Missouri Child Support — Calculator, Laws & Guide (2026)

Understanding Missouri child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Missouri child support guide covers how payments are calculated, what income counts, when support can be modified, and how orders are enforced. Whether you are going through a divorce, seeking a modification, or dealing with non-payment, this guide explains Missouri’s child support system in plain language.

Verified against Missouri statutes and federal OCSE guidelines as of April 2026.

Missouri Child Support Overview

Missouri uses the income shares model for calculating child support. This model is based on the principle that children should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the family were intact. Both parents’ incomes are combined, and the support obligation is divided proportionally.

Missouri uses Form 14 (Civil Procedure Form No. 14) to calculate child support. Both parents’ monthly gross incomes are combined into a single adjusted gross income figure, which is applied to the Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations to determine the total support obligation based on the number of children. Each parent’s share is then proportioned based on their percentage of the combined income. The presumed amount from Form 14 carries a rebuttable presumption of correctness. Form 14 was last updated effective January 1, 2026.

How Missouri Calculates Child Support

The Missouri child support calculation considers multiple factors:

1. Determine each parent’s gross income — wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, investment income, and other sources.
2. Calculate combined parental income — add both parents’ adjusted gross incomes together.
3. Apply the guideline schedule — Missouri’s guidelines provide a base support amount based on combined income and number of children.
4. Prorate between parents — each parent’s share is proportional to their percentage of the combined income.
5. Add healthcare and childcare costs — these are added to the base amount and divided proportionally.
6. Apply adjustments — parenting time credits, other child obligations, and special circumstances may adjust the final amount.

Online calculator: Use our child support estimator below to calculate your estimated obligation.

What Counts as Income in Missouri

Gross income. Includes but is not limited to: salaries, wages, commissions, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, partnership distributions, Social Security benefits, retirement benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, and other financial benefits. Both parents’ gross incomes are adjusted (e.g., for other child support obligations or other children in the home) before being combined.

Imputed income: YES. Income may be imputed to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. The court considers the parent’s probable earnings based on work history during the three years immediately prior to the proceeding. A parent with no work history and no children under age 13 is imputed income at up to 40 hours per week at federal minimum wage or the state minimum wage, whichever is higher. A disabled parent unable to work, or a parent whose child’s condition requires the parent’s presence at home, is imputed zero income.

Deviation factors: The court may deviate from the Form 14 presumed amount if it finds the amount is unjust or inappropriate after considering all relevant factors under RSMo 452.340.1, including: (1) financial needs and resources of the child; (2) financial resources and needs of the parents; (3) the standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved; (4) the physical and emotional condition of the child; (5) joint physical custody arrangements that result in a support award not providing an appropriate standard of living; (6) overnight custody exceeding 34% and up to 50% (line 11 credit adjustment); (7) extraordinary medical costs (predictable and recurring, such as orthodontics, asthma treatment, physical therapy); (8) the extent to which a parent’s reasonable expenses are shared by a cohabiting spouse or partner.

Healthcare & Childcare in Missouri Child Support

Health insurance: Health insurance costs for the children are included in the Form 14 calculation. The cost of employer-provided or privately obtained medical or dental insurance premiums for the children is factored into the worksheet. Uninsured medical and dental expenses (including deductibles and co-payments) exceeding 250 per child per year are addressed separately. Courts typically order one or both parents to maintain health insurance for the children and allocate uninsured costs proportionally.

Childcare costs: Work-related childcare costs are included in the Form 14 calculation. Reasonable and necessary childcare expenses incurred by either parent to allow employment are added to the basic child support obligation. The court considers the child care tax credit when calculating the net childcare cost. The court also considers whether the custodial parent remains obligated to pay a childcare provider during the other parent’s custody periods.

When Does Missouri Child Support End?

