Child support on $35,000 a year in Massachusetts (4 children)
Massachusetts guidelines effective December 1, 2025. Massachusetts overview
If Parent A earns $35,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the children live mostly with Parent B (52 overnights a year with Parent A), Massachusetts's guideline amount is $1,179 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
Across the table below it ranges from $1,985 paid by Parent B (Parent B earns $100,000, equal time) to $1,192 (Parent B earns $20,000, Parent A has no overnights).
This is the guideline amount, not a court order.
Change the numbers
Guideline child support
Massachusetts · 4 children · Parent A $35000 per year · Parent B $40000 per year · children live mostly with Parent B
$272.00 a week
$1,179 a month
Parent A pays Parent B
- Parent A: 46.7% of combined income
- Parent B: 53.3%
How it adds up
- Combined income
- $1,442 a week
- Basic obligation
- $579 a week
- Parent A's share of income
- 47%
- Guideline amount
- $272 a week
See the worksheet for this example
Massachusetts uses the income shares model under G.L. c. 208, § 28; G.L. c. 209C, § 9; G.L. c. 119A, § 13; Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2025). Official calculator: courtforms.jud.state.ma.us. Child support agency: Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Child Support Services Division.
Estimate under Massachusetts's child support guidelines effective December 1, 2025. Verified against the official Massachusetts sources on October 7, 2026. Not legal advice. Courts can deviate from the guidelines. How we calculate →
By parenting time and the other parent's income
| Overnights | $0 | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 | $100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $1,187 A→B | $1,192 A→B | $1,183 A→B | $1,179 A→B | $1,157 A→B | $1,148 A→B | $1,096 A→B | $1,079 A→B |
| 52 | $1,187 A→B | $1,192 A→B | $1,183 A→B | $1,179 A→B | $1,157 A→B | $1,148 A→B | $1,096 A→B | $1,079 A→B |
| 104 | $1,187 A→B | $1,192 A→B | $1,183 A→B | $1,179 A→B | $1,157 A→B | $1,148 A→B | $1,096 A→B | $1,079 A→B |
| 128 | $1,187 A→B | $1,192 A→B | $1,183 A→B | $1,179 A→B | $1,157 A→B | $1,148 A→B | $1,096 A→B | $1,079 A→B |
| 182 | $1,122 A→B | $1,053 A→B | $178 A→B | $152 B→A | $507 B→A | $806 B→A | $1,465 B→A | $1,985 B→A |
The Massachusetts worksheet for this example
| Line | Official label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 2a | Gross weekly income (Parent A)Parent A's weekly gross income | $673.00 a week |
| 2a | Gross weekly income (Parent B)Parent B's weekly gross income | $769.00 a week |
| 3a | Available income (Parent A)Parent A's available income | $673.00 a week |
| 3a | Available income (Parent B)Parent B's available income | $769.00 a week |
| 3b | Combined available income | $1,442.00 a week |
| 3c | Share of combined available income (Parent A)Parent A's share of income | 47% |
| 3c | Share of combined available income (Parent B)Parent B's share of income | 53% |
| 3d | Applicable available incomeCombined income used (capped) | $1,442.00 a week |
| 3e | Support amount for one childTable A amount for one child | $313.00 a week |
| 3g | Combined support amount (children living with Parent B)Support for the children living with Parent B | $579.00 a week |
| 4c | Adjusted combined support amount (Parent B's column)Adjusted support for the children living with Parent B | $579.00 a week |
| 5c | Other parent's share of support with low-income payor adjustment (Parent B's column)Parent A's share toward the children living with Parent B | $272.00 a week |
| 6e | Other parent's adjusted share of support (Parent B's column)Owed to Parent B after the income check | $272.00 a week |
| 6g | Payor's adjusted share of supportNet support after the offset | $272.00 a week |
| 7d | Payor's final support obligationGuideline amount (presumptive weekly order) | $272.00 a week |
| 7e | Support as % of Payor's available incomeSupport as a share of the paying parent's available income | 40% |
Open the official Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304) →
With child care and health insurance
| Costs | Guideline amount |
|---|---|
| No add-ons | $1,179 a month A→B |
| Child care $500 a month | $1,413 a month A→B |
| Child care $1,000 a month | $1,651 a month A→B |
| Health insurance $150 a month | $1,174 a month A→B |
| Health insurance $300 a month | $1,170 a month A→B |
Work-related child care, up to $430 a week per child, is shared by income: the other parent's share is added to what they owe. Health insurance premiums are deducted from the income of the parent who pays them.
How Massachusetts works it out
Massachusetts uses an income shares formula: Table A gives the support for one child from the parents' combined weekly available income, adjusted for the number of children and for children aged 18 or older, and each parent is responsible for their share of income.
Gross income from almost all sources counts, before taxes. Support paid under other orders and the health insurance premium a parent pays are deducted to give available income. Everything is weekly and rounded to the dollar.
With about equal time (Box one) or a split arrangement (Box three), the worksheet works out what each parent owes toward the children living with the other, checks it against each parent's income, and the parent who owes more pays the difference.
Frequently asked questions
How much child support is paid on $35,000 in Massachusetts for 4 children?
If Parent A earns $35,000 a year, Parent B earns $40,000 and the children live mostly with Parent B (52 overnights a year with Parent A), Massachusetts's guideline amount is about $1,179 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
How much is that a week?
Massachusetts's guidelines work in week amounts: $272 a week.
What if the parents share time equally?
With about equal parenting time and the same incomes, the guideline amount is about $152 a month (Parent B pays Parent A).
What if Parent B has no income?
If Parent B has no income and the children live mostly with Parent B, the guideline amount is about $1,187 a month (Parent A pays Parent B).
Official sources and verification
- Law: G.L. c. 208, § 28; G.L. c. 209C, § 9; G.L. c. 119A, § 13; Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2025)
- Massachusetts child support guidelines
- Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (CJD 304)
- Official Massachusetts child support calculator
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Child Support Services Division
- Changing a Massachusetts child support order
Guidelines effective December 1, 2025. Verified against the official Massachusetts sources on October 7, 2026. How we calculate →