How are child support payments determined in Missouri?

Anna Spoerre
·2 min read

A decade ago, prosecutors in Missouri filed 3,108 felony charges for nonpayment of child support, according to records from the Missouri Department of Social Services.

By 2022, that number dropped to fewer than 900 cases.

Child support is money that one or both parents are ordered by the court to pay on a set schedule to contribute toward the financial costs of raising a child.

Here’s, generally, how courts determine how much child support is owed to the parent or guardian with custody, and for how long it is owed:

Child support laws in Missouri

In Missouri, decisions about who pays child support and how much they pay are guided by state statute.

“In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, legal separation or child support, the court may order either or both parents owing a duty of support to a child of the marriage to pay an amount reasonable or necessary for the support of the child, including an award retroactive to the date of filing the petition, without regard to marital misconduct ... “ state statute reads.

But, according to the law, a court must first determine how much child support is owed based on a number of factors, including:

  • The financial resources and needs of the child.

  • The financial resources and needs of the parents.

  • The child’s standard of living prior to a divorce.

  • The child’s physical and emotional health.

  • The child’s educational needs.

  • The custody agreement, which determines how much time the child spends with each parent.

  • Expenses resulting from custody or visitation agreements.

  • Child care expenses for each parent.

Man died in Clay County jail, unable to afford bond. His crime? Not paying child support

When do child support agreements end?

In Missouri, most child support payments come to an end when one of the following happens:

  • The child turns 18

  • The child gets married

  • The child dies

  • The child enlists as active duty in the military

If a child can’t financially support themselves once they’re 18 years old because of a physical or mental health diagnosis, the court can grant that child support be paid up until the child is 21.

Resources

The Missouri