Kentucky Child Support Calculator

Kentucky calculates child support under KRS 403.212 using the Income Shares model, which reflects the principle that a child should receive the same financial support they would have received if the household had not been divided. The statute directs courts to combine both parents' monthly gross incomes and consult the Kentucky child support guideline schedule to determine the basic child support obligation for the applicable number of children. The schedule is periodically updated by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to reflect changing costs of raising children.

The basic obligation from the schedule represents the total presumed cost of raising the child across both households. Each parent's proportional share of that obligation is determined by dividing their individual gross income by the combined gross income total. The obligor parent — the one who does not have primary physical custody — then pays their percentage of the obligation to the custodial parent as a monthly transfer payment. Courts are required to follow the guideline schedule unless they find a specific reason to deviate.

Kentucky's Income Shares model was designed to produce fairer outcomes than the older percentage-of-income models it replaced, since it accounts for both parents' financial resources rather than focusing solely on the obligor. This means that a custodial parent with high earnings will see a lower transfer payment than a custodial parent with minimal income, all else being equal. The model treats both parents as economic contributors to the child's upbringing, which aligns with Kentucky's policy of encouraging both parents to remain financially involved.

Kentucky defines gross income for child support purposes to include virtually all income sources: wages and salaries, self-employment income, rental income, interest and dividends, pension and retirement benefits, Social Security benefits, unemployment compensation, and workers' compensation. The breadth of this definition ensures that a parent cannot reduce their apparent income simply by restructuring how they are compensated or by receiving income in non-wage forms.

Voluntary deductions from a paycheck — such as contributions to a 401(k), flexible spending accounts, or supplemental insurance — are generally not deducted when calculating gross income for support purposes. Only mandatory payroll deductions required by law, such as taxes and FICA, affect the income figure used in certain situations. However, KRS 403.212 uses gross income before taxes as its primary input, making Kentucky's calculation simpler and more straightforward than states that use after-tax net income.

For self-employed parents, gross income is determined by looking at gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses. Kentucky courts apply scrutiny to claimed business expenses, particularly depreciation, vehicle deductions, and entertainment costs that may have a personal benefit component. Courts may also consider a self-employed parent's lifestyle, assets, and spending patterns as evidence of income that does not appear on tax returns, and may impute income if the reported amount is inconsistent with demonstrated living standards.

After determining the basic obligation from the KRS 403.212 schedule, Kentucky adds work-related childcare expenses and the cost of the child's health insurance coverage to arrive at the total child support obligation. Work-related childcare is defined as expenses reasonably necessary for a parent to maintain employment, seek work, or pursue vocational training. The actual cost of qualifying childcare — after any applicable childcare tax credits — is divided proportionally between the parents based on their respective gross income shares.

Health insurance premiums for the child are added to the basic obligation and similarly divided proportionally. Kentucky courts typically order the parent who has access to the most affordable health insurance coverage through an employer to carry coverage for the child. If both parents have access to employer coverage, the court will determine which plan is most cost-effective and order accordingly. If neither parent has access to affordable group coverage, the court may include the cost of purchasing individual coverage in the support calculation.

Extraordinary medical expenses — costs not covered by insurance that are unanticipated and significant — are also shared proportionally as they arise. Kentucky courts may include these in the original order by requiring parents to split uncovered medical bills above a threshold amount, or they may address them separately as they occur. The intent is to ensure that neither parent bears the full financial burden of unexpected medical costs for the child while the other parent contributes nothing.

In a sole physical custody arrangement — where one parent has primary residential care and the other exercises standard visitation — Kentucky applies the straightforward Income Shares formula: the obligor's proportional share of the basic obligation plus add-on costs is paid as a monthly transfer. This is the most common scenario and follows the KRS 403.212 schedule directly without any additional adjustment for parenting time.

When parents share physical custody with both exercising significant parenting time, Kentucky courts may apply a shared parenting adjustment to reflect the fact that both parents are directly spending money on the child during their respective custodial time. The adjustment reduces the transfer payment from the higher-earning parent because the lower-earning parent is already receiving an indirect financial benefit through the physical care they provide. Courts have discretion in how they quantify the adjustment, and it is not automatically applied — the party seeking the credit must demonstrate that the shared parenting arrangement genuinely results in duplicated expenditures.

Kentucky law does not define a specific threshold of overnights that triggers the shared parenting credit, leaving significant judicial discretion in this area. In practice, courts typically look at whether both parents are providing a home, food, clothing, and daily necessities for the child during substantial blocks of time. Parents who are only exercising standard every-other-weekend visitation generally do not qualify for the shared parenting credit, while those with close to a 50/50 schedule are most likely to receive a meaningful reduction.

Kentucky courts are required to follow the KRS 403.212 guideline amount as the presumed correct support amount, but they may deviate when application of the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate. A deviation requires the court to make written findings identifying the specific facts that justify a different amount. Simply asking for a deviation without a factual basis will not succeed — Kentucky courts take the presumption in favor of the guideline amount seriously.

Common grounds for upward deviation include a child with extraordinary medical, educational, or therapeutic needs that are not adequately covered by the basic obligation and add-on amounts. Common grounds for downward deviation include cases where the obligor has an extremely low income and strict application of the guideline would leave them without sufficient resources to meet their own basic living needs, a situation sometimes referred to as the subsistence threshold. Courts balance the child's needs against the obligor's ability to pay.

Either parent may petition the court to modify a child support order when there has been a material change in circumstances. Kentucky courts consider a change material if it is significant, ongoing, and was not anticipated at the time of the last order. A change in either parent's income, a change in the cost of childcare or health insurance, or a change in the custody or parenting time arrangement can each trigger a modification review. The standard for modification is designed to balance stability for the child against the need for orders to reflect current financial reality.