Relates to the establishment and modification of child support orders; requires the court to consider the specific circumstances of the parent

This bill updates New York's child support laws to give courts more tools for calculating payments when a parent's income is unclear or missing. It requires judges to look at a parent's full financial picture, including assets, job skills, and barriers to employment, and to explain their decisions in writing. The law also clarifies that incarceration does not count as voluntary unemployment unless it results from failing to pay support or committing a crime against the custodial parent or child. Additionally, it allows child support orders to be increased retroactively if a parent intentionally reduced their income to lower their payment obligations. These changes apply to both the Family Court Act and the Domestic Relations Law and take effect immediately.