Massachusetts 2009 Child Support Guidelines
Divorce & Family LawPosted in on March 13, 2014
As of January 1, 2009 the calculation of child support payments in Massachusetts has been changed. The new worksheet has been designed so that the income and certain of expenses of both the payor and the recipient are taken into consideration when calculating the final support order.
The Child Support Guidelines apply to cases involving children entitled to support from ages 0-18 who are still attending high school. (For any children over the age of 18, child support orders are at the discretion of the judge after consideration of certain factors.)
One of the more significant changes in the new Guidelines is the recognition of shared parenting time. In the case where both parents share equally both the financial responsibility and parenting time for the child(ren), the Guidelines provide a different mode of calculating an Order. The Court, in addition to looking at how much time each parent spends with the child, will also be looking at several other factors in determining whether a true shared parenting plan is in place.
While all cases are governed, to an extent, by the Child Support Guidelines, the specific circumstances of each individual case may support a deviation from these Guidelines; therefore appropriate legal representation is important. Please contact our office if you would like to discuss your specific circumstances with one of our attorneys.