Child support in Buffalo: how it is calculated
Child support in Buffalo is set by New York's statewide guidelines — Erie County courts apply the same table as every other county. Here is the calculation, with the statute it comes from.
Where a Buffalo case goes
A Buffalo case is filed in the New York court for Erie County, which applies the state guideline below. Local practice affects timing and paperwork, not the guideline amount. Buffalo has about 276,617 residents (Census Bureau, 2024 estimate).
Open the full New York child support calculator → — same formula, with every input, the statute (N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 240(1-b); Family Ct Act § 413; LDSS-4515 Child Support Standards Chart (Rev. 03/26)) and the date it was last checked.
Formula
17/25/29/31/35% of combined income for 1–5+ children (cap $193,000/yr), split pro rata
Type
Percentage of combined income
Does Buffalo have its own rule?
No. N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 240(1-b); Family Ct Act § 413; LDSS-4515 Child Support Standards Chart (Rev. 03/26) applies across New York, so a case from Buffalo is decided by the same numbers as one filed anywhere else in the state. What changes locally is the courthouse, the clerk's procedure and how long the docket takes — not the amount.
What the statute says
N.Y. Dom. Rel. Law § 240(1-b); Family Ct Act § 413; LDSS-4515 Child Support Standards Chart (Rev. 03/26) — New York Child Support Standards Chart (official CSSA percentages and $193,000 combined income cap). New York applies a fixed percentage to the COMBINED parental income (gross income minus FICA and NYC/Yonkers taxes): 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four and at least 35% for five or more. The paying parent owes their pro-rata share. The percentages apply automatically up to a combined income cap that is indexed every two years; the cap is $193,000 for March 1, 2026 through February 2028 (up from $183,000). Above the cap the court may apply the percentage or the § 240(1-b)(f) factors. Child care, health insurance and unreimbursed medical costs are added on top.
Last checked 2026-09-08. Read the source →
Also for Buffalo
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