The Law Office of Sanford I. Furman Will Help You Make The Law Work For You
The philosophy behind child support in Massachusetts is that all children, both children of married couples and children of unmarried partners, deserve to be supported and maintained in the best manner the parents can provide. Even if that means substantial sacrifice for one or both parents, especially the payor. Child support involves a calculation using the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines developed by the legislature.
The Child Support Guidelines start with the gross (before tax) income of the payor and take into account various factors, such as which parent provides medical insurance, and whether the payor is supporting another family, or whether the recipient has primary custody or whether the case involves shared physical custody.
The Child Support Guidelines apply to cases involving both married and unmarried parents, and also apply to situations where a party seeks to modify a support order based on changed circumstances. They apply to all cases in which one parent has primary physical custody. Child support payments are not taxable for the recipient, and are not deductible to the payor. Payors, especially at modest income levels, often feel they have to pay too much, that after paying child support they don't have enough to live on, and they are usually right. On the other hand, recipients also often feel the support is not sufficient to meet their needs and their children's needs, and that also is often true. It has been said that the only people who can afford to get divorced are the very rich and the very poor. There is, unfortunately, wisdom in that comment.
Helping You Understand the Child Support Guidelines
Child Support in Massachusetts has been calculated using Child Support Guidelines since the 1980's. On January 1, 2009, the Guidelines underwent significant revisions, resulting in a formula that, while not more generous to the payor, in many cases does provide somewhat greater discretion to the Court to issue orders either higher or lower than the Guidelines calculation, based on all the circumstances. Regardless of whether you will be the recipient of the payor, it is more important than ever that you have a highly competent attorney with you when dealing with child support issues.
Whether you will be receiving or paying child support you need an experienced divorce lawyer to advise you. Contact the Law Office of Sanford I. Furman today.
Dealing with College Expenses
If you and your spouse are together you have no legal obligation to support your children while they are in college, either directly by paying for college, or indirectly by providing your children with a home to live in. However, once there is a divorce or break-up of a relationship involving children, the courts do step in and require parents to support their children. They do this in two ways:
- First, child support must be paid until the youngest child is emancipated, and if a child is living at home, or based at home even if in college, it can be as late as age twenty-one or, in certain cases, twenty-three.
- The second situation involves allocating responsibility for paying for college. Your divorce agreement should at least address college expenses, but, especially if the children are young, circumstances will change and addressing college expenses is a common reason for coming back to court to modify the divorce judgment.
An experienced family law attorney can assist you in dealing with these issues, both during the divorce negotiation, and later as the need for college is upon you.
Experienced Assistance In Addressing Individual Concerns
If there are minor children (up to the age of 21 or, in some cases, 23 if still in college), there will typically be child support, and there will also be college expenses that need to be addressed. Attorney Furman will explain the law clearly so that you know what to reasonably expect, and assist you in getting the best result for you. He has over 24 years of experience in helping people in the Boston and Metro west areas of Massachusetts, including Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, Framingham, and Brighton, understand how child support works. He will guide you through an assessment of the financial aspects of your case and assist you in developing realistic goals and then advocating on your behalf to realize those goals.
Free Initial Consultation
Please contact the Law Office of Sanford I. Furman by phone or e-mail if you have a child support issue. Evening and weekend meetings can be arranged by appointment.
