Kentucky Child Support Laws (2026): Guidelines & Calculator

Kentucky calculates child support using the income shares model under KRS 403.212. Courts combine both parents' gross monthly income, look up the base obligation on the guidelines table, then divide that amount proportionally based on each parent's share of the combined total. Use the Kentucky child support calculator below to estimate a guideline amount, or open the Kentucky child support calculator to run your numbers on a full-page tool.

How Kentucky Calculates Child Support

Kentucky uses the income shares model to determine child support obligations. This model is based on the principle that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if both parents lived together.

The governing statute is KRS 403.212, which was most recently amended by 2024 Kentucky Acts Chapter 219 (HB 244). The guidelines table updates took effect July 1, 2025.

Under this model, the court follows these steps:

1. Determine each parent's gross monthly income
2. Combine both parents' gross incomes
3. Look up the base child support obligation on the guidelines table based on combined income and number of children
4. Divide the obligation proportionally based on each parent's share of combined income
5. Apply the parenting time credit if applicable
6. Add each parent's proportional share of health insurance and child care costs

For example, if Parent A earns $4,000 per month and Parent B earns $6,000, the combined income is $10,000. Parent A is responsible for 40% of the obligation, and Parent B is responsible for 60%.

What Counts as Income in Kentucky

Kentucky defines gross income broadly under KRS 403.212. The court considers income from virtually all sources, including:

• Wages, salaries, and commissions
• Bonuses and severance pay
• Self-employment income (minus ordinary business expenses)
• Pensions, annuities, and retirement benefits
• Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Disability and workers' compensation benefits
• Unemployment insurance benefits
• Dividends, interest, and investment income
• Rental income and royalties
• Gifts and prizes of recurring value
• Alimony received from a previous relationship

What is excluded: Means-tested public assistance such as SNAP (food stamps), TANF, and similar benefits are not counted as income.

Adjusted gross income is calculated by subtracting court-ordered alimony payments and child support obligations for children from other relationships.

The Child Support Obligation Table

Kentucky's child support guidelines include an obligation table built into KRS 403.212. This table lists the base monthly child support obligation based on the parents' combined monthly gross income and the number of children.

The table covers combined monthly incomes up to approximately $30,000. For parents whose combined income exceeds the top of the table, the court uses judicial discretion to set an appropriate amount based on the child's needs and the parents' financial resources.

The Kentucky Attorney General's office publishes the official guidelines table and worksheet. The Attorney General's website also provides a manual with examples to help parents understand how the guidelines apply.

Kentucky also provides an online child support calculator through the Attorney General's office that estimates obligations based on the information you enter. Keep in mind that this tool provides an estimate only, and a judge may adjust the final amount.

Minimum Child Support and the Self-Support Reserve

The minimum guideline amount of child support in Kentucky is a flat $60 per month, regardless of the number of children. A judge may deviate from this amount only if specific findings support a different figure.

Kentucky also applies a self-support reserve for low-income parents. When the paying parent's income falls below a certain threshold, the calculation adjusts to use that parent's individual adjusted gross income rather than the combined parental income. This protects low-income obligors from support orders that would push them below subsistence level.

Parenting Time Credit (KRS 403.2122)

Kentucky significantly updated its parenting time adjustment rules through House Bill 501 (effective March 31, 2023) and again through HB 244 in 2024, which created KRS 403.2122, effective July 15, 2024. KRS 403.2122 replaced the prior KRS 403.2121 and raised the minimum qualifying threshold.

Under KRS 403.2122, a parent who has the child for at least 88 court-ordered or exercised days per year qualifies for a shared parenting time credit that reduces their child support obligation. A "day" is defined as any period of more than 12 consecutive hours within a 24-hour period where the child is under the care, control, or direct supervision of that parent.

The credit percentages are:

The parenting time must be court-ordered or agreed to by both parties and must be consistently exercised. Under KRS 403.2122, the court may also consider whether a parent has consistently followed the time-sharing schedule when evaluating a modification request.

