Child support in Massachusetts is
controlled by Child
Support Guidelines. The Guidelines are a formula approach to
child
support based on the parents' incomes and certain expenses
(health, dental, vision, insurance, child care costs, and other child
support obligations.) These guidelines were issued to comply with
federal
law that mandates the state review the guidelines every four years.
In 2017 the state issued updated child support guidelines. Now,
less than one year later, Massachusetts is revising the child support
guidelines. The “new” guidelines are not a revision of the 2017
guidelines. The new set is merely a correction from mistakes made
in the official child support guidelines worksheet.
From almost the instant the 2017
guidelines were announced it was discovered that the worksheet
contained errors. This resulted in the state pulling the form from
the state website for a period of time. Apparently, the first
revisions did not correct all of the problems. The state has issued
revisions and a new worksheet that takes effect on June 15, 2018.
In 2017, the guidelines had a different
formula when one or more children are 18 or older than for children
under 18. The new worksheet corrects problems that occurred when a
one or more children were over 18 and other children were under 18
years old. Another correction relates to health care costs when the
parents have equal parenting time.
What do these changes mean? In many
cases, the calculator will result in the same amount for child
support as the 2017 calculator. I expect that for people one or more
children over 18 and other children under 18 that the amount of child
support will increase. The only way to find out is to use the new
calculator to calculate child support with your facts.
People should consult a family
law attorney to understand their rights and obligations under the
revisions to the Child Support guidelines.
