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 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 does not take into consideration the 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 be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching more straightforward, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple records. To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the document or person involved

Third-party sites are independent of government sources and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party websites may vary.

What is Kentucky Child Support?

As defined by the state laws, child support is the payment for care 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 is the one who receives the payment for the child support.

What Does Child Support Cover in Kentucky?

Child support in Kentucky covers daily expenses, education, and general wellbeing of the child. Medical support is a significant subset of child support, which may be paid separately. The guidelines for calculating the support help to recreate the same welfare standard for the child as may have been if they were all living together as family. Extraordinary medical and educational expenses in Kentucky refer to costs of sending the child to a private or a special institution. The court can approve if both parents agree on the expense. Uninsured medical costs are expenses 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 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, read the Q&A Section of the Kentucky Child Support Interactive Website. Next decide if the case at hand is an IV-D or a non-IV-D case. The former is for new cases that may require the full cocktail of the agency services:

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

This type of application will require that the custodial parent cooperate fully with the agency when it comes to volunteering information.

The latter is for cases already ongoing and either need review or enforcement. For both cases, go to the Kentucky Child Support Website and enter a valid email address to begin an application. Another way is to obtain a form from the local child support agency office. Fill the form and submit it by hand or mail. How long it takes to get the case fully processed depends on how complex it is. For ongoing payments, the gae cy disburses to the respective recipients within two business days from the date of receipt. It may take another three days to get the credit notice by the custodial parent.

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

Getting out of child support in Kentucky will require a court approval. Modifications of the payment scheme will also require a court ratification. Present formal evidence in support for the need for review. The court decides on discretion if there is good 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 education, or there are health liabilities involved.

What is Back Child Support in Kentucky?

Back Child Support by the law refers to unpaid child support by the non-custodial parent. It could occur as a result of circumstances beyond the control of the non-custodial parent, 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

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

The state agency for child support provides assistance for 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 is not possible if the defaulting parent is nowhere to be found. In the meantime, the custodial parent can file for Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP), the state welfare scheme. When the non-custodial parent is apprehended, the state will file an action to get a repayment of the benefits.

Is there a Kentucky Statutes of Limitation on Child Support?

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