Important limitation: Under KRS 403.2122(6), the court has discretion in awarding the shared parenting time credit if the obligee receives KCHIP, KTAP, SNAP, or Medicaid. The trigger is the obligee's receipt of those benefits, not the child's, and the credit is not automatically barred in that situation.

Imputed Income for Unemployed or Underemployed Parents

If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court may impute income to that parent. This means child support will be calculated based on what the parent could reasonably earn given their education, skills, work history, and the availability of jobs in the community.

The court considers the following when imputing income:

• The parent's employment history and recent earnings
• Education, training, and professional skills
• Physical and mental health
• Job availability in the local area
• The parent's efforts to find employment

The court cannot impute income if the parent is:

• Physically or mentally incapacitated
• Caring for a child under the age of 3
• Incarcerated

The court may find a parent voluntarily unemployed even without evidence that the parent intended to avoid child support. If you have lost your job or taken a lower-paying position, consult a family law attorney about how this may affect your support obligation.

2025 Changes: Transfer to the Attorney General's Office

Effective July 1, 2025, Kentucky's child support program transferred from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, Department of Child Support Services. The transfer itself was enacted by 2023 Senate Bill 48, which became 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 124 and moved administration of the child support program from the Cabinet to the Attorney General effective July 1, 2025. HB 244 (2024 Ky. Acts ch. 219) was a separate bill that updated the guidelines and added the conforming Attorney General references.

Key changes that took effect on July 1, 2025:

• The Attorney General's office now administers child support enforcement statewide
• The Attorney General is required to promulgate an administrative regulation establishing the child support obligation worksheet
• The Attorney General's website hosts a manual with examples illustrating how the guidelines and worksheet apply
• Medical expense allocation was clarified, establishing which parent is responsible for the initial $250 in uninsured medical expenses per year

If you have an existing child support case, it was automatically transferred to the Attorney General's office. You can access services through the Kentucky Child Support website or by calling (800) 248-1163.

How to Modify Child Support in Kentucky

Kentucky allows either parent to request a modification of child support when there is a material change of circumstances that is substantial and continuing.

Under KRS 403.213, if a new calculation differs from the existing order by at least 15%, there is a presumption that modification is warranted. If the difference is less than 15%, there is a presumption against modification.

Common grounds for modification include:

• Significant change in either parent's income (job loss, new employment, promotion)
• Change in the parenting time arrangement
• Change in the child's medical or educational needs
• Significant change in health insurance or child care costs
• Changes in the law (such as the 2023 or 2025 amendments)

To request a modification:

1. Submit a written request to your local child support office or the Attorney General's Department of Child Support Services
2. Provide current income documentation (pay stubs, tax returns, W-2 forms)
3. Include evidence of the changed circumstances
4. If both parents agree, submit a proposed modified order for court approval

If parents cannot agree, a judge will hold a hearing and make the determination. Modifications are not retroactive in Kentucky. The new amount takes effect only from the date the modification is filed or ordered.

Enforcement of Child Support in Kentucky

Kentucky has multiple tools to enforce child support orders. The Department of Child Support Services under the Attorney General's office handles enforcement statewide.

Enforcement actions include:

• Income withholding: Wages, salary, bonuses, and commissions can be garnished directly from the paying parent's employer
• Unemployment and benefit interception: Unemployment insurance, disability benefits, and retirement payments may be intercepted
• Tax refund interception: State and federal tax refunds can be seized when arrears exceed $500 (state) or $500 (federal, for non-public assistance cases)
• Passport denial: The U.S. State Department will deny or revoke a passport when child support arrears exceed $2,500
• Property liens and seizure: Liens can be placed on real estate, vehicles, boats, and other property after one month of unpaid support
• License suspension: Driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses may be suspended after six months of unpaid support
• Bank account levy: Financial accounts can be frozen and funds seized to satisfy arrears
• Credit reporting: Unpaid child support may be reported to credit bureaus, affecting the parent's credit score

Criminal Penalties for Failure to Pay

Under KRS 530.050, persistent failure to pay child support can result in criminal charges.

