What the guidelines are
Massachusetts judges use the Child Support Guidelines to set and change child support. The current guidelines took effect on December 1, 2025. The amount they produce is presumed to be correct (M.G.L. c. 208 § 28). A judge can order a different amount only with written findings that explain why (Guidelines Section IV).
The guidelines apply to married and unmarried parents, to temporary and final orders, and to agreements the parents make themselves. A guidelines worksheet, form CJD 304, is filed whenever support is set or changed.
What counts as income
Income means gross income from almost any source: wages, overtime, tips, self-employment, bonuses, interest, dividends, rent, pensions, Social Security, unemployment and workers’ compensation. Means-tested benefits such as TAFDC, SNAP and SSI do not count (Guidelines Section I).
Available income is gross income minus the health insurance premium a parent pays, dental and vision insurance for the children, and support the parent pays under another order.
How support is calculated, step by step
- Add both incomes.
Add the parents’ weekly available income. - Apply the cap.
Use that total or $8,654 a week ($450,000 a year), whichever is less. - Support for one child.
Find the amount for that income in Table A (below). - More children.
Multiply by the Table B factor: 1.40 for two children, 1.68 for three, 1.85 for four and 1.94 for five. - Children 18 or older.
Reduce the amount with Table C. For example, the reduction is 25% when the only child is 18 or older. A child still in high school counts as under 18. - Split by income.
Each parent’s share follows their share of combined income. The parent the children live with less pays their share to the other parent. - Add child care.
Child care a parent pays so they can work is shared in proportion to income, up to $430 per child per week.
Table A: weekly support for one child
| Combined weekly available income | Support for one child |
|---|---|
| $392 to $1,000 | 22% of combined income |
| $1,001 to $1,600 | $220 plus 21% of income above $1,000 |
| $1,601 to $2,400 | $346 plus 18% of income above $1,600 |
| $2,401 to $3,500 | $490 plus 14% of income above $2,400 |
| $3,501 to $5,000 | $644 plus 11% of income above $3,500 |
| $5,001 to $8,654 | $809 plus 10% of income above $5,000 |
Lower incomes use the shaded area of the official chart, which sets a minimum amount.
Worked example
One child, under 18, lives mainly with Parent A. Parent A earns $1,000 a week and Parent B earns $1,500 a week, before taxes. Neither pays health insurance or other support, so available income equals gross income. Parent A pays $300 a week for day care in order to work.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Combined available income | $1,000 + $1,500 | $2,500 a week |
| Support for one child (Table A) | $490 + 14% of $100 | $504 |
| Parent B’s share of income | $1,500 ÷ $2,500 | 60% |
| Parent B’s share of support | $504 × 60% | $302 |
| Parent B’s share of child care | $300 × 60% | $180 |
| Weekly order (Parent B pays) | $302 + $180 | $482 a week |
With two children and no child care, the combined amount would be $504 × 1.40 = $706, and Parent B would pay $424 a week. If the parents instead shared time and costs about equally, each parent’s share would be compared and Parent B would pay the difference: $100 a week, before child care. These figures come from LawCat’s calculator, which follows the official worksheet line by line.
How parenting time changes support
| Parenting arrangement | How the worksheet treats it |
|---|---|
| The children live mainly with one parent | The other parent pays their share of support |
| Time and costs shared about equally | Each parent’s share is figured; the larger share pays the difference |
| Each parent has a primary home for at least one child | Figured for each household; the difference is paid |
The basic calculation assumes the other parent has the children about one third of the time. The court may adjust support if that parent has substantially less, or substantially more but less than half (Guidelines Section II).
Child care and health insurance
- Child care that a parent actually pays, after discounts or subsidies, is shared by income up to $430 per child per week, when it is needed for a parent to work.
- Health coverage: the court orders a parent to cover the children if coverage costs no more than 5% of that parent’s gross income and services are within 15 miles of the child’s home.
- Uninsured costs: the parent who receives support pays the first $250 a year of routine uninsured medical, dental and vision costs. The court divides costs above that.
High incomes and hardship
- Above $450,000 a year combined: the order at $8,654 a week is the minimum. Support on the income above that is up to the judge.
- Orders of 40% or more of the paying parent’s available income are presumed to be a substantial hardship, which can justify a different amount (Guidelines Section IV).
Until what age support is paid
| Child’s age | When support may be ordered |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | Under the guidelines |
| 18 to 21 | If the child lives with a parent and depends mainly on that parent |
| 21 to 23 | If, in addition, the child is enrolled in an educational program, up to an undergraduate degree |
Source: M.G.L. c. 208 § 28. A judge may also order a contribution to college costs; it is not presumptive.
Estimate your own case. LawCat’s Massachusetts calculator follows the CJD 304 worksheet and shows every line. It never asks for names and does not save your answers.
Open the Massachusetts calculator →About the calculator · Massachusetts divorce guide · Is child support taxable?
Official sources
- M.G.L. c. 208 § 28 (child support; ages 18 to 23)
- Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (effective Dec. 1, 2025)
- Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, CJD 304 (12/01/2025)
- 2025 Child Support Guidelines Chart
- Guidelines Section I: income definition
- Guidelines Section II: factors
- Guidelines Section IV: deviation
Questions people ask
How is child support calculated in Massachusetts?
Add both parents’ weekly available income, up to $8,654 a week. Find the support for one child in Table A, adjust it for more children or for children 18 or older, and split it by each parent’s share of income. Child care paid so a parent can work is shared the same way, up to $430 per child per week.
What is the income cap for Massachusetts child support?
The guidelines formula covers combined available income up to $450,000 a year, or $8,654 a week. Above that, the order at that level is the minimum, and support on the rest of the income is up to the judge.
Until what age is child support paid in Massachusetts?
Support generally runs to 18. A judge may order it to 21 if the child lives with and depends mainly on a parent, and to 23 if the child is also enrolled in an undergraduate program (M.G.L. c. 208 § 28).
How does equal parenting time affect child support in Massachusetts?
When parents share time and costs about equally, the worksheet figures each parent’s share and the parent with the larger share pays the difference. The result is usually much lower than when the children live mainly with one parent, but it is often not zero.
Page updated October 14, 2026. Figures change; confirm them with the official sources above.