Experienced Louisville Child Support Attorney
Kentucky law establishes the responsibility of a parent to provide for their child following a divorce or the end of a domestic partnership. Child support in Kentucky is based upon several factors, primarily parental custody (percentage of parenting time) of the child, income of the child’s parents, and work related childcare.
The support calculations begin with the Kentucky Child Support Interactive Estimator.
Generally speaking, the Family Law Courts here in Louisville prefer to follow the interactive estimator, unless the amounts are determined to be unreasonable based upon the circumstances. It may be possible for the parties to negotiate an amount for child support that is different than the interactive estimator, however, the Court will require extensive documentation to justify the variance and the reasoning behind it.
Child Support Basics
Kentucky law reflects the reality that a parent who has physical custody of the child for longer periods will spend more money raising and caring for the child.
The amount of parenting time and the income disparity between the parties are the general reasons for one parent to receive child support from the other parent.
Child support payments usually continue until the child reaches the age of 18 (or 19 if the child remains in high school and lives with a custodial parent), unless a child has special medical needs.
Estimating Child Support Payments
There are several pieces of information that will be needed in order to complete the estimated support in the interactive estimator. These include:
The Gross Income for Each Parent- The Parenting Plan Schedule (The amount of time each child will spend with each parent)
- The Number of Children
- Tax Liabilities
- Health Care Responsibilities
- Work related childcare expenses
- Contributions made to Retirement Vehicles
- Support of Other Children from Another Relationship
- Any On-Going Costs (private education, medical issues, extra-curricular activities, etc.)
The Court has wide latitude to distribute costs for many additional things including the travel costs associated with visitation and special needs. These calculations will only provide an estimate, and it is important to seek the advice of the experienced Louisville child support attorneys at Dodd & Dodd Attorneys, PLLC.
Post Decree Changes to Child Support
After the divorce decree is issued by the Court, there usually needs to be a “substantial change” in the legal status quo regarding the parties, their incomes and the custody of the children. Common reasons to seek an order to modify existing support orders include (but are not limited to):
- a significant increase or decrease in income
- loss of a job
- increase in the amount of parental custody time.
Contact an Experienced Louisville Child Support Lawyer
The issues surrounding child support can be legally quite complex, and it is important to seek the advice of an experienced family law attorney. Our family’s law firm has served the Louisville area since 1869.
We are one of the oldest law firms in the nation. Our attorneys have extensive experience in these matters and can help you to work through the issues that are unique to your situation in order to estimate how much support will be paid and by whom.
If you are concerned about existing support orders and want to seek a change, or if you are going through the process of a divorce and have questions about child and spousal support we invite you to contact our office or call (502) 584-1108 to learn more or schedule an appointment.