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Paying child support in Massachusetts: How to

On Behalf of | Nov 2, 2018 | Child Support, Firm News |

When faced with an order to financially support one’s children due to divorce, separation or paternity establishment, one might have a lot of questions. For example, one might want to know how child support is to be paid. Every state does things a little differently. Here is how child support payments work in Massachusetts.

One would like to think it is possible to hand over cash or a check to the other parent. That is not how child support works here. In fact, this practice is strongly discouraged as it would be too easy for the receiving parent to deny ever getting the money.

In Massachusetts, child support is often withheld from one’s paycheck and submitted directly from one’s employer to the Department of Revenue. An employer cannot do this without a court order. The DOR then distributes the money to the receiving parent. If, for some reason, child support is not withheld from one’s paycheck, one may pay support online, by mail or by phone to the DOR.

The key here is sending money to the DOR for distribution. This way, the state of Massachusetts has a record that support is being paid. This helps to avoid or address any disputes.

Child support can create a lot of problems between parents. The state has done everything possible to ensure support is being collected and distributed appropriately so as to limit child support disputes. Those who still find themselves dealing with support problems may turn to legal counsel for assistance.