If you have a divorce, custody, child support, guardianship, or probate matter in Massachusetts, it goes to the Probate and Family Court. Three things changed in the last year that affect how your case is actually handled, and one of them is being reported backwards nearly everywhere.
Your hearing is probably in person now
Standing Order 1-26 took effect June 1, 2026, and it reversed the pandemic-era default.
Hearings are now presumptively in person. If you read somewhere that Probate and Family Court matters are presumptively remote and that you must file a written motion seven days ahead to appear in person, that is the opposite of what the order says. Ignore it.
Fifteen categories are presumptively remote, and they are mostly the short, uncontested, or procedural ones:
- Adoptions
- Joint petitions for divorce (1A)
- Child support conferences
- Motions to dismiss, to continue, to amend, and to assess fees
- Discovery disputes
- Case management conferences
Anything else, including contested hearings and trials, you should expect to attend in person unless the judge decides otherwise.
You can ask. The order provides that where an in-person hearing is scheduled, a party may request that it be conducted remotely and the judge rules on the request. There is no filing deadline attached, and a judge can separately allow one participant to appear remotely in an otherwise in-person proceeding.
Trials now run on consecutive days
Standing Order 3-25, effective July 1, 2025, requires trial days to be scheduled on sequential days or as close to sequential as the judge’s calendar permits. If a trial runs past its allotted time, the court must reschedule the remaining time within thirty calendar days.
This is a real change for anyone who has lived through a Massachusetts family trial. The old pattern of a day in March, a day in July, and a day in November is what the order is designed to end. Practically, it means your witnesses, your childcare, and your time off work all need to be arranged for a compressed block rather than spread across a year.
Child support: the guidelines changed on December 1, 2025
Massachusetts revises its child support guidelines roughly every four years. The current set took effect December 1, 2025, replacing the 2021 guidelines as amended in 2023.
There is no 2026 version. If you are looking at anything labeled 2026 guidelines, it does not exist. The sequence runs 2017, 2018, 2021 (amended 2023), then 2025.
What actually changed:
The income ceiling went up. Guidelines now calculate up to $450,000 in combined available annual gross income, raised from $400,000. Income above the cap is discretionary with the judge.
Child care allowance rose sharply. Reasonable out-of-pocket child care costs now count up to $430 per week, per child, up from $355, reflecting updated state infant-care cost data. For families with two young children in care, that is a meaningful swing in the calculation.
Minimum orders increased. A payor earning $301 per week or less pays no more than $15 per week, raised from $12. Between $302 and $391 per week, no more than $33, raised from $20.
Incarceration is no longer treated as voluntary unemployment when establishing or modifying an order, bringing Massachusetts in line with federal regulation.
More than two legal parents. A new provision directs courts to consider the finances and parenting time of all legal parents, which follows from the Parentage Act allowing a child to have more than two.
Other adjustments worth knowing: the recipient absorbs the first $250 per year of combined uninsured medical, dental, and vision costs, with amounts above that split by income share; the post-secondary education benchmark remains UMass Amherst, now at $37,015 annually, with contributions still capped at 50% absent written findings; and where both alimony and child support are in play, judges must run three scenarios to find the most equitable result.
Why this matters even if your order is old. A change in the guidelines is itself a basis to seek modification. If your order predates December 1, 2025 and you are affected by the raised income ceiling, the higher child care allowance, or the incarceration rule, it is worth having reviewed. Use the 2025 worksheet, CJD 304; the older worksheet is obsolete.
Parentage law was rewritten
The Massachusetts Parentage Act, signed in August 2024 and effective January 1, 2025, was the first comprehensive rewrite of the state’s parentage law in decades. It replaced paternity-specific language with parentage throughout, codified de facto parentage, created a framework for assisted reproduction including pre-birth judgments, established two statutory surrogacy pathways, and expanded who may sign an acknowledgment of parentage.
It matters most for LGBTQ+ parents, families formed through IVF or donor conception, surrogacy participants, and step or de facto parents, all of whom previously navigated a statute written for a narrower set of families.
Filing: fees and e-filing
E-filing is available but not mandatory. It covers name changes, parentage complaints, custody, support and parenting time, 1A and 1B divorce, informal and formal probate, guardianship, conservatorship, adoption, and dependency actions. Joint modifications under Rule 412 were added in May 2026.
Common filing fees:
- Divorce complaint: $200 plus a $15 surcharge
- Modification of child support: $50
- Separate support: $100
- Formal or informal probate: $375 plus $15
- Appointment of conservator: $240 plus $15
- Citations $15 each, summonses $5 each
No filing fee is charged for guardianship appointments, adoptions, abuse prevention petitions, or elderly and disabled abuse petitions. That last group matters: if you need a protective order, cost is not a barrier.
To find your case or check a docket, see our guide on looking up a Massachusetts court case. For the divorce process specifically, including the difference between 1A and 1B, see how divorce works in Massachusetts.
Common questions
Are Probate and Family Court hearings remote or in person?
Presumptively in person since June 1, 2026. Fifteen categories remain presumptively remote, including adoptions, joint divorce petitions, child support conferences, and most procedural motions. You may ask the judge to hold a scheduled in-person hearing remotely.
What are the current Massachusetts child support guidelines?
The 2025 guidelines, effective December 1, 2025. There are no 2026 guidelines. Use worksheet CJD 304.
What is the child support income cap in Massachusetts?
Guidelines calculate up to $450,000 in combined available annual gross income, raised from $400,000. Above that, the judge has discretion.
Can I modify my child support order because the guidelines changed?
A change in the guidelines is itself a basis to seek modification. Whether it helps depends on how the specific changes affect your numbers.
How much does it cost to file for divorce in Massachusetts?
A divorce complaint costs $200 plus a $15 surcharge. Abuse prevention petitions, guardianship appointments, and adoptions carry no filing fee.
Is e-filing required in Probate and Family Court?
No. E-filing is voluntary and available for most common case types.
General information, not legal advice. Fees and standing orders reflect published court materials as of August 2026.