Kentucky Child Support – A Brief Overview

Jason Dattilo fields frequent questions on the issue of child support.

The party paying child support often wants to limit his or her exposure, while the party receiving child support, naturally, wants to ensure that a just amount is ordered by the Court.

In Kentucky, the legislature has adopted child support guidelines for the calculation of child support. The guidelines apply in most cases where the child or children reside primarily with one parent or the other. In applying the child support guidelines, family court judges, including those in Jefferson County and Oldham County in Kentucky, will plug both parties’ incomes into a formula.

Judges also will enter into the formula amounts paid by parents for items such as work or school-related childcare and health insurance. Each parent is obligated to contribute in proportion to their income toward the total cost of any medical insurance premium, medical expenses not covered by insurance, and child care costs.

Once the data is entered, the formula provides a presumptive child support amount the non-custodial parent pays to the parent with whom the child resides.

While calculating child support in guideline cases can seem simple, as is the case in many situations, the devil is in the details.

What is included as income? Is one parent underemployed? What about overtime? Does it matter that I have other children? How does the Court treat Social Security benefits?

Call the experienced family law attorney Jason Dattilo today for a free consultation on child support or any family law issue.