New Jersey · Custody and support · Updated Oct 2026
Child custody and support in New Jersey
The New Jersey rules for parents who divorce, from official sources: the legal term for custody, the parenting class, custody mediation and the child support agency.
The short answer
New Jersey law uses the term “custody and parenting time” for custody. About the parenting class: Required if you have minor children: a parent education workshop ($25 fee), unless there is a restraining order between you or you file a signed property settlement agreement with your first papers (NJ Courts divorce page).
- Custody term
- Custody and parenting time
- Parenting class
- Required (with conditions)
- Child support agency
- New Jersey Child Support Program
Custody terms in New Jersey
Custody and parenting time
Mediation
Common. The court may require custody and parenting time mediation; financial issues go to a Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel and may be referred to economic mediation. Mediation is not required if there is a restraining order.
Parenting class in New Jersey
Required if you have minor children: a parent education workshop ($25 fee), unless there is a restraining order between you or you file a signed property settlement agreement with your first papers (NJ Courts divorce page).
Child support in New Jersey
- Child support agency: New Jersey Child Support Program
Children in a New Jersey divorce: what the process includes
Custody
The court's orders use New Jersey's term for custody: custody and parenting time.
Parenting class
Required if you have minor children: a parent education workshop ($25 fee), unless there is a restraining order between you or you file a signed property settlement agreement with your first papers (NJ Courts divorce page).
Mediation
Common.
The child support agency
New Jersey's child support agency: New Jersey Child Support Program
Questions about custody and child support in New Jersey
What is child custody called in New Jersey?
New Jersey uses the term “custody and parenting time”.
Do parents have to take a class in a New Jersey divorce?
Required if you have minor children: a parent education workshop ($25 fee), unless there is a restraining order between you or you file a signed property settlement agreement with your first papers (NJ Courts divorce page).
Which agency handles child support in New Jersey?
Is mediation required for custody in New Jersey?
Common. The court may require custody and parenting time mediation; financial issues go to a Matrimonial Early Settlement Panel and may be referred to economic mediation. Mediation is not required if there is a restraining order.
More about divorce in New Jersey
- All New Jersey divorce laws
- Uncontested divorce in New Jersey
- New Jersey divorce forms and filing fees
- Alimony in New Jersey
- Divorce timeline estimator for New Jersey
- Divorce checklist for New Jersey
- How to file for divorce without a lawyer
- Served with divorce papers: what to do