New Jersey has specific guidelines for calculating child support but in some situations- for example, if you child lives away at college or if your income exceeds a certain amount- these guidelines do not apply.  However, your child is not considered emancipated if s/he goes to college directly after high school.  So you are still financially responsible for your child but the guidelines no longer apply because some of the costs covered by child  support are paid for through your college costs (food, housing, etc.).  So how do you figure this out?

You have to look at some of the actual costs that occur when s/he is home (food) and then also the costs that occur even if s/he is not home (housing).  For example, your food bill may go up when your child is home from college but you are still paying the same mortgage each month even if your child is living at home only for winter breaks and summer months.  At Westfield Mediation, LLC, we help clients navigate these murky waters.  We help clients create a realistic and reasonable budget for these situations not covered by the state child support guidelines.

This also happens when couples are above the upper earning limits of the guidelines.  If you are a high income family then the state assumes your expenses for your children are higher than the average New Jersey family and expects you to create a budget based on the actual needs of your children.  It can be a little more challenging process but the mediators at Westfield Mediation, LLC, can walk you through the steps to arrive at a monthly support number. 

For more information about NJ Child Support Guidelines or divorce mediation contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M.Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373.  View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com.