered. At that point, the requesting party will have to file with the court to request a continuation.
If you do not agree with the court's decision on your request for continuation of support, you may file a motion or application with the court in the county of venue, which is usually where the original order was issued.
If your child marries, passes away, or enters military service, you must contact the New Jersey Family Support Services Center (NJFSSC) to request termination of the child support obligation.
If we don't hear from you, your child support obligation will automatically terminate on your child's 19th birthday. An obligation may be continued past the age of 19 in the following circumstances:
- Child is still in high school or another secondary-education program
- Child is attending full-time post-secondary education (college, vocational, graduate school, etc.)
- Child has a disability that existed prior to them reaching the age of 19 and requires continued support
Six months prior to your child’s 19th birthday, you will receive a Notice of Proposed Child Support Obligation Termination (both parties will receive this notice). If there is no response to this notice, you will receive a second notice three months prior to your child’s 19th birthday. These notices contain the termination date and information on how to submit a written request for continuation of support. Child support may only be continued to the age of 23 when using the written request for continuation of support process.
Please note that your order amount may or may not change after a child’s obligation is terminated depending on whether you have remaining children on the order. You are still responsible for any arrears owed on your child support case.
If your child has a severe mental or physical incapacity that causes the child to be financially dependent on a parent, you may file with the court to request that your obligation continue past the child’s 23rd birthday.
Emancipation
A parent, legal guardian, or child may file with the court for emancipation if the child is no longer dependent on the parent for financial support. A court-ordered emancipation relieves the parents of their duty to provide child support. Please note that emancipation is different than termination. If there is no court filing for emancipation, the child support obligation will be terminated on the child’s 19th birthday.
Your child has the right to support and you have the right to this help. All the services described on this site are available to you. Keep in mind - Child support is more than just money. If you would like more information, or need help, call the New Jersey Child Support Information Line at 1-877-NJKiDS1 (655-4371).
Ready to apply? Start your application now.
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