Frequently Asked Questions

General

Child Support is the ongoing contribution of money to help pay for the financial and medical support (health insurance) a child needs. The child support program is a federal, state and local partnership aimed at securing this support.

Child support services include: 

  • Locating parents  

  • Establishing paternity  

  • Obtaining orders for child and medical support (health insurance) 

  • Collecting and disbursing support payments in a timely manner 

  • Maintaining accurate payment and disbursement records 

  • Modifying (or changing) child support orders 

  • Taking enforcement actions when payments are not made 

  • Connecting families through resources and services 

To learn more about the services the child support program provides, visit our Get Started page. 

In New Jersey, the Division of Family Development (the State Title IV-D agency), County Social Service Agencies (CSSAs), the Administrative Office of the Courts, the County Family Divisions of the Superior Court and County Probation Divisions work together to provide support services to your family. Visit our Locate a Child Support Office page for more information. 

This is the person who receives court-ordered support. A grandparent, relative or guardian of the child(ren) may be the custodial parent if that person is receiving court-ordered support.

This is the person paying court-ordered support.

You can file (apply) for child support online by visiting our online application to create an account and start your application. Visit our Get Started page to learn more about the application process before you begin. 

To access your child support case information, visit your Case Information Portal or download the New Jersey Child Support mobile app. Log into your account using your Member ID and temporary PIN found in your welcome letter. 

If you need additional help, customer service representatives are available over the phone at 1-877-NJKiDS1 (655-4371) on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and via web chat at caseinfo.njchildsupport.gov on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To use the web chat, you must be logged into your account.

Depending on what is being communicated, you may receive notifications via email, phone (text or phone call), or certified and regular mail. 

Child Support Guidelines

Your share of child support is determined using the Child Support Guidelines (located in appendix IX-A of the New Jersey Court Rules), a standard method for calculating child support based on the income of both parents and other factors. These involve: 

  • determining income and deductions;
  • calculating both parents' shares;
  • add-ons such as child care or health insurance (medical support);
  • deductions such as other child support or alimony; and
  • poverty tests.

Bring all of your supporting documentation to your support hearing or conference. 

You can view the guidelines here. The complete text and charts of the guidelines is more than 100 pages (in full-size type). The New Jersey Child Support Guidelines are ruled by Rule 5:6A of the New Jersey Court Rules. The actual charts can be found in Appendix IX, found at the end of the Court Rules Book.

Paternity

Paternity is the legal term for determining the father of the child. Paternity establishment is how a biological father becomes the legal father of his child if he and the mother are not married.

In New Jersey, if a biological mother and biological father were married at the time of the child’s birth, they do not have to establish paternity. Paternity is already presumed. 

Paternity must be established before the father’s name can appear on the birth certificate. 

Paternity can be established any time before the child turns 23 years old. Paternity can be established even if the other parent lives in another state or a foreign country. 

In New Jersey, there are two ways unmarried parents can establish paternity: 

1. Completing and signing a Certificate of Parentage (COP): If both parties agree they are the biological parents of the child, the COP can be completed. By signing the legal form, parents are establishing paternity for their child, meaning legally recognized fatherhood. Completing the form is voluntary, free and the quickest way to establish paternity. COPs can be completed in the hospital at the time of birth or afterwards in-person or by mail at the State Office of Vital Statistics and Registry (OVSR), in-person at the local registrar in the municipality in which your child was born, or in-person at your local county social service agency.

2. Court Order: You can complete an application with the child support program for a paternity establishment order. A court hearing will be held and genetic testing may be ordered. 

Paternity benefits everyone! Here are just a few of the many benefits of establishing paternity:  

The father gets his name added to the birth certificate and gains legal rights to his child. His child then has access to benefits such as Social Security, life insurance, military benefits and inheritances. Your child will also have access to their father’s health insurance as well as both families’ medical histories and lineages. Both parents may have the opportunity to develop an emotional bond with their child and share in the responsibilities and rewards of parenting. 

Payments

In most cases, federal law requires child support payments to be automatically deducted from the non-custodial parent's paycheck. This is called income withholding.

