When the parents of a minor child divorce or are no longer living together—or were never married—child support is the amount of money the court orders a parent who does not have primary custody of the child (the noncustodial parent) pay to the parent who does have primary custody (the custodial parent).

In some states the parents may be designated joint managing conservators of the child (joint custody), but one parent is given the right to choose the primary residence of the child, within a geographic area. The parent with this right to choose the child’s primary residence is usually entitled to receive child support payments.

The Office of the Attorney General in your state generally enforces the payment of court-ordered child support. Child support payments generally may be made by direct payment from one parent to the other, or through wage withholding by the employer of the parent who owes child support (the obligor). One advantage to payment by wage withholding is the built-in recordkeeping in the system.

In New Jersey, child support is a financial obligation mandated by the court for the noncustodial parent to provide to the custodial parent, who has primary custody of the child. This is to ensure the child's needs are met when parents are divorced, separated, or never married. New Jersey law recognizes that both parents have a continuous duty to support their child, and the amount of support is calculated based on the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines, which consider the income of both parents, the child's needs, and other relevant factors. Even in cases of joint custody, the parent who has the child for the majority of the time typically receives child support from the other parent. The New Jersey Office of Child Support Services (OCSS), which is part of the Department of Human Services, assists in enforcing and collecting child support. Payments can be made directly between parents or through income withholding from the obligor's employer, which provides a systematic record of payments made. It's important for parents to understand that child support is a legal obligation, and failure to pay can result in enforcement actions such as wage garnishment, tax refund interception, and even legal penalties.