What is Child Support And When Does It Occur In Kentucky?

Child support is a legal term that describes the financial commitment of a parent to a child as imposed by the court, in the event of a divorce, annulment, or separation. The legal authorities typically use a Child Support Guidelines Chart to determine how much each parent should pay for the child’s sustained welfare. Kentucky uses income as the sole basis for ratio allocation and typically does not consider parenting time. However, the law recognizes the nomenclature of custodial parents (the parent having custody of the child) and the non-custodial parent.

Records that are considered public may also be accessible from some third-party websites. Aggregate sites are generally a convenient alternative for inquirers searching for multiple records across several US districts. To search these databases, however, users are typically expected to provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state in which the person resides or was accused

Third-party sites are operated independently of government sources. Consequently, the validity and accuracy of the information provided by these sites may not be guaranteed.

What is Kentucky Child Support?

Kentucky State laws define child support as a payment for the care of a child made by the non-custodial parent. The non-custodial parent is the party that does not have physical custody rights of the child. The custodial parent receives the payment for the child support.

What Does Child Support Cover in Kentucky?

Child support in Kentucky covers daily expenses, education, and the child's general well-being. Medical support is a subset of child support, which may be paid separately. The guidelines for calculating the support generally help to recreate the same welfare standard for the child as if they were all living together as a family. In Kentucky, extraordinary medical and educational expenses refer to the costs of sending the child to a private or special institution. The court may approve if both parents agree on the expense. Uninsured medical costs are expenses usually higher than $100 per year. The court often leaves the allocation to the discretion of the parents, or increases the weekly medical allowance if the child has a serious medical condition.

What Is The Average Child Support Payment in Kentucky?

There is no set average per se in determining child support. It generally depends on the number of children, the parents’ income, and the quality of life desired for the children. The Kentucky Child Support Interactive Website allows interested persons to calculate an estimated value of their child support by day, week, month, and year.

How Do I Apply for Child Support in Kentucky?

Before starting an application for child support in Kentucky, petitioners are advised to read the Q&A Section of the Kentucky Child Support Interactive Website. Next, they may decide if the case is an IV-D or a non-IV-D case. The former is for new cases that may require the whole cocktail of the agency's services, which generally include:

• Location of non-custodial parent
• Establishing paternity
• Establishing child and medical support
• Enforcing the child support obligation

This application generally requires the custodial parent to cooperate fully with the agency regarding providing information.

The latter is for cases already ongoing and either need review or enforcement. For both cases, they may visit the Kentucky Child Support Website and enter a valid email address to begin an application. Alternatively, obtain a form from the local child support agency office. Fill the form and submit it by hand or mail. The time it takes to process the case entirely depends on its complexity. For ongoing payments, the agency may disburse to the respective recipients within 2 business days from receipt. It may take another 3 days to get the credit notice from the custodial parent.

How Do I Get Out of Paying Child Support in Kentucky?

Getting out of child support in Kentucky generally requires court approval. Modifications of the payment scheme may also require court ratification. Present formal evidence in support of the need for review. The court decides on discretion if there is reasonable cause for termination of the support or modification, as the case may be. Regardless, all payments for Child and medical support should end when the child reaches 18 years of age. It may extend to 19 years if the child is still in high school, or health liabilities are involved.

What is Back Child Support in Kentucky?

Back Child Support, by law, refers to unpaid child support by the non-custodial parent. It may occur due to circumstances beyond the non-custodial parent's control or outright defiance of the court order.

How Do I Get Back Child Support Paid in Kentucky?

Kentucky state laws recognize and impose an ‘Income Withholding’ measure to tackle cases of back child and medical support in the state. It involves the deduction of all due child and medical support either from their wages or from other sources of income. Some of these sources may be withheld by the authorities to pay up pending child and medical support:

• Unemployment compensation from the authorities
• Workers’ benefits
• Disability benefits
• Social security retirements
• Veterans’ benefits
• Job retirement gratuity or benefits

Income from public assistance, supplemental security income, federal grants, fellowships, etc., are not usually eligible for income withholding.

The state agency for child support usually assists concerned persons by partnering with other state or federal agencies to intercept other money sources of the defaulter. Sometimes, it may be necessary to take legal action, as defaulting without good cause is a misdemeanor in the state. Court action may not be possible if the defaulting parent is nowhere to be found. In the meantime, the custodial parent may file for the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP), the state welfare scheme. When the non-custodial parent is apprehended, the state may file an action to recover the benefits.

Is There A Kentucky Statute of Limitations on Child Support?

By the state's laws, all paternity matters regarding a child should be established before the child reaches adulthood, that is, 18 years. If the custodial parent files the suit before the child’s 4th birthday, the child support order may be retroactive to take effect from the child’s date of birth. By law, custodial parents may file for a child support order and enforcement within 15 years of the last child's emancipation.