Child Support in Massachusetts: The 2025 Guidelines, the Worksheet and the Official Calculator
Massachusetts family law · Last reviewed October 28, 2026
Massachusetts child support is set by the Child Support Guidelines, which the Trial Court issues and reviews every four years; the latest review was the 2024-2025 quadrennial review. The current version is the 2025 Child Support Guidelines, effective December 1, 2025. The court's guidelines page says plainly: "There are no 2026 Child Support Guidelines." The guidelines apply to all child support orders and judgments.
How the calculation works
The calculation runs on the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304). It works in weekly amounts, starts from both parents' incomes, and then adjusts for:
- the number of children and their ages;
- the parenting arrangement: whether the children live with one parent about two-thirds of the time, whether you share parenting time and financial responsibility about equally, or whether each of you has at least one child living mainly with you;
- child care and health care costs.
The arithmetic has several branches, so we don't reproduce it here. Use the court's own tool:
- Official child support guidelines calculator (court form PFC0001), which fills in the CJD 304 worksheet.
- The CJD 304 worksheet page, which also offers a fillable version you save and edit in Adobe Acrobat.
The court's divorce pages ask for the completed worksheet, with each parent's financial statement, before the hearing.
The key figures in the 2025 Guidelines
| Figure | Amount | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Income limit for the guidelines formula | $450,000 a year of combined available income | Section II.C |
| Payor earning $301 a week or less | An order of no more than $15 a week | Section II.C |
| Payor earning $302 to $391 a week | An order of no more than $33 a week | Section II.C |
| Child care shared in proportion to income | Reasonable out-of-pocket costs up to $430 a week, per child | Section II.E |
| Uninsured routine medical, dental and vision costs | The recipient pays the first $250 a year for all the children | Section II.J |
| Hardship presumption | Support of 40 percent or more of the payor's available income | Section IV.C |
Above $450,000 of combined income, the guidelines apply to the first $450,000, and support on the rest is up to the court. The low-income limits aren't floors or ceilings on the court: the guidelines allow a higher or lower order, including $0, as a deviation.
Deviations
The guidelines are presumptive. To depart from them, the court must make written findings stating the guidelines amount, that it would be unjust or inappropriate, the facts that justify departing, and that the departure is consistent with the child's best interests. The 2025 Guidelines add a rule that a current support order of 40 percent or more of the payor's available income creates "a rebuttable presumption of a substantial hardship, justifying a deviation from the guidelines." If you ask for a deviation, the findings form (CJD 305) records the reasons.
How long child support lasts
Support for a minor runs to 18. After that, G.L. c. 208, § 28 lets the court order support:
- from 18 to 21, for a child who lives in a parent's home and is principally dependent on that parent; and
- from 21 to 23, for a child who lives in a parent's home and is principally dependent on that parent because the child is enrolled in an educational program, up to an undergraduate degree.
Support past 18 is discretionary, and the worksheet reduces the amount for older children. Under the guidelines, a child of 18 or older who is still in high school counts as under 18. The guidelines also address a parent's share of college costs, using the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the benchmark.
Getting and enforcing support
The Department of Revenue's Child Support Services will establish, modify or enforce a child support order if you apply for its full services, using its intake form and application. DOR's page says that even if you don't want its services, the same form is needed for any Massachusetts child support order, because DOR must keep a record of all orders. Changes later go by complaint for modification; the court's fee is $50 for a modification of child support, custody or parenting time.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Massachusetts?
With the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304), using both parents' weekly incomes, the number and ages of the children, the parenting arrangement, and child care and insurance costs. The court's online calculator fills in the worksheet.
What are the current Massachusetts child support guidelines?
The 2025 Child Support Guidelines, effective December 1, 2025. The court says there are no 2026 guidelines. The 2023 guidelines applied from July 31, 2023 to November 30, 2025.
What is the income cap for Massachusetts child support?
The guidelines formula applies up to $450,000 a year of the parents' combined available income. Support on income above that is at the court's discretion.
What is the minimum child support in Massachusetts?
There's no fixed minimum. For a payor earning $301 a week or less, the guidelines call for an order of no more than $15 a week, and between $302 and $391 a week, no more than $33. The court can deviate, including to $0.
Does child support end at 18 in Massachusetts?
Not always. The court can order support to 21 for a child living with and principally dependent on a parent, and to 23 if that dependence is because the child is in school.
Is child support taxable in Massachusetts?
No. The Department of Revenue says child support is neither deductible by the payer nor taxable to the recipient, for federal or Massachusetts income tax.