Appendix IX of the New Jersey Court Rules explains the Child Support Guidelines used to calculate child support in the state. The general rule in New Jersey is that support should be calculated based on the guidelines in every case. However, there are certain circumstances which allow people to deviate from these guidelines and use their own support agreement. You need to be aware that if you are planning to use your own figures and not go by the guidelines, you will need to show good cause to the Court.
Initially, the guidelines were established in order to have consistency and fairness for every child in New Jersey. This approach makes sense and has been adopted in most states across the country. The Guidelines are based on the Consumer Expenditure Survey which has research on how families use their income to support their households. This survey looks at the geographic location of families, the size of the household and other economic factors. Child support in New Jersey is certainly more predictable then alimony and is based largely on the amount of money earned by each parent and the amount of time spent with the children.
