Choosing to file for a separation or divorce with your partner does not eliminate your duties as parents to your children. Child support is a type of financial protection that guarantees stable support from one or both parents contributing to their child’s upbringing.
What is Massachusetts’ Income Shares Model?
Income Shares Model is one of three child support models used by states in the USA. 41 states, including Massachusetts, utilize this model. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) defines the Income Shares Model “based on the concept that the child should receive the same proportion of parental income that he or she would have received if the parents lived together.”
Child support covers the child or children’s basic needs and living expenses, such as:
- Food
- Clothing
- Housing
- Education
- Healthcare
How much child support will I pay?
The State of Massachusetts applies 30 points of income sources to determine child support and the specific payment plan. The most common points include:
- Salaries, wages and tips
- Self-employment income or business income
- Interest and dividends
- Commissions, severance pay and bonuses
- Workers’ compensation or unemployment compensation
How do child support payments work?
Child support payments go through the Department of Revenue (DOR). Income withholding is the most common, where an employer deducts the child support payment from the non-custodial parent’s salary and sends it directly to the Department of Revenue (DOR). The DOR then transfers this payment to the custodial parent, or the primary parent that shares a home with the child.
The paying parent can also opt to send the amount to the DOR directly by paying online, by mail, by phone or by going in person through any MoneyGram locations.
Can I change the child support amount?
The rule of thumb is yes, you can — so long as both parties agree to the same changes. There is a small fee of $50 for each unit of modification fee and another $5 for each unit of the summons fee.
If you and your child’s other parent agree on the changes, you need to file the following:
- A copy of the judgment or order to be changed.
- A completed checklist of required forms from mass.gov.
If your child’s other parent does not agree to the changes, it is still possible to modify the support order. You will need to file a complaint with the court, serve the other parent papers and attend a court date. The court will then determine whether your requested modification is fair.
Filing for child support while also going through a tough period in your life can be emotionally taxing. Having an experienced family law attorney by your side can help take some of this burden off of your shoulders, helping you focus on finding the best new approach for you and your family.