How to Calculate Child Support Payments in Kansas

Unlike many other states, Kansas doesn't provide an official, online calculator for child support. To get an accurate estimate of the amount of support you'll pay or receive under the state's guidelines, you'll need to use the state's official worksheet. The calculations can be complicated, but we'll explain the steps, what you'll need to get started, and how to get help.

How to Use the Kansas Child Support Worksheet

The Kansas Courts Child Support Guidelines page has links to download the child support worksheet, plus the other worksheets and forms you might need, as well as the most recent version of the complete guidelines.

Before you can fill out the worksheet, you'll need to gather some information, including:

• your physical custody (parenting time) arrangements, including the percentage of time the children will spend with each parent
• both parents' income
• the cost of health and dental insurance for the child (which might require subtracting the cost of coverage without the child from the total premium being paid)
• the cost of child care that's needed because of a parent's work
• any court-ordered child support being paid for children from another relationship
• the amount of any court-ordered spousal maintenance (alimony) that either spouse pays or receives, and
• additional expenses because of a child's special needs or the high costs of transportation related to parenting time when the parents live far from each other.

When you're completing the worksheet, you'll need to refer to the current child support schedules (in Appendix II of the guidelines) to find the total basic child support obligation. Each parent will be responsible for a share of this total, based on their proportionate share of their combined incomes. The parent who has the child less than half the time (the noncustodial parent) will typically pay their share to the custodial parent. (Parents with equal parenting time will use an additional worksheet to calculate which of them will pay support.)

Can Child Support Be Different Than the Guideline Calculation in Kansas?

Kansas presumes that the amount of the basic child support obligation calculated on the worksheet is the appropriate amount, unless you can prove that a different amount would be in your children's best interests. Unlike the rules in most states (which allow judges to "deviate" from the guidelines), Kansas allows parents to claim adjustments on the worksheet for certain reasons, including:

• an adjustment when the child spends more than 35% of the time with the noncustodial parent, or when the parents have equal time with the child
• an adjustment for noncustodial parents with very low incomes (known as the "ability to pay calculation")
• substantial, reasonable costs related to parenting time when the parents live far apart, and
• additional expenses required because of a child's special needs.

Learn more about how child support works in Kansas, including the allowed adjustments (both those that are required and those that are up to a judge to approve) and what gets counted as income when calculating support.

How to Apply for Child Support in Kansas

Typically, you'll apply for child support when you file for divorce in Kansas. As part of the divorce process, you'll submit your completed child support worksheet along with the other necessary paperwork.

Outside of the divorce context, any parent with custody of a child (whether or not there's an official custody order) may get help with requesting support by applying for services with the Kansas Child Support Services (CSS). If needed, the CSS may also help establish the child's legal paternity or locate an absent parent.

How to Collect Child Support in Kansas

Most child support orders in Kansas include an income withholding order, so that the support payments will be deducted from the paycheck of the parent who owes support and forwarded to the recipient parent.

If you're having trouble collecting support payments, the Kansas CSS may be able to help enforce your child support order. Depending on how much the other parent owes, the agency has several ways of enforcing child support, including:

• reporting the debt to credit bureaus
• intercepting income tax refunds, workers' compensation, or unemployment benefits
• having the parent's driver's license (or other state-issued licenses) suspended
• seizing money from bank accounts
• placing liens on property (so the delinquent parent can't sell it or borrow money before paying off the debt), and
• filing a court action to have the delinquent parent found in contempt of court, which could lead to fines or even jail time.

How to Change the Amount of Child Support

Either parent may request a modification in the amount of child support. If it's been less than three years since your existing order was issued or last modified, you'll need to prove that there's been a substantial change in circumstances that calls for a different amount of support under the guidelines. Under the guidelines, a qualifying change in circumstances includes when:

• a child has had a sixth or twelfth birthday (which would put that child into a different age group, leading to a higher amount of support under the guidelines), and
• when a permanent change in parental income would change the calculation of support by at least 10%.

(Kan. Child Support Guidelines § I.E (2024).)

If you already have a case on file with the Kansas CSS, the agency will review your child support order every three years to determine if a modification is warranted. But you may request a review sooner when there's been a substantial change of circumstances.