Emerging child support issues in Massachusetts.

One issue is that shared parenting reduces child support.  One of the larger developments in recent years involves a parenting schedule where both parents spend significant time with their child.  The child support guidelines recognize that these joint physical custody about how you can run the cross guidelines to see what should occur. However, there can be disputes if it is different from the judicial month or 2/3^rd piece, so if it is a 60/40 schedule qualify or a 55/45 schedule, the court will qualify on what to do about if they are alternating weeks during the summer but not the school year, factual disputes about how the time is calculated, overnights count as a direct involvement with the parents. The factual disputes can significantly impact the amount of child support ordered in certain circumstances.

In addition, the guidelines did change as of December 2025 in Massachusetts. Although in most cases, it is not a dramatic change from the prior guidelines, it depends on the circumstances.