Emerging Child Support Issues in Massachusetts: Determining Support with Variable or High Incomes.

Nowadays, there can be a lot more freelance or contract work, or online platforms where people have their income. Some of the issues that may have occurred, although child support in Massachusetts is generally straightforward, are that if a parent has an inconsistent monthly income, or if they are self-employed, and there is a question about whether their business expenses are legitimate, how to determine what the income should be with fluctuating earnings, or for the people who rideshare, or delivery drivers, or if somebody has multiple part-time income streams. Many times, the courts address this by using the average income over a period of time, but sometimes there can be significant disputes about what period of time it should be, or if there is a much higher or lower level of income more recently than normal, and how that would all be calculated, and whether the parent controls what their income can be, or whether the third party control what their income is and what their hours would be.