Nonsupport (Class A Misdemeanor)

A parent commits nonsupport when they fail to provide support that they can reasonably provide and know they have a duty to provide. Penalties include:

• Up to 12 months in jail
• Fines up to $500
• For a second offense: minimum 7 days in jail
• For a third or subsequent offense: minimum 30 days in jail

Flagrant Nonsupport (Class D Felony)

A parent commits flagrant nonsupport when they persistently fail to provide support they can reasonably provide and know they have a duty to provide, and the failure results in:

• Arrears of $2,500 or more, or
• Six consecutive months without any payment, or
• The dependent being placed in destitute circumstances

Penalties for a Class D felony include:

• 1 to 5 years in prison
• Fines of $1,000 to $10,000

Incarceration is typically a last resort because it limits the parent's ability to earn income and make payments.

Interest on Arrears and Statute of Limitations

Kentucky charges 12% annual interest on unpaid child support arrears. This interest compounds and can significantly increase the total amount owed over time.

The statute of limitations to enforce child support arrears in Kentucky is 15 years under KRS 413.090(5). The clock does not run separately for each child. The time to commence the action is tolled until all current child support obligations cease as to the last child covered by that order, so on a multi-child order the 15 years begin when the youngest child on the order ages out. Arrears may be pursued as one cumulative action for everything owed under the order.

Under KRS 406.031(1), an action to determine paternity must be commenced within 18 years after the child's birth. If the action is brought two or more years after the birth, child support liability does not predate the filing of that action.

Important: Emancipation of the child does not eliminate existing arrears. Any unpaid child support that accumulated while the child was a minor remains enforceable, with the 15-year clock starting only when current support ends for the last child on the order.

When Does Child Support End in Kentucky?

Child support in Kentucky automatically terminates when the child turns 18. However, the court may order support to continue until the child turns 19 if the child is still enrolled in and attending high school at age 18. In that case, support continues until the end of the school year in which the child turns 19.

If you are paying support for multiple children under one order, the obligation does not automatically decrease when one child ages out. You must petition the court for a modification to adjust the amount.

Emancipation Before Age 18

Kentucky has no general statute that lets a minor petition for emancipation on financial-independence grounds alone. The clear statutory route is marriage, and it is narrow. Under KRS 402.020(1)(f), a marriage by a person who is under 18 at the time of marriage is prohibited and void except as provided in KRS 402.210, and KRS 402.210(2) bars a county clerk from issuing a license to anyone under 17.

A 17-year-old who wants to marry must:

• Petition the family court in the county where the minor resides, or the District Court in that county if no family court division has been established, under KRS 402.205 for an order granting permission to marry and removing the disability of minority
• Include an affidavit of parental or custodial consent as one element of that petition. Consent by itself is not enough. The court order is what removes minority status
• Show maturity and capacity for self-sufficiency, including proof of stable housing or employment for at least three consecutive months and completion of high school, a High School Equivalency Diploma, or a vocational training or certificate program
• Wait at least 15 days after the order is granted before the clerk may issue the license

Once the court removes the disability of minority, the minor is emancipated and the parent's ongoing child support obligation ends. Under KRS 403.213(3), emancipation does not erase child support arrearages that accrued while the child was an unemancipated minor.

Health Insurance and Medical Expenses

Kentucky requires both parents to share the cost of health insurance for the child. The parent who carries the insurance receives a credit on the child support worksheet for the cost of adding the child to their plan.

Under the 2025 amendments (HB 244), the allocation of medical expenses was clarified. One parent is responsible for the initial $250 in annual uninsured medical expenses, with costs above that amount divided proportionally between the parents based on their share of combined income.

Work-related child care costs, such as daycare or after-school care needed for a parent to maintain employment, are also divided proportionally and factored into the support calculation.

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