Custody & parenting ยท Child support
St. Louis Child Support Lawyer
Missouri child support runs on a worksheet called Form 14, and the number it produces depends on what goes into it: both parents’ incomes, the parenting schedule, insurance, and child care. Whether you are receiving support or paying it, getting those inputs right is the whole case. We handle child support in St. Louis in divorce, paternity, and modification cases.
The first question most people ask
How is child support calculated in Missouri?
With Form 14, the worksheet adopted by the Missouri Supreme Court under Rule 88.01. The form produces a presumed support amount, and the court is required to use it unless it finds, in writing, that the amount would be unjust or inappropriate. Unlike maintenance, child support in Missouri is a formula, and most disputes are about the inputs rather than the math.
What goes into Form 14
- Each parent’s gross monthly income, including wages, self-employment income, bonuses, and in some cases income the court imputes to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed
- Adjustments for maintenance paid or received and for other children a parent supports
- The number of children covered by the order
- Work-related child care costs and the children’s health insurance premium, credited to whichever parent pays them
- The overnight credit: a percentage reduction for the paying parent based on how many overnights per year the children spend with them under the parenting plan
The state publishes an online Form 14 calculator, and it is useful for a rough number. It is only as accurate as the income figures and the overnight count you put in, which is where the arguments start: what counts as income for a self-employed parent, whether a bonus is reliable, and how many overnights the plan actually gives. We build the Form 14 from documents, not estimates.
When the court departs from the worksheet
The Form 14 amount is a rebuttable presumption. A court can order more or less when the presumed amount would be unjust or inappropriate on the facts, for example where a child has unusual medical or educational expenses, a parent has very high income that the chart does not reach, or the parenting arrangement makes the overnight credit misleading. The court has to say why in the judgment, which means the argument for a deviation has to be made with evidence.
Parents can also agree to an amount different from Form 14. The court will generally approve an agreed amount if the worksheet is attached and the deviation is explained, but it will not approve an agreement that leaves the children without adequate support.
Equal parenting time does not mean zero support. The overnight credit reduces the number, but the income difference between the parents still drives it. See 50/50 custody and child support in Missouri and do you have to pay child support with 50/50 custody.
What it covers, when it ends, and how it changes
The questions that come after the number
A support order lasts for years, and the circumstances it was built on will change. Here is what Missouri says about the lifespan of an order.
What child support covers
The Form 14 amount is intended to cover the child’s basic needs in the receiving parent’s home: housing, food, clothing, transportation, and ordinary expenses. It is paid to the parent, not the child, and the receiving parent is not required to account for how it is spent. Items outside the basic amount, such as uncovered medical costs, extracurricular activities, private school, and college, are addressed separately in the parenting plan, usually as a percentage split between the parents.
When child support ends in Missouri
Under Section 452.340, support generally continues until the child turns 18, or until graduation from high school if that comes later, up to age 21. It continues past 18 if the child enrolls in college or vocational school by the October after graduating, stays enrolled at least half time, and provides the paying parent with grade and enrollment information each semester, until the child completes the program or turns 21. Support continues indefinitely for a child who is physically or mentally unable to be self-supporting. It ends earlier if the child marries, enters active military duty, becomes self-supporting, or dies.
Support does not always stop on its own. If the order covers more than one child, the amount does not automatically drop when the oldest ages out; it has to be recalculated. And if a child’s college enrollment lapses, the paying parent may need to file to end the obligation rather than simply stop paying.
Modifying child support
Either parent can ask the court to change the order under Section 452.370 on a showing of a substantial and continuing change in circumstances. The statute gives a benchmark: if applying the guidelines to current circumstances would change the amount by 20 percent or more, that is treated as a substantial change in itself. Common triggers are a job loss or a large raise, a change in the parenting schedule, a child aging out, or a significant change in insurance or child care costs. See how to modify child support in Missouri and what to do if you are paying too much.
Timing is everything. A modification can only reach back to the date the motion was served, so arrears that accumulate while a parent waits to file generally cannot be reduced later. If you lose your job, file first and sort out the details after. See do I have to pay child support if I lose my job.
Unmarried parents
Child support for a child born outside marriage requires a paternity judgment or an acknowledgment of paternity first. Once parentage is established, Form 14 applies the same way, and the court can order support back to the child’s birth in some circumstances.
How we approach it
Get the inputs right, then the order follows
Because the formula is fixed, the work is in documenting income and the parenting schedule accurately and challenging the other side’s figures where they are wrong.
1
Establish both incomes
Pay stubs, tax returns, and for self-employed parents, business records. Where a parent is hiding income or deliberately earning less, we use discovery and, when justified, ask the court to impute income at what the parent could earn. See what if my spouse is hiding money to avoid child support.
2
Run Form 14 and check the credits
Overnights counted from the actual parenting plan, insurance and child care credited to the right parent, and any adjustment for other children. We also decide whether a deviation argument is warranted and build the evidence for it.
3
Order, with withholding in place
Most Missouri support orders include income withholding so payments come through the Family Support Payment Center with a record. Agreed amounts are submitted with the worksheet; disputed ones are decided at hearing.
When support is not being paid. Missouri has strong enforcement tools: income withholding, tax refund intercept, license suspension, liens, and contempt. Unpaid support also accrues interest and can affect credit. See enforcing a support order and how child support affects your credit.
Common questions
Child support questions we hear most
Is there a Missouri child support calculator?
Yes. Missouri publishes an online Form 14 calculator that produces the presumed amount from the figures you enter. Treat the result as an estimate: income definitions, imputed income, and the overnight count are where real cases differ from the quick version, and the court can deviate from the presumed amount when it is unjust or inappropriate.
When does child support end in Missouri?
At 18, or at high school graduation if later, unless the child goes on to college or vocational school and meets the enrollment and reporting requirements, in which case it can continue to 21. It continues without an age limit for a child who cannot support themselves because of a disability, and ends early on marriage, active military duty, or self-support.
Can we agree that neither of us pays child support?
Only if the court approves it. Child support belongs to the child, so parents cannot waive it the way they can waive maintenance. A court may accept an agreement for no support or a reduced amount when the Form 14 is attached, the deviation is explained, and the children’s needs are clearly met, as with equal time and roughly equal incomes. It is not automatic.
Does the parent paying support get to see how it is spent?
No. Missouri does not require the receiving parent to account for support payments, and courts do not police household spending. If the concern is that a child’s specific needs are not being met, that is a custody question, not a support accounting question.
Is child support taxable or deductible?
Neither. Child support is not income to the parent who receives it and not deductible by the parent who pays it. Which parent claims the children as dependents is a separate question, usually settled in the parenting plan, and worth asking about because it can be worth more than people expect.
The number is only right if the inputs are. Let us check them.
If child support is being set, changed, or not paid in St. Louis, call or reach out online to schedule a confidential consultation. Bring your income information and the parenting schedule and we will walk through the Form 14 with you.
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Every case is different, and outcomes depend on specific facts and circumstances. Part of our custody and parenting and St. Louis divorce practice; child support is distinct from spousal support. See all family law practice areas.