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Who decides how much child support I receive? |
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The Kentucky Legislature has established a mathematical formula for setting support. Both parties' income, medical insurance costs, day care expenses and child support being paid for older children are all factored into the formula to arrive at the amount of support to be paid. |
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Can the amount be changed in the future? |
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If there is a change in circumstances (i.e. change in one or both parties' income, an older child being emancipated) that results in a change in the amount of child support of at least 15%, then the amount can be changed. |
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How do I have the amount changed? |
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A motion to modify support must be filed with the same court that set the support originally. Only a court order signed by the judge can legally change the amount of child support. If both parties agree, an agreed order can be signed by both sides and the judge. Without an agreement, there must be a hearing in court and the judge decides. |
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When does child support stop? |
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The obligation to pay child support stops in most cases when the child becomes emancipated. This occurs in most cases when the child turns 18 or graduated from high school, whichever occurs later. |
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If I have more than one child and the oldest becomes emancipated, does the amount of child support automatically go down? |
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No. The parent paying the support must file a motion with the court to have the amount of support reduced. |
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The parent who is supposed to be paying child support isn't paying. What can I do? |
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The child support office in the county where the support was first ordered can help you enforce the order against the parent who is not paying. Several options are available including holding the paying parent in contempt of court and bringing criminal charges. Information you have about the paying parent's address and place of employment can be very helpful. |
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Why does it take so long to get results when I need something done on my case? |
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The Hopkins County Child Support Office has over 3,500 active cases. It can take two or three weeks to get an appointment to meet with a case worker when you want some court action on your case. Also, the courts can only handle so many cases a month. We have over 75 court hearings per month on child support matters in Hopkins County. |
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She/he never lets me see the kids, so why do I have to pay child support? |
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The legal obligation to pay child support is completely separate from the issue of visitation rights. if you are court ordered to pay child support, you must do so regardless of when or if you see the children. If there is a court order giving you visitation and the custodial parent refuses to let you see the children, your recourse is to file a motion with the court asking that he/she be held in contempt of court. |