There are certain circumstances in which the court will determine another way for the non-custodial parent to pay support, for example, if the non-custodial parent is self-employed. Non-custodial parents who are not paying child support through income withholding must make payments as directed by court order, whether weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. 

Visit our Payment Options page to learn more about income withholding and other payment options. 

If the custodial parent is receiving public assistance, any child support payment received goes to the agency that provides the assistance. However, the custodial parent will receive up to the first $100 of each month's current child support payment for one child, and up to $200 if they have two or more children.  

Once your support order has been established, the non-custodial parent is responsible for making payments until income withholding is in place. Please note that it may take some time to set up income withholding with the employer.

Once the child support program receives payment, it will be processed and sent within two business days. 

If your expected payment is delayed or not received, call 1-877-NJKiDS1 (655-4371).

You can see if a payment has been made by logging into the Case Information Portal, through the child support app or by calling 1-877-NJKiDS1.

If the non-custodial parent doesn't pay, the child support program will take steps to enforce the order. Visit our Enforcement page to learn more about what steps could be taken. 

Modifying Your Order

At any point in time, either party has the right to request a modification of their order by filing with the court. 

You will receive a triennial review notice once every three years providing the option to request a review of your child support order. If you’re receiving public assistance, your child support order will automatically be reviewed every three years.  

Cases established or modified after Sept. 1, 1998, will be automatically eligible for a COLA every two years. The adjustment is based on the 24-month average of the consumer price index for our region. 

Termination

The termination of an obligation to pay child support occurs automatically when a child marries, dies, enters military service or turns 19 years old. A custodial parent may request for support to continue past the age of 19 if the child:

  • is still in high school
  • is attending full-time post-secondary education (college, vocational, graduate school, etc.)
  • has a disability

You will receive notice of the proposed termination of support. If your case qualifies for continuation of support, you must fill out the "Request for Continuation of Support" form and provide any supporting documentation on your Case Information Portal or through the mail. This must be done within 45 days of your child's 19th birthday. 

Yes, you will receive a Civil Action Order in the mail detailing the termination of child/medical support.

Yes, your "Request for Continuation of Support" form must contain a future termination date. For example, if the continuation request is based on the child attending high school or college, the proposed termination date should be the child's expected graduation date. This date must be before the child's 23rd birthday. The proposed end date must include supporting documentation. 

In this instance, customers may file with the Family Court for Financial Maintenance. Financial maintenance means court-ordered support that is outside of the child support program and therefore not enforceable by the Probation Child Support Enforcement Unit.  

Yes. All court-ordered obligations to pay or provide medical support (health insurance) will end when the child support ends. However, either parent may voluntarily provide medical support (health insurance) for their child until the age of 26 according to federal law and until the age of 31 under New Jersey law if certain conditions are met.  

Emancipation is when a parent relinquishes the right to custody and is relieved of the duty to support a child. For a child to be emancipated, the parents or child must file a request with the court. There is no current age of emancipation.

Termination of a child support case in NJ occurs when the child turns 19, marries, passes away or enters the military. Parents can request continuation of support if the child is disabled or attending school. Visit our Get Started page for more information. 

Intergovernmental Cases

Yes, the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) requires states to work together to establish and enforce child support cases when the other parent lives in another state. 

No. The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) says that child support ends according to the law of the state in which the order was established. This cannot be changed by another state. The NJ termination law applies only to child support orders established by New Jersey.  

The "Notice of Proposed Child Support Obligation Termination" and subsequent notices will be mailed to the child support agency in the state where the order is currently registered. This state agency must then forward the notices to you at the address it has on file. 

Child Support Professionals

Staff in the NJ Office of Child Support Services may create an account on the NJ Child Support Staff Portal (NJCS). To register, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the NJCS Portal and click on "Create an Account."
  2. Enter the password supplied by the Office of Child Support Services. 
  3. If you do not have the required password, please contact your supervisor or system administrator.
  4. Complete the registration form and click submit. 
  5. You will receive an email with your username and assigned password.
  6. Navigate to the login page and log in using the provided username and password.
  7. Once you are logged in, you may select Change Password at the top of the page to update your password. 
  8. If you have been pre-registered or have forgotten your username and password, visit the NJCS Portal - Forgot Password page to get an email with your login information.




8/12/25