How Child Support Is Organised in Massachusetts

Child support in Massachusetts runs on two tracks that work together. The Department of Revenue's Child Support Services Division, usually called DOR CSSD, locates parents, establishes paternity, and collects and distributes payments. The courts, mainly the Probate and Family Court, issue and change the orders. Our directory lists 21 child support offices across the state, from the Boston Child Support & Social Service Office on Massachusetts Avenue to the Pittsfield Child Support & Social Service Office on North Street.

The split matters when you plan a visit. A DOR caseworker can open a case, find an absent parent, and enforce an order that already exists. Only a judge can set a new amount or change an old one. Many families need both, so expect to deal with the agency and a courthouse at different points.

The legal framework comes from state statutes, including G.L. c. 209C for children born to unmarried parents and G.L. c. 208 for divorce cases. Amounts are set with the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines, issued by the Trial Court. The guidelines weigh both parents' incomes, the number of children, health insurance, and child care costs. A judge can depart from them, but must explain why.

DOR services generally cover the following:

Boston, Gateway Cities, and Cape Cod: How Office Access Differs

Massachusetts is a small state, but reaching an office is easier in some places than others. Here is how the listings break down by region.

Greater Boston is the densest area. The Boston Child Support & Social Service Office at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue (617-989-2200) and the Roxbur Child Support & Social Service Office at 2201 Washington Street (617-989-6000) both fall in Suffolk County. Transit makes both reachable without a car for many city residents.

Central Massachusetts has the widest spread. Worcester County lists the Worcester Child Support & Social Service Office at 9 Walnut Street (508-767-3100), the Southbridge Child Support & Social Service Office at 1550 Southbridge Street in Worcester (508-765-2400), and the Fitchburg Child Support & Social Service Office at 473 Main Street (978-665-8700). A parent in the northern part of the county may find Fitchburg far more practical than the city of Worcester.

Middlesex County has three listings: Framingham at 75 Fountain Street (508-661-6600), Lowell at 131 Davidson Street (978-446-2400), and Malden at 200 Pleasant Street. The Malden listing uses an 800 number (800-590-4820), which is worth trying if you are calling from a distance.

In the west, Hampden County has the Springfield Child Support & Social Service Office at 310 State Street (413-858-1300) and the Holyoke office at 100 Front Street (413-552-5400). Greenfield, at 143 Munson Street (413-772-3400), is the Franklin County listing. Pittsfield, at 160 North Street (413-236-2000), is the Berkshire County listing. Families in hill towns may face a long drive to reach any of them, so phone first.

The South Coast is covered well. Bristol County lists Fall River at 1567 North Main Street (508-646-6200), New Bedford at 160 West Rodney French Boulevard (508-961-2000), and Taunton at 21 Spring Street (508-884-5300). Plymouth County has Brockton at 75 Commercial Street (508-895-7000) and Plymouth at 61 Industrial Park Road (508-732-3100). On the Cape, the Hyannis Child Support & Social Service Office at 181 Barnstable Road (508-862-6600) is the only listing in Barnstable County.

North of Boston, Essex County has the Lawrence office at 15 Union Street (978-725-7100) and the Salem office at 35 Congress Street (978-825-7300).

What to Bring Before You Visit

A prepared visit saves a second trip. Gather as much of the following as you can:

Call ahead to confirm hours and whether the location sees people in person, by appointment, or mainly by phone. Many tasks can start with a phone call, and an office may tell you what to mail or upload.

Massachusetts Rules That Affect Your Case

Support generally continues until a child turns 18. A court may extend it to 21 if the child is principally dependent on a parent, and in some cases to 23 for a child enrolled in an educational program. These extensions are not automatic, so check the wording of your order.

Orders do not change on their own. If your income or your child's needs change, you can file to modify the order in the Probate and Family Court, and you can ask DOR whether your case qualifies for a review. Until a judge approves a new amount, the old amount stays due.

Unpaid support builds up as arrears. DOR can intercept tax refunds, issue income withholding notices, report debt to credit bureaus, and take action against licenses. A parent who falls behind can also be brought to court on a contempt complaint. Early contact with a caseworker is far better than silence.

Most payments move through DOR, which records them and passes them on to the receiving parent. Keep your own records anyway. Ask about any fees that may apply to your type of case, since rules can differ depending on whether a family has received public assistance.

Which Massachusetts Office Should You Contact First

Start with the office nearest your home, but do not assume it will handle your case. Assignments can depend on where a case was opened and where the court order was issued. If you already have a case number or a letter from DOR, use the phone number on that notice first.

