Our family law attorneys possess extensive experience in navigating New Jersey's child support law and helping clients establish, modify, and enforce fair and appropriate child support orders.
In New Jersey, child support is often determined by the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines, which consider various factors such as each parent's income, the number of children, the amount of time each child spends with each parent, and childcare and health insurance expenses. Applying these guidelines to achieve an accurate and equitable initial child support order requires careful analysis of all relevant financial information. In situations where a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court may "impute" income based on their earning capacity. We provide guidance in supporting or challenging income imputation to ensure a fair calculation of child support.
While the guidelines are generally applicable, there are circumstances where the use of guidelines is inappropriate. This often occurs in high-income cases. We advocate for our clients to ensure any non-guideline cases achieve an appropriate resolution focused on the child's best interests.
We also assist parties when a parent is not complying with a child support order. New Jersey employs various enforcement mechanisms that come into play when a parent fails to meet his or her support obligations; this may include seeking income withholding, interception of tax refunds, and reporting to credit bureaus.