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State Guide · Massachusetts
Child Support in Massachusetts: How It's Calculated, Modified & Enforced
A plain-English guide to Massachusetts child support — the guideline model, how the number is computed, the modification and enforcement process, and where to find the official worksheet.
Direct answer
Gross income from almost any source (wages, self-employment, bonuses, overtime, investments, SSDI, pensions, etc.), minus allowed deductions such as prior court-ordered support/alimony for another family and the parent\'s own health/dental/vision premiums. Means-tested benefits (TAFDC, SNAP, SSI) are excluded.
Massachusetts uses the Income Shares model on both parents' combined 'available gross income' (gross income minus certain allowed deductions). The 2025 Guidelines (effective December 1, 2025) and Worksheet CJD 304 produce a presumptive base obligation from a guideline table, adjusted for number of children, then each parent pays their income-share; childcare (capped at $430/child/week) and the children's health-insurance premium are added proportionally. The guidelines apply up to $450,000 combined available annual gross income (raised from $400,000), and there is a low-income minimum order (about $15/week at very low income).
Open the Massachusetts child support calculator to see your own number under the current guideline: Massachusetts calculator.
How a support order is established in Massachusetts
File a complaint/petition (divorce, separate support, or complaint for support) with the Probate and Family Court, or apply through the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program.
Both parents complete a Financial Statement and the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304), entering gross income, allowed deductions, childcare, and the children\'s insurance costs.
For unmarried parents, establish parentage (Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage or court-ordered genetic testing) before support is ordered.
The court applies the guideline amount, which is presumptive. A judge may deviate only with specific written findings that the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate in the child\'s best interest.
The order is entered, typically with wage withholding. Post-secondary education support may be addressed separately (CJD 305).
To modify: file a complaint for modification showing a material change in circumstances; the presumptive amount controls unless deviation findings are made.
Worked examples
Illustrative example — one child, combined $8,000/month — Parent A (payor) available gross $5,000/month; Parent B (recipient) $3,000/month. One child. Combined available gross is $8,000/month. On the 2025 Worksheet (CJD 304), combined available gross income is entered and the guideline table returns a base support amount for one child. Each parent\'s share equals their percentage of combined income (here 62.5% / 37.5%). Add each parent\'s share of childcare (capped at $355/child/week) and the children\'s health-insurance premium. The payor owes their income-share of the total. (The exact base comes from the official CJD 304 worksheet; the proportional split is the state\'s Income Shares method.) Massachusetts divides the guideline base by each parent\'s share of combined available gross income; very low-income payors have a minimum order rather than $0.
Illustrative example — low-income payor — A payor with very low gross income (at or below the federal poverty guideline for a single person) owes support. The guidelines set a minimum weekly order of about $12 for payors with gross income up to $210/week, rising to $12–$20/week between $211 and $249/week. The court may still set $0 only as a documented deviation. Even low-income parents owe a small presumptive amount; a $0 order requires a specific deviation finding.
Modifying or enforcing an order
Orders in Massachusetts can be modified when there is a substantial change in income, custody, or circumstances. Use the modification eligibility check and the cross-state comparison tool to see how a move would change the outcome. Enforcement runs through the state agency and can include income withholding and contempt proceedings.
Official sources
Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (Mass.gov) — https://www.mass.gov/info-details/child-support-guidelines
2025 Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304) — https://www.mass.gov/info-details/probate-and-family-court-2025-child-support-guidelines-worksheet-cjd-304
What is \'available gross income\'?
Gross income from almost any source (wages, self-employment, bonuses, overtime, investments, SSDI, pensions, etc.), minus allowed deductions such as prior court-ordered support/alimony for another family and the parent\'s own health/dental/vision premiums. Means-tested benefits (TAFDC, SNAP, SSI) are excluded.
What is the income cap?
The guidelines apply up to $450,000 combined available annual gross income (2025 Guidelines, eff. Dec. 1, 2025; raised from $400,000). Amounts above that are at the court\'s discretion, treated as a minimum presumptive order at the cap, and any percentage applied to the excess must be below the 10% rate at the cap.
How often are the guidelines updated?
Roughly every four years after a Task Force review. The 2025 Guidelines took effect December 1, 2025 (there are no 2026 guidelines). Older orders keep using the version in force when issued.
Can the court deviate?
Yes, with written findings stating the guideline amount, why it is inappropriate, and that the result serves the child\'s best interest (e.g., special needs, incurred extraordinary expenses, or an approved agreement).
Does support continue through college?
Basic child support generally ends at 18, but the court can order post-secondary education support under the guidelines\' separate provisions (CJD 305) when circumstances warrant.
Massachusetts child support calculator
Estimate for Massachusetts
Massachusetts uses the Income Shares model.
Enter the paying parent’s gross (pre-tax) monthly income.
Massachusetts Child Support Worksheet — Planning Estimate
Generated September 22, 2026 · Model: Income Shares · Income basis: gross · Statute: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208 § 28
This is an informal planning estimate, not a court worksheet and not legal advice. Confirm the current guideline with the state child-support agency or a licensed family-law attorney.
Estimated monthly support$1,247.78per month
Official schedule: Massachusetts 2025 Child Support Guidelines Chart (eff 2025-12-01) (2025)
Annual estimate$14,973.36
Effective rate25%
MethodIncome Shares: combined income → official Massachusetts schedule → split by income share (+ add-ons, parenting-time credit)
View calculation breakdown
Combined parental income
$9,000
Total basic obligation (schedule)
$2,246
Obligor income share
55.6%
Obligor basic obligation
$1,248
Estimated monthly support
$1,248
How the basic obligation splits between parents
56%
44%
Paying parent: $1,248 Other parent: $998
Each parent pays their proportional share of the combined basic obligation.
Estimated monthly support by number of children
At the incomes you entered, for 2 children.
This article is general education, not legal or tax advice. For your exact number, open your state calculator.
Not legal or financial advice. This estimate follows the state’s statutory guideline formula but cannot capture every factor a court considers (health insurance, childcare, prior orders, deviations, imputed income).
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