Guidelines for Child Support

In 2013, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts established state Child Support Guidelines to ensure that there was a consistent way for the courts to make decisions on how much child support a noncustodial parent will be required to pay. Parents are required to make child support payments until at least the child’s 18th birthday but they can be extended until the child is 23 if the child has pursued higher education such as college or vocational training. However, if the parent believes that the child is emancipated, they can request that support is terminated. There are many different factors that the guidelines require the courts to take into consideration. Some of these include the following:

  • The child’s standard of living before the divorce
  • The cost of the child’s health insurance
  • Recognition of both financial and nonfinancial contributions by each parent
  • The child’s needs
  • The earning capacity of each parent
  • The number of children that need support
  • The cost of caring for the child or children
  • The expenses of each child for schooling, special needs, and extracurricular activities
  • Recognition that the parents’ decision to get divorced and requiring the child to have two households should not decrease the child’s quality of life

If you have questions about child support in Massachusetts, contact our firm today.

If you require compassionate and knowledgeable legal guidance for a matter of divorce, family or estate law, please contact the experienced attorneys at the Law Offices of Cynthia L. Hanley today. Our firm proudly serves clients in Mansfield, Massachusetts and throughout Bristol County.