Child Support

• Kentucky courts use the Income Shares Model to determine the amount of child support a noncustodial parent will pay each month. The amount is based on the gross income of both parents, which is determined by past W-2s and financial statements. Once the total gross income is determined, formal guidelines are then applied to the amount in order to determine the support owed.
  
  

Arrears

• When a noncustodial parents fails to pay court-ordered child support, or is otherwise delinquent in paying the support owed, the overdue payments are called "arrearages" and the noncustodial parent is "in arrears." Being in arrears subjects the noncustodial parent to penalties, interest and late fees as well as civil penalties such as jail time or having a suspended license. Kentucky courts takes child support arrears seriously so you can find yourself in trouble if you fail to pay.
  
  

Administration

• The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is the state agency in charge of administering and enforcing child support. The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) office in the Department for Income Support (DIS) was specifically created to help custodial parents in obtaining child support.
  
  

Garnishment

• Garnishment is a legal process where a creditor can intercept a portion of a debtor's income or his tax return to fulfill the debt owed. In Kentucky, a portion of a noncustodial parent's wages can be garnished if the noncustodial parent fails to pay his child support payments on time. The CSE will help custodial parents garnish the noncustodial parent's wages when the noncustodial parent becomes delinquent.