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

Understanding Kentucky child support laws helps both custodial and non-custodial parents know their rights and obligations. This comprehensive Kentucky 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 Kentucky’s child support system in plain language.

Verified against Kentucky statutes and federal OCSE guidelines as of May 2026.

Kentucky Child Support Overview

Kentucky 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.

Both parents’ adjusted gross incomes are combined, a base child support obligation is determined from the statutory schedule table in KRS 403.212 based on combined monthly adjusted parental gross income and number of children, then each parent’s share is prorated based on their percentage of the combined income. Child care and health care costs are added on top and allocated proportionally. The guideline amount is a rebuttable presumption. Kentucky enacted HB 244 (2024 Acts Ch. 219, effective July 1, 2025) creating KRS 403.2122, which establishes a formal shared parenting time credit where a “day” is defined as more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period.

How Kentucky Calculates Child Support

The Kentucky 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 — Kentucky’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 Kentucky

Gross income from any source, including: salaries, wages, retirement and pension funds, commissions, bonuses, dividends, severance pay, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, unemployment insurance benefits, disability insurance benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), gifts, prizes, and alimony/maintenance received. Self-employment income is gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses (only straight-line depreciation allowed per IRS guidelines; investment tax credits and inappropriate business expenses excluded). Excluded: means-tested public assistance (Title IV-A/TANF and food assistance/SNAP). Allowable deductions from gross income include pre-existing child support orders for prior-born children (actually paid) and support actually provided for other prior-born children not subject to the current proceeding.

Imputed income: YES. Under KRS 403.212, if a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, child support is calculated based on potential income determined by employment potential, probable earnings level, recent work history, occupational qualifications, and prevailing job opportunities and earnings levels in the community. Intent to avoid or reduce child support is NOT required for imputation. Exception: potential income shall NOT be imputed for a parent who is physically or mentally incapacitated, or caring for a child age 3 or younger for whom the parents owe a joint legal responsibility.

Deviation factors: Under KRS 403.211, courts may deviate from guidelines when application would be unjust or inappropriate, with written findings required. Factors: (a) child’s extraordinary medical or dental needs; (b) child’s extraordinary educational, job training, or special needs; (c) either parent’s own extraordinary needs such as medical expenses; (d) independent financial resources of the child; (e) combined parental income exceeding the guideline table maximum; (f) parents have demonstrated knowledge of guideline amount and agreed to a different amount (not permitted if public assistance is being paid on behalf of a child); (g) any other factor of an extraordinary nature specifically identified by the court.

Healthcare & Childcare in Kentucky Child Support

Health insurance: Under KRS 403.211(7), if health care coverage is reasonable in cost and accessible to either parent, the court shall order that parent to obtain or maintain coverage. Costs are allocated between parents in proportion to their combined monthly adjusted parental gross income. Coverage includes fee for service, HMO, PPO, and other private or public health care coverage. Extraordinary medical expenses (uninsured costs exceeding 100 per child per calendar year) include medical, surgical, dental, orthodontal, optometric, nursing, hospital services, counseling/psychiatric therapy for diagnosed disorders, drugs, medical supplies, appliances, laboratory, diagnostic, and therapeutic services, allocated proportionally between parents.

Childcare costs: Under KRS 403.211, reasonable and necessary child care costs incurred due to employment, job search, or education leading to employment are allocated between parents in proportion to their combined monthly adjusted parental gross income. This is in addition to the base child support obligation from the guideline table.

When Does Kentucky Child Support End?

In Kentucky, child support generally ends when the child reaches 18. If the child is still enrolled in high school at age 18, support continues through the end of the school year in which the child turns 19. If the child drops out before turning 19, support terminates on the date of withdrawal. Courts may extend support beyond 18/19 with no upper age limit for children with disabilities that prevent self-sufficiency, provided the disability existed before the child reached the age of majority and the child is wholly dependent on parental support. Support terminates early upon marriage, active military service, death, or court-ordered 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: NO. Kentucky does not statutorily require parents to pay for college or extend child support during post-secondary enrollment. However, parents may voluntarily agree to contribute to college costs in a separation agreement under KRS 403.180, and such agreements become enforceable court orders.

Modifying Kentucky Child Support

When to modify: Under KRS 403.213, modification requires a material change in circumstances that is substantial and continuing. If applying current guidelines to current circumstances results in a change of 15 percent or more in the monthly support amount, it is rebuttably presumed to be a material change. If the change is less than 15 percent, it is rebuttably presumed NOT to be a material change. Under KRS 403.2122, a 15 percent change in the number of timesharing days may also trigger modification. Every 36 months (per 921 KAR 1:400), each party is notified of the right to request a review.

How to modify: File a motion for modification with the Kentucky family court that issued the original order. Modifications apply only to installments accruing after the filing of the motion. Either parent may also request a review through the Kentucky Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), which as of July 1, 2025, operates under the Kentucky Office of Attorney General. The state conducts periodic reviews every 36 months per 921 KAR 1:400.

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

Kentucky Child Support Enforcement

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

• Income withholding (wage garnishment); federal tax refund intercept (arrearage must be at least 500 for non-public-assistance cases or 150 for public assistance cases); state tax refund intercept (arrearage at least 150); property liens (filed when arrearage equals or exceeds one month’s obligation per KRS 205.745); vehicle booting/immobilization (arrearage 6+ months and failure to comply with subpoena/warrant); driver’s license
• professional license
• occupational license
• and recreational license suspension or denial (arrearage equals 6+ months of obligation or failure to comply with subpoena/warrant); concealed carry license action (arrearage 1+ year’s obligation); passport denial (arrearage exceeds 2500
• reported to U.S. State Department); credit bureau reporting; lottery winnings offset; administrative offset of nonexempt federal payments; contempt of court.

Contact Kentucky Office of Attorney General, Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). As of July 1, 2025, the child support program transferred from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to the Attorney General’s office. The program handles over 220000 cases and collects over 336000000 annually. at https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/Child-Support/Pages/default.aspx for enforcement assistance.

Additional Kentucky rules: (1) HB 244 (2024 Acts Ch. 219, effective July 1, 2025) created a formal shared parenting time credit under KRS 403.2122, defining a “day” as more than 12 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period, and required the state to publish an online manual with examples of guideline application. (2) As of July 1, 2025, the child support program transferred from CHFS to the Kentucky Office of Attorney General under DCSS. (3) Only straight-line depreciation is allowed for self-employment income calculations. (4) For imputed income, intent to avoid child support is NOT required — courts may impute based on objective underemployment alone. (5) Imputation exception for parents caring for children age 3 or younger. (6) Extraordinary medical expense threshold is 100 per child per calendar year for uninsured costs. (7) Parents’ voluntary agreements to contribute to college costs under KRS 403.180 are enforceable as court orders even though college support is not required by statute.

Official Sources & Resources

• Kentucky Office of Attorney General, Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). As of July 1, 2025, the child support program transferred from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to the Attorney General’s office. The program handles over 220000 cases and collects over 336000000 annually.: https://www.ag.ky.gov/Resources/Child-Support/Pages/default.aspx
• Federal OCSE: acf.hhs.gov/css
• Cornell LII — Child Support: law.cornell.edu
• Kentucky Guidelines Statute: KRS 403.211 (deviation criteria, health care/childcare allocation); KRS 403.212 (child support guidelines, income definitions, guideline table); KRS 403.2122 (shared parenting time credit, effective July 1, 2025); KRS 403.213 (modification criteria, 15 percent threshold, termination)

Last verified May 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

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