How Child Support Is Calculated in Arkansas

Arkansas uses an income shares model based on both parents' incomes, set out in Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 10 and the monthly Family Support Chart required since July 1, 2020. The chart amount is presumed correct unless the court finds in writing or on the record that applying it would be unjust or inappropriate. The Arkansas Judiciary provides a child support worksheet and an online Child Support Calculator.

Apply to the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), part of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. You can apply online, print an application ("Request for Services") and mail it or bring it to a local office, ask for one at a local office, or request one by phone at 501-371-5349. A parent, legal guardian or caretaker of a child under 18 who lives with them may apply, as can a person owed unpaid court-ordered support for a child over 18. A $25 application fee applies in some cases; no fee is charged to families referred because they receive SNAP, TEA or Medicaid, or whose child receives ARKids 1st. OCSE says to expect contact within 30 days after a complete application.

Unless the court order specifically extends it, the duty to pay child support ends automatically when the child turns 18, unless the child is still in high school. If the child is still in high school, support ends at high school graduation or at the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever comes first. Support also ends when a court emancipates the child, or when the child marries or dies, when the child's parents marry each other, or when an adoption becomes final. A court may also order support to continue for an individual with a disability that affects the person's ability to live independently from the custodial parent. Unpaid support that is already owed must still be paid.

A change of 20% or more in the gross income of the paying or receiving parent is a material change in circumstances that allows a parent to ask the court to modify child support. Either parent can also get help having an order reviewed at least every three years or whenever there is a substantial change in circumstances; if OCSE manages your case, ask for a review in writing at your local child support office. If you do not have an OCSE case, you can go to the court, consult a private attorney, or apply for OCSE services. Losing a job does not automatically change or stop the support owed.

OCSE lists these tools: income withholding from wages, Social Security Disability, workers' compensation, unemployment and other income (all new or modified orders include automatic withholding); federal and state tax refund offset; monthly credit bureau reporting; levy on bank accounts found through the Financial Institution Data Match (arrears of at least $500 or three months of support, whichever is greater); suspension of driver's licenses, license plates, hunting and fishing licenses, and occupational, professional and business licenses when arrears equal at least three months of support; passport denial or revocation at $2,500 or more owed; contempt of court, which can lead to jail; and referral for state or federal criminal nonsupport prosecution.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) is the state child support agency. For enforcement cases it locates the noncustodial parent, establishes paternity, obtains child and medical support orders and collects support; it also offers payment processing through the Arkansas Child Support Clearinghouse for existing court orders. Apply online through MyCase (mycase.ocse.arkansas.gov/mycase), by mailing or hand-delivering the Request for Services form, at a local OCSE office, or by calling 501-371-5349 to request an application. A $25 application fee may apply; families receiving SNAP, TEA or Medicaid are referred automatically with no fee. OCSE expects to contact applicants within 30 days.

The Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts publishes Child Support Calculator v2.0, which applies the Arkansas Child Support Guidelines effective July 1, 2020 and produces a Child Support Worksheet you can save as a PDF or print (for non-joint custodial arrangements). The page says the calculator "only provides an estimate and is not a guarantee of the amount of child support that will be ordered," and "The judge in your case has the final authority to determine the amount of child support ordered."