An entertainment company is creating a documentary TV series for a cable network about individuals with a significant other (a spouse OR a long-term boyfriend/ girlfriend) who has run away and is no longer in touch (ie: "disappeared" or "gone missing"). The company is...
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Child Support
Will the Child Tax Credit be a substitute for the Child Dependency Exemption?
Starting with tax year 2018 the dependency exemption does not exist anymore. Tax law, in an effort to simplify returns has eliminated the dependency deduction. Instead there is a Child Tax Credit which can be worth up to $2,000.00 per qualifying child. The IRS has not...
Massachusetts revised child support guidelines
Child support in Massachusetts is controlled by Child Support Guidelines. The Guidelines are a formula approach to child support based on the parents’ incomes and certain expenses (health, dental, vision, insurance, child care costs, and other child support...
Massachusetts revised child support guidelines
Child support in Massachusetts is controlled by Child Support Guidelines. The Guidelines are a formula approach to child support based on the parents’ incomes and certain expenses (health, dental, vision, insurance, child care costs, and other child support...
Massachusetts child support guidelines address college expenses
Massachusetts child support law allows for payment of child support until age 23 if the child attends an undergraduate college. Judges can also order parents to pay for the cost of college. This has resulted in onerous orders where parents are ordered to pay...
Can a physically disabled adult child receive child support in Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled in the case of Vaida v. Vaida, 86 Mass. App. Ct. 601 (2014) that a father did not have to pay child support for his adult physically disabled child. At first glance, this case seems to establish that a physically disabled child...
Don’t fall for this child support trap!
It is not unusual for custody arrangements to need adjustments to change as the children get older. Visitation schedules often change. Children's friends and activities need to be taken into account. Sometimes children move from one parent's home to the other and...
Should a stay-at-home parent have a post-nuptial agreement?
A person who chooses to stay at home to raise children usually makes this decision after consultation with their spouse. The decision is made in furtherance of the partnership called a marriage. The stay-at-home parent assumes that the marriage will last until one of...
Child support agreements need court approval
Previously, I wrote about the dangers of parents making an agreement for child support and not seeking approval from a court. A recent case, Zizza v. Zizza, from the Massachusetts Appellate Division (Oct. 27, 2014) is an example of the problems created when parents...
My ex and I agree to change the terms of our divorce. Do we have to go to court?
Once a Massachusetts Court has made an order or judgment in a divorce or paternity case it is enforceable by all of the powers of the Court and State for enforcement of judgments. This means that any change must be approved by the Court. Of course minor changes in the...
