How to Calculate Child Support Payments in Kentucky

How to Use the Kentucky Child Support Calculator

To estimate the amount of support under Kentucky's current child support guidelines, you may be able to use the state's official child support calculator. You'll need to have some basic information on hand before doing the calculations, including both parents' income and your expenses for the child's health insurance coverage and work-related child care.

Income includes things like wages, workers' compensation or unemployment benefits, Social Security benefits, disability benefits, and alimony or maintenance being received. You can find the complete definition of income, along with the items that may be deducted from gross income, in Kentucky's child support guidelines, at Ky. Rev. Stat. § 403.212 (2024).

You'll also need to know what your physical custody (parenting time) arrangements will be before you can calculate child support. Generally, you'll fill in information for the custodial parent (the one who has physical custody of the children most of the time) and the noncustodial parent (who will usually pay child support). But the online calculator may not work for certain parents with shared parenting time. If both parents will have the children for at least 73 days out of the year, you should contact your local child support office in Kentucky to get help calculating child support with the shared parenting credit. (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 403.2121 (2024).)

When Child Support May Be Different Than the Guideline Calculation

Kentucky presumes that the amount calculated under the guidelines is appropriate, but you may argue that a different amount would be better in your situation. Whether you and the child's other parent have agreed on a support amount that departs from the guideline or a judge decides for you, the judge will have to find that using the guideline calculation would be unjust or inappropriate because of your extraordinary circumstances, including:

• the child's extraordinary needs, including educational, medical, or dental needs
• either parent's extraordinary needs (such as significant medical expenses)
• any independent financial resources that the child has, and
• the parent's particularly high combined income.

Also, the judge may approve the parents' agreement to an amount of child support that's different than the guideline calculation (except when a parent is receiving public assistance on the child's behalf). (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 403.211 (2024).)

How to Apply for Child Support in Kentucky

Married parents typically apply for child support as part of the process of filing for divorce in Kentucky. You'll need to submit a child support worksheet along with your other divorce paperwork. (You can download a copy of the current worksheet from the website for Kentucky's Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program.

Outside of the divorce context, any parent with custody of a child (even without an official court order) may request support by applying for services with the CSE. The agency may also help with establishing the child's legal paternity and locating absent parents.

How to Collect Child Support in Kentucky

Child support is usually paid through an income withholding order. That way, the support payments are taken out of the noncustodial parent's paycheck and forwarded to the custodial parent. Income withholding orders may also apply to unemployment insurance or workers' compensation benefits. When income withholding isn't appropriate (such as when a parent is self-employed), parents can make payments online (through the Kentucky Child Support Interactive site) or set up automatic withdrawals from their bank accounts.

If you're having trouble collecting child support payments, the Kentucky CSE can also help enforce your 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, 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 suspending the parent's driver's or other licenses.

How to Change the Amount of Child Support

Either parent may request a modification of an existing child support order. Generally, you'll need to demonstrate that there has been a substantial, continuing change in circumstances that affects the proper amount of support.

If it's been more than a year since the existing order was issued or last modified, Kentucky law presumes that there's been a qualifying change in circumstances if a new calculation under the guidelines (using your current circumstances) would result in an amount of support that's at least 15% different than what you're currently paying or receiving. By the same token, the law presumes that you have not met the changed-circumstances requirement if the difference would be less than 15%. And if it's been a year or less since the order was issued or last modified, the presumption applies only if the difference would be at least 25%.

Any of these presumptions are "rebuttable," meaning that either parent may present evidence in an attempt to prove that a modification is or is not warranted. (Ky. Rev. Stat. § 403.213 (2024).)

You may request an agency review of your existing child support order to see if you might qualify for a modification. You'll need to submit a written request to the local child support office that's already handling your case, along with documentation of your income. If you meet the 15%/25% threshold to demonstrate a change of circumstances, the agency will file a motion in court for a modification.

You also have the option of filing a request directly with the court. But without assistance from your local child support agency, you should consider speaking with a family lawyer.