The parenting plan, the income of each parent, child care costs, and the cost of health, dental, and vision insurance are all important factors in the Guidelines formula. The Guidelines are presumptive, so unless there are legitimate reasons to deviate from the Guidelines, the Guidelines figure will generally be what the payor parent must pay the recipient parent. The family court also has discretion to order parents to pay for a child’s uninsured medical and dental expenses and additional child-related expenses such as extracurricular activities and college education.

In Massachusetts a child is not automatically emancipated at age eighteen (18) or graduation from high school. If a child is enrolled in college, domiciled in a parent’s home, even if primarily living away at college, and is principally dependent on that parent for support, then the child is not emancipated until he/she graduates college or reaches age twenty-three (23), whichever comes first. If a child does not go to college, there are circumstances where child support may be payable until the child reaches age 21, if a child is still primarily residing with one or both parents and still principally dependent upon them for their care and maintenance.