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Child Support in Massachusetts |
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The 2009 child support (CS) formula in Massachusetts continues to yield one of the costlier CS
orders around. Here are some of its features:
The calculation takes into account up to $250,000 of combined gross personal incomes of
the parents (up from $135,000).
The support order goes down very slowly as the
income of the recipient grows.
Health care premiums and child care costs are deducted from the parents' respective
incomes. However, deducting these costs yields unanticipated outcomes to the recipient.
Read article on this subject.
The 2009 formula disregards the children's age and the amount of time a child spends with each parent.
If the parents have the children roughly equal amounts of time, and their incomes do not differ greatly,
the Guidelines permit payment of the difference between the hypothetical child support each of them would pay if they had to.
Check it out:
The 2009 Massachusetts child support worksheet
The Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines
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Click on the calculator to open it.
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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What does child support pay for?
Answer:
Child support pays for all routine expenses - including food, clothes, part payment for the
house and utilities, and routine school expenses.
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What does child support not pay for?
Answer: Extracurricular activities, unsecured health care expenses and summer
camp are not included in child support and are usually shared in some fashion by the parents.
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Do people have any discretion in determining the amount of child support?
Answer:
The expectation is that biological or adoptive parents support their children.
However, there is flexibility, depending on income and on the amount of time
the children spend with each parent. If the incomes are roughly equal
and the care is roughly equal, parties can opt for cost sharing rather than child
support. There are other mitigating circumstances, such as college payments.
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If
you are uncertain whether your case is suitable for mediation,
contact Dr.
Thomson, for a FREE consultation about mediating your
issues. |
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