Child Support
Missouri considers the income of both parents in calculating child support because it is the obligation of both parents to provide financial support for their children. In addition to their income, the cost of day care, health insurance and the extraordinary expenses of the children are taken into account.
Since parenting time for both parents involves some expense, the chart also provides a credit for the parent who does not have the children the majority of the time.
The obligation to pay child support may be imposed either by the court or by the Family Support Division on an administrative basis. Where the court imposes an obligation to pay child support, it may be ordered to begin on the date on which a divorce action is filed.
Child support may be modified at any time, either administratively or through the court. When it is modified through a court, the modification may take place only back to the date on which the other party is served, as a general rule.
For a child who does not go on to receive further schooling past high school, child support will end at his or her graduation from high school or 18th birthday, whichever occurs later. If a child has dropped out of school prior to his or her 18th birthday and is NOT attending school or a GED program on his or her 18th birthday, that date will become the date on which child support ends.
For children who go on to college or vocational school after graduation from high school, child support may continue until that child's 21st birthday provided the child has enrolled in the college or vocational school by October 1st of the year of graduation AND provided the child is full time at the college or vocational school AND provided the child provides the paying parent with his or her enrollment information and (after each semester or term) grades.
Parents receiving child support have the obligation to tell the other parent in writing when a child has become emancipated. Jackson County has provided a form to file with the court to provide that information. The form is available here.
Since parenting time for both parents involves some expense, the chart also provides a credit for the parent who does not have the children the majority of the time.
The obligation to pay child support may be imposed either by the court or by the Family Support Division on an administrative basis. Where the court imposes an obligation to pay child support, it may be ordered to begin on the date on which a divorce action is filed.
Child support may be modified at any time, either administratively or through the court. When it is modified through a court, the modification may take place only back to the date on which the other party is served, as a general rule.
For a child who does not go on to receive further schooling past high school, child support will end at his or her graduation from high school or 18th birthday, whichever occurs later. If a child has dropped out of school prior to his or her 18th birthday and is NOT attending school or a GED program on his or her 18th birthday, that date will become the date on which child support ends.
For children who go on to college or vocational school after graduation from high school, child support may continue until that child's 21st birthday provided the child has enrolled in the college or vocational school by October 1st of the year of graduation AND provided the child is full time at the college or vocational school AND provided the child provides the paying parent with his or her enrollment information and (after each semester or term) grades.
Parents receiving child support have the obligation to tell the other parent in writing when a child has become emancipated. Jackson County has provided a form to file with the court to provide that information. The form is available here.