What is child support?
Child support is a payment by one parent (often the non-custodial parent) to the other parent for the support of their common child. It is in the best interest of a child for both parents to be obligated to pay for the support of their child. An order for child support transfers the income/wealth from one parent to the other so that the combined incomes/wealth of both parents is available to use for the support of the child.
Child support is financial support, most often a regular payment, that a parent pays when that parent lives apart from his or her child. To help raise the child, the parent who does not live with the child (known as the “noncustodial parent” or the “parent paying support”) gives money to the parent who does live with the child (known as the “custodial parent” or the “parent receiving support”). This money is called child support. The parent paying support may also include the child in a health care plan. A court sets the amount of child support that a parent must pay in a child support order. If a child is born to parents who are married to each other, the husband is the legal father of the child and is legally responsible to support that child. For a child born to parents who were not married to each other, however, paternity must be established before a court can set a child support order. Paternity means legal fatherhood. In Massachusetts, parents can establish paternity by signing
