How New Mexico calculates child support
- Each parent’s monthly gross income is used, less court-ordered alimony and court-ordered support for prior children that they actually pay.
- The parents’ incomes are added, rounded to the nearest $50, and the Basic Child Support Schedule gives the basic support for that income and number of children.
- With basic visitation (the other parent has the children less than 35% of the year), the children’s health and dental insurance, work-related child care and additional expenses are added, the total is shared by income, and the other parent pays their share minus what they pay directly (Worksheet A).
- If the paying parent’s own income falls in the shaded self-support reserve area of the schedule, only that income is used and the paying parent owes the full schedule amount, without the add-ons.
- With shared responsibility (at least 35% of the year in each home), the basic support is multiplied by 1.5, each parent keeps the part for their own days, the remainders are offset, and the add-ons are settled by income (Worksheet B).
What the calculator asks
- How many children is the support for?
- How many 24-hour days a year are the children with you?
- Your gross income per month
- The other parent’s gross income per month
- Child support you pay under a court order for prior children
- Child support the other parent pays under a court order for prior children
- Court-ordered alimony you pay per month
- Court-ordered alimony the other parent pays per month
- Does either parent support prior children (not in this case) who live in their home?
- The children’s health and dental insurance premium you pay per month
- The children’s health and dental insurance premium the other parent pays per month
- Work-related child care you pay per month
- Work-related child care the other parent pays per month
- Additional expenses you pay per month
- Additional expenses the other parent pays per month
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- Deviations, including the presumed hardship when support exceeds 40% of the paying parent’s gross income (§ 40-4-11.1(L), § 40-4-11.2)
- A deduction for prior children living in a parent’s home and the defense for subsequent children (§ 40-4-11.1(C)(2)(e))
- Partial abatement for visitation of one month or longer (§ 40-4-11.1(H)(1))
- Imputed income (§ 40-4-11.1(D))
- Combined income above $40,000 a month and families with more than six children
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- NMSA 1978 § 40-4-11.1 as amended by Laws 2023, SB 223 (effective January 1, 2024), with Worksheets A and B and their instructions
- 8.50.108 NMAC with Appendix 1, Basic Child Support Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
- New Mexico Register, Vol. XXXIV, Issue 24 (December 19, 2023): 8.50.108 NMAC and the schedule
- New Mexico Health Care Authority: modernized child support guidelines for 2024
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the New Mexico calculator →An estimate from the published guideline formula, not a prediction of a court order. The official court worksheet and the court’s decision control. General information, not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.