If you are starting fresh, choose the closest listing in your county and ask the staff to confirm which office will manage your file. Write down the name of everyone you speak with, the date of the call, and what they told you. That record helps if your case is moved or a hearing date changes.

The child support program in Massachusetts is administered by the state's child support enforcement agency, which operates through a network of county-level offices that handle case intake, order establishment, payment processing, and enforcement across the state under the authority of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Child Support Offices locations are available in 18 cities across Massachusetts. They are spread across 10 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Springfield, Worcester, Boston, which serve as regional hubs for child support case processing and interstate enforcement coordination for cases involving parents in multiple states.

Non-custodial parents in Massachusetts who are current on their support obligation and experiencing a significant change in income — such as job loss or medical disability — may be eligible to request a formal modification review through the state child support agency without having to hire an attorney.

Child Support Offices by Counties

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Custodial parents in Massachusetts who receive public assistance are automatically enrolled in child support services as a condition of TANF or Medicaid eligibility. Parents not receiving public assistance can still apply for child support services voluntarily and typically receive the same level of enforcement assistance at little or no cost.

Browse Child Support Offices by county across Massachusetts to find the nearest location.

Local Notes for Using Massachusetts Child Support Office Listings

The offices in our database use the name Child Support & Social Service Office, and each is tied to a city rather than to every service a family might need. Treat the address and phone number as your starting point. Before you travel, call to confirm that the location handles in-person visits, what hours apply, and whether your case is assigned there.

Greater Boston families have the most choice. Boston has two listings, at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue and 2201 Washington Street, and Malden, Framingham, and Lowell cover much of Middlesex County. North of the city, Essex County residents can look at Lawrence on Union Street and Salem on Congress Street. South of Boston, the Brockton office on Commercial Street and the Plymouth office on Industrial Park Road serve Plymouth County.

Gateway Cities such as Springfield, Holyoke, Fitchburg, Fall River, and New Bedford each have a listing, so many families in mid-sized cities do not need to travel to Boston.

Keep in mind that the office is only one part of the process. Court dates in the Probate and Family Court are scheduled separately, and a missed hearing can delay your case. Write down every case number, caseworker name, and hearing date, and bring them to each visit.

If English is not your first language, ask whether interpretation is available when you call. Portuguese-speaking communities are large in Fall River and New Bedford, and Spanish-speaking communities are large in Lawrence and Holyoke.

Massachusetts Child Support Questions Answered

Not always. Many steps can begin with a phone call to the Department of Revenue's Child Support Services Division or the office nearest you, and some tasks may be handled by mail or online. In-person visits are more likely when you need to sign documents, show identification, or hand over court papers. Because procedures change, call first and ask what the office needs. If you do go, bring photo ID, your child's birth information, any court orders, and what you know about the other parent's address and employer.

A judge decides. In Massachusetts, a judge in the Probate and Family Court sets the amount using the Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines issued by the Trial Court. The guidelines look at both parents' incomes, the number of children, the parenting schedule, health insurance, and child care costs. A DOR caseworker can gather income information and present it, but the caseworker does not set the figure. A judge may depart from the guideline amount if the written findings explain why the result would be unfair.

Support generally lasts until a child turns 18. Massachusetts courts can extend it to 21 if the child is principally dependent on a parent for support, and in some situations to 23 when the child is enrolled in an educational program such as college. These extensions are not automatic. A parent usually has to ask the court, and the judge looks at the child's circumstances. Check the wording of your order, and ask DOR or the court before you stop paying or expect payments to stop.

Yes. Massachusetts has adopted the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which lets states cooperate on establishing and enforcing orders. DOR can ask the other state's child support agency to locate the parent, set up an order, or collect payments through an employer there. The process can take longer than a case where both parents live in Massachusetts, because two agencies are involved. Give your caseworker the other parent's last known address, employer, and any relatives' contact details to speed up the search.

Contact DOR or the office handling your case right away, and keep records of every missed payment. DOR can send an income withholding notice to an employer, intercept state and federal tax refunds, report arrears to credit bureaus, and ask a court to act on a contempt complaint. Other tools include license action and passport denial for large debts. The tools that apply depend on your case and on how much is owed. If you are the parent who is behind, ask about a modification before the debt grows.

When parents are not married at a child's birth, the father is not automatically recognized in law. Parents can sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage, often at the hospital, which establishes legal parentage. If one parent disputes parentage or no acknowledgment exists, DOR or a court can arrange genetic testing, and a judge can enter a finding of parentage. Once parentage is established, the court can address support, custody, and parenting time. Ask a DOR caseworker how to get started in your county.