Chief Justice for Administration & Management Robert A. Mulligan announced that the Child Support Guidelines had been revised and the new guidelines would become effective January 1, 2009.  The report recommended significant, broad-based changes intended to make the guidelines more simple, clear, comprehensive and consistent with economic and societal changes of the last two decades.  The recommendations include provisions that place greater value and emphasis on the involvement of both parents in the lives of their children; consider the increase in health insurance costs and the requirement of mandatory health insurance in Massachusetts; provide greater guidance relative to when a child support order should be modified; and set forth specific factors for deviation from the guidelines.
 
Below is a brief synopsis of some of the changes:
 
· Income definition was clarified;

· Portion of child support award may be paid as alimony;

· Factors to determine when to include/exclude secondary jobs/overtime;

· Presumptive minimum/maximum income to which child support guidelines apply  $100,000.00 per year to the payor's income or $135,000.00 per year for the parties' combined income to $250,000.00 per year combined income;

· Eliminate the $20,000.00 custodial parent disregard;

· This formula is based upon the child(ren) having a primary residence with one parent, and spending approximately one-third of the time with the other parent;

· Elimination of 10% increase at age 13 for child; and

· Reasonable health insurance costs should be fully deducted from the gross income.
 
These are some of the changes to the new child support guidelines.  For a more detailed explanation contact Amaral & Associates, P.C. at (617)742-2020, in Boston and (617)539-1010, in Winthrop. Thank you.