Economic times are getting chilly. Foreclosures and unemployment are up, and there are no rescue plans in sight for non-custodial fathers. Some states have revamped their child support guidelines for 2009. In Massachusetts, thanks to the father rights movement, there are clear improvements going on. The State of Massachusetts will now take into consideration the income of the custodial parent in the computation of child support, including the first $20,000 that the custodial parent makes, which were not considered in previous child support guidelines. A decrease in income is also viewed as a legitimate reason for a reduction in child support. What is quite amazing to me, is that fathers had to wait for 2009 to see such legislative changes. It takes a lot of suffering for family laws to evolve.
Now, go to Missouri and you will bitterly regret not to have divorced in Massachusetts. In the 2009 Missouri child support guideline, you find the surrealist concept of “earning capacity” based on which child support payments can be imputed to the non-custodial parent. I bet that folks who found a job at Walmart because they were fired from a better one have an “earning capacity” far above their current wage. Let us pray that the Missouri family courts understand it. Other pearl: domestic debt, (child support too) is not dischargeable even in case of bankruptcy. If sicko ex-wife wants you bankrupt, the Missouri family law will make sure that you will.
The Supreme Court of Georgia, through its Commission on Children, Marriage and Family Laws, has put billboards urging people to “get married, and stay married.” In Georgia, maybe. In Missouri, avoid. Don’t get married there and more importantly, don’t divorce there.
I live in MA and pay child support here. You are wrong in your assessment that the 2009 revision of the guidelines is an “improvement” – far from it.
The new guidelines will dramatically increase the child support payments which in MA where already outrageously high. Some of these increases will be as high as 200%. In MA the judiciary *** which is totally corrupt *** determines the guidelines and guidelines task force consisted almost entirely of divorce lawyers, judges and even the DOR ! MA is one of the worst places for NCPs and I would recommended that all men steer clear of this place !
To understand more about that new guidelines and what it means for NCPs, read the minority report here:
http://www.mass.gov/courts/childsupport/
To understand more about the challenges facing fathers in MA read here:
http://www.fatherhoodcoalition.org/
I can’t agree more with HB. If the two parents are earning lets say 75k and the take home was 1000. Under the new guidlines, the recipeint will recieve 1300 per week and the payer will take home 700 per week. How is that fair?. Massachusetts is very expsensive so try to put any money aside with the $700.
This is the worst thing I could imagine. How can the state release something saying in the next month, we are going to take an additional $100 per week from you?
The people who wrote this have no clue as to what is going on in society. Mom will have a nice house and dad an apparment with no money to spend on his kids.
And why in the hell hasn’t Ma adopted the co-parenting guidelines most states have. She is half my daughter.
MASSACHUSETTS POST MAJORITY CHILD SUPPORT ISNT FAIR .WE MAKE 21000 AYEAR,ARE 60 YEARS OLD HAVE A MORGAGE OF 127300 A MONTH ,X MAKES 57,000 PLUS OUR 150 A WEEK. WE PAY FOR A HEALTHY 21 YEAR OLD WHO GOES TO COLLAGE PART TIME AND WORKS.TELL SHES 23. WE PAY TAXES ON THIS MONEY X GETS TAX CREDITS AND SHOOL CREDITS. SCHOOL IS PAYED FOR ADULT CHILD LIVES AT SCHOOL.WE HAVE NO SAVINGS OR RETIREMENT. MAY LOOSE OUR HOUSE. THE COURTS IN FRANKLIN COUNTY DIDNT LISSEN TO US X SAID SHELL TAKE NO LESS AND GOT IT. WHAT ARE WE TO DO NOW? WERE GONNA BE HOMELESS THE ECONOMY IS WORSE OUR PHONES ARNT RINGING FOR OUR BUISSNES. COURT DONT CARE. MAYBE MY HUSBAND WILL END UP IN JAIL IF WE DONT PAY AND ILL BE ON THE STREET.THANKS MAA PROBATE AND FAMILY COURTS ,AND THANKS MASS CHILD SUPPORT CHILD SUPPORT TASK FORCE,HOPE YOU HAVE A WORM BED,AND FOOD,THINK OF US WHEN YOU CASE YOUR PAY CHECKS.
THE NEW SUPPORT LAWS IN MASS ARE SAPPOSE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT BOTH PARENTS INCOME BUT IN OUR CASE POST MAJORITY SUPPORT IT WASENT EVEN CONSIDERED.IN FRANKLIN PROBATE COURT IN GREENFIELD MASS,THE X JUST SAID SHE WOULDNT EXCEOT LESS THEN 150 AND SHE GOT IT. IVE EMAILED THE STATE SENANT,CONGRSS, EVEN THE VICE PRESEDENT. THE ONLY ONE WHO GOT BACK TO ME WAS GOV PATRIC. HE SAID HED PASS MY E MAIL ON TO THE CHILD SUPPORT TASK FORCE.WE ALL NEED TO WRITE THEM,OR EMAIL THEM WITH OUR STORIES.MORE PEPOLE NEED TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE TRAGEDIES THERE CAUSING. SOME OF THE FORCLOSURES ARE DO TO THIS BULL. I KNOW OURS WILL BE FROM THIS.
HB, Barb, and PW,
Clearly I screwed up big time on Massachusetts new child support laws. I naively believed that the fact of taking into account both parents’ income would improve the lot of non-custodial-fathers. Live and learn.
Thank you for your comments. I strongly believe that if we share our experiences, things might change for the best.
Pierre
I live in western Ma and, just returned from what I can best describe as an example of, how the legislative body in this state has failed non custodial fathers again.
My ex who brings home $500.00 more a week than I, is remarried and receives over $500.00 per week from her new husband has just been awarded a $120.00 a month increase in her support order. Thanks to these “new guidelines” the court ordered support payment is now up to $820.00 per month.
Granted she has physical custody of our two children and I understand I have an obligation but, there was no consideration to the fact that I was overpaying for six years in the tune of $100.00 per month or that I have bills to pay!
As things are in this state non custodial parents are treated for the most part unjustly, from what I have been reading and by my own experience today there is nothing “wonderful” about these new guidelines, only a prelude to more hardship for those who god forbid realized the person we married wasn’t the right one.
As a NCP who has been paying support for over 12 years, my income has gone down since my divorce and my ex has remarried (twice) sold our home for 800k in 2008 (which we paid k289 for 1981) and now has a job paying over 90k/year while I have no income at all. I am borrowing money at the rate of 5k/month and my last 2k/month in consulting has disappeared.
Now I have to go fight to get my support reduced. MA sucks. the judges SUCK. There is NO EQUITY in MA courts.
If anyone has successfully gotten a reduction under similar circumstances in Norfolk County, please leave me a message here.
Thanks