How Child Support Is Calculated in Missouri

Child support is set under guidelines established by Missouri Supreme Court rule, which must contain numeric criteria for computing support and address equal or substantially equal parenting time. The guideline amount is presumed correct unless the court makes a written or on-the-record finding that it would be unjust or inappropriate. Relevant factors include the child's and parents' financial needs and resources, the standard of living the child would have had, the child's physical, emotional and educational needs, custody arrangements and time with each parent, and work-related child care costs.

Families receiving Temporary Assistance or MO HealthNet (Medicaid) are referred to the Child Support program automatically. Others can apply online through the Missouri Department of Social Services (Family Support Division) application, or download and print a paper application and send it by mail, email or fax. Processing can take up to 20 business days, after which you receive a letter with your case number. Application status: 573-556-3800.

Unless the child's circumstances clearly require otherwise and the court says so, child support ends when the child dies, marries, enters active military duty, becomes self-supporting (with the custodial parent's consent), turns 18, or turns 21. If the child is still enrolled in and progressing through high school at 18, support continues until the child finishes or turns 21, whichever comes first. If the child enrolls in vocational school or college by October 1 after high school graduation and completes at least 12 credit hours each semester with grades good enough to re-enroll, support can continue until the child finishes or turns 21; the child must give each parent transcripts and enrollment documents each semester. The court may extend support past 18 for a child who is physically or mentally unable to support themselves, is insolvent and unmarried.

A support order can be modified only on a showing of changed circumstances so substantial and continuing that the current terms are unreasonable. If applying the guidelines would change the amount by 20% or more, that is a prima facie showing of such a change (when the existing amount was the presumed guideline amount). In cases handled by the Family Support Division, the court must modify the order if the current amount differs from the guideline amount. You can ask the Family Support Division to review your order every 3 years (sooner only in special circumstances) by mailing or faxing a written request; it may then propose a modification, and any party who disagrees has 30 days to request an administrative hearing, with court approval of the final change.

A court or the Family Support Division can suspend a parent's licenses when the parent is not paying under a support order and owes the lesser of three months of support or $2,500, or ignores a subpoena or genetic testing order in a support or paternity case (only a court can suspend business, professional or occupational licenses). The parent is served a notice of intent and the license is suspended 60 days later unless the parent pays the full arrears or enters and follows an approved payment plan.

Missouri's child support program is run by the Department of Social Services (DSS) through its Family Support Division. It helps locate parents, establish paternity, and start and enforce child support and medical support orders. Custodial parents can apply online with Form CS-300EZ on the Missouri forms portal (formsportal.mo.gov). Payments are made through the Child Support Payments site, and parents can use the Child Support Customer Portal (my.mo.gov/child_support) and report address changes online.