Massachusetts Child Support Calculator
Enter both parents' incomes, number of children, and parenting time to estimate the Massachusetts monthly child support obligation under the Income Shares model. Consult a family law attorney for a binding order.
- 20%
- 1-child base rate
- #4 of 51
- base-rate rank
- No cap
- income ceiling
- 82.7%
- cases with a support order
$1,484/mo
One-child base rate at Massachusetts's median income
20% of $89,026, the Census ACS 2022 median household income for Massachusetts, divided across twelve months, 56% above the median state. An index for comparing states, not a case estimate: guidelines apply to the obligor's income, or to combined parental income under the Income Shares model, and a court sets the actual order. How this is derived.
The verdict
Massachusetts carries one of the highest one-child base rates nationally.
According to Massachusetts Title IV-D guideline publication, last checked 2021.
- 20%
- published 1-child starting rate
- 82.7%
- of cases have a support order
Ranks describe published guideline starting rates across this portal's 51-jurisdiction table, not court outcomes or collection performance.
National context
Higher-band view: where Massachusetts's one-child start sits
Each bar counts jurisdictions with a published one-child base rate in that 3-point guideline band. Massachusetts is marked in its own band; counts are exact from the 51-jurisdiction dataset.
Massachusetts's 20% published one-child starting rate is higher than 42 of 51 recorded state rates. This comparison describes the published starting percentage, not a complete child-support estimate.
Source: Published state child-support guideline records in PlainChildSupport's 51-jurisdiction dataset
Income Shares peers by one-child starting rate
Source: State Title IV-D guideline publications compiled in PlainChildSupport states.base_pct_1child filtered by formula_type · 2021 Peer board lists up to 10 Income Shares states sorted by published one-child starting rate. Counts match SELECT COUNT on the live states table.
Higher one-child starting rate
Massachusetts calculator on a higher starting-rate schedule
Massachusetts's published 20% one-child base sits in the higher third (#4 of 51).
Massachusetts's 20% one-child start sits in the higher third of published schedules (#4 of 51). The Income Shares form below applies that schedule plus any recorded income ceiling or parenting-time credit — still an estimate, not an order.
Sources: Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines · HHS OCSE Annual Report to Congress (Form 157) · estimate only; a court order requires the official worksheet.
Interactive Calculator for Massachusetts
Massachusetts uses the Income Shares to calculate child support. Both parents' combined income and each parent's share of it are used to look up the obligation on the state's published child support schedule.
Our Massachusetts interactive calculator is in development. Phase 1 covers the 10 largest states.
Use Official Massachusetts CalculatorMassachusetts Guideline Summary
~20%
1 Child
~28%
2 Children
~35%
3 Children
None
Income Cap
Calculators nearest Massachusetts's 20% start
Sorted by absolute gap in published one-child starting rate among states with a verified interactive calculator. Not a recommendation of which worksheet to file.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Massachusetts's one-child start read high nationally?
Massachusetts's 20% published one-child starting rate is higher than 42 of 51 recorded state rates. This comparison describes the published starting percentage, not a complete child-support estimate.
Does Massachusetts publish an income ceiling for this estimate?
No income ceiling is recorded in this portal's 2021 Massachusetts guideline dataset. The official worksheet remains the authority for a binding calculation.