Missouri Child Support

Gathering Information

Before the court will calculate your Missouri child support payments, the court will gather information from you and the other parent. The court will examine the following:

• Gross income of both parents
• Childcare costs
• Spousal support paid or received
• Child support for children of other relationships
• Expenses related to the care of ailing parents
• Health insurance costs
• Federal, state, and local taxes paid
• Extra educational expenses such as music lessons
• Extraordinary child expenses such as braces

Child support guidelines are not a law themselves. Regardless of the child support guidelines, the court is still free to order the support it deems appropriate. If the court deviates from the child support guidelines, the judge must state the specific reasons supporting his decision in writing. The allows the parents to appeal the judge’s written decision.

Changing Your Missouri Child Support Order

Once the court enters a child support order, the parents must exchange their tax returns and other financial documents every two years. The court’s child support order is subject to modification whenever reapplication of the Missouri Child Support Guidelines results in a sum that is 15% higher or lower than the child support order that is in effect.

Some attorneys will offer ways to lower your child support payments. However, it is always best to be honest and candid with the court. The court often modified a child support order upon:

• A change in the custody of a child
• A raise or cut in the income of either parent
• Addition of or a change in the availability of health insurance coverage
• Obligation of either parent to support other children or his/her elderly parents
• Additional expenses for special needs of gifted or handicapped children
• Additional unexpected medical or educational expenses

Terminating Child Support

Missouri child support laws require a parent pay child support until the child turns 18 and graduates from high school, turns 19, dies or is emancipated. However, this law will not apply to a child suffering from severe special needs.

Enforcement

Missouri child-support orders are often enforced by a mandatory payroll deduction. With a mandatory payroll deduction, the court orders the parent’s employer to turn over payroll funds to the state for the support of the children. If the court orders a mandatory payroll deduction for the payment of child support, employers cannot refuse to implement the court’s order. Also, if the court orders a mandatory payroll deduction, the parents cannot agree to different payment terms between themselves. The state may also enforce the child support order by:

• Suspending Missouri driver licenses
• Suspending other licenses such as hunting and fishing licenses, occupational or professional licenses
• Garnishing IRS tax refunds
• Placing bank account levies and garnishments
• Placing liens on homes or land and personal property such as cars and boats
• Garnishing winnings over $600, unemployment compensation, and worker's compensation
• Reporting the child support debt to credit bureaus, which can affect the noncustodial parent's credit rating and ability to obtain loans
• Cooperating with the court in the getting arrest warrants, which are entered into Missouri's crime computer and used by law enforcement officers statewide to apprehend and keep individuals in custody

Further Information

To learn more about your Missouri child support payments, contact the Missouri Department of Social Services at (573) 751-4301 or toll-free at (800) 859-7999. To learn more about Missouri child support enforcement, contact the Missouri Child Support Enforcement Program.