In Missouri, child support generally ends when the child reaches 21. Child support terminates when the child reaches age 21, unless the order specifies otherwise, or the child is earlier emancipated. Emancipation events include marriage, entering military service, or becoming self-supporting. The parent receiving support has a duty to notify the paying parent of emancipation.. However, support may continue or end earlier based on:

• The child graduates from high school (if still a minor)
• The child becomes emancipated (marriage, military service, self-supporting)
• The child has special needs requiring ongoing support
• College support: YES. If the child enrolls in and completes at least 12 credit hours per semester at an institution of vocational or higher education and achieves grades sufficient to reenroll, the parental support obligation continues until the child completes education or reaches age 22, whichever occurs first. A court may also order each parent to pay a reasonable amount for the cost of attending an institution of vocational or higher education, considering the child’s resources, the parents’ financial ability, and the child’s eligibility for student loans and scholarships.

Modifying Missouri Child Support

When to modify: A 20% change. If applying the current child support guidelines to the parties’ present financial circumstances would result in a change of 20% or more from the existing child support amount, a prima facie showing of a substantial and continuing change in circumstances has been made, sufficient to make the present terms unreasonable (RSMo 452.370). The existing amount must have been based on the presumed guidelines amount. The court also considers all financial resources of both parties, including shared expenses with a cohabiting partner and the earning capacity of an unemployed party.

How to modify: Either parent may file a Motion to Modify Child Support (Form CAFC102) with the circuit court in the county where the original order was entered. Alternatively, the Family Support Division (FSD) of the Missouri Department of Social Services will review child support orders every 36 months upon request of either parent, or at any time if there is a substantial change in circumstances. Parents can request a review through FSD by contacting them at 855-373-4636 or through mydss.mo.gov.

Either parent can request a modification. Changes are typically not retroactive to before the date of filing the modification request.

Missouri Child Support Enforcement

Missouri has multiple tools to enforce child support orders when a parent fails to pay:

• Income withholding (wage garnishment
• limited to 50% of disposable income); federal and state income tax refund intercepts; driver’s license suspension (triggered when arrears reach 2500 or 3 months of current support
• whichever is lower); professional and recreational license suspension; liens on real and personal property; passport denial (federal
• for arrears over 2500); contempt of court proceedings; criminal nonsupport charges (RSMo 568.040
• a Class A misdemeanor or Class E felony); credit bureau reporting; referral to other states’ enforcement agencies for interstate cases.

Contact Family Support Division (FSD), Missouri Department of Social Services at https://dss.mo.gov/child-support/ for enforcement assistance.

Additional Missouri rules: Missouri uses a line-by-line worksheet (Form 14) rather than a simple percentage or flat table. Line 11 provides a credit for overnight custody time exceeding a specific threshold (over 92 overnights per year, approximately 25%). An additional adjustment applies for custody time exceeding 34% up to 50% if the court finds the standard credit unjust or inappropriate. Missouri also has a specific provision that child support can include costs for a child attending vocational or higher education through age 22. Criminal nonsupport under RSMo 568.040 can be charged as a Class E felony if the parent knowingly fails to provide adequate support with the ability to do so. The Form 14 Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations was updated effective January 1, 2026.

Official Sources & Resources

• Family Support Division (FSD), Missouri Department of Social Services: https://dss.mo.gov/child-support/
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Missouri Guidelines Statute: RSMo Section 452.340 (child support factors and guidelines); RSMo Section 452.370 (modification); Missouri Supreme Court Rule 88.01 (presumed child support amount); Civil Procedure Form No. 14 (calculation worksheet); 13 CSR 40-102.010 (administrative child support obligation guidelines); RSMo Chapter 454 (enforcement of support law).

Last verified April 2026. Contact us if you notice outdated information.

Estimate Your Child Support

Use our free child support estimator to calculate estimated monthly payments. Enter both parents’ incomes, number of children, and custody arrangement to see a personalized breakdown based on your state’s formula.

Related Guides

• Missouri Divorce Process Guide
• Missouri Child Custody Guide
• Missouri Alimony Guide
• All Child Support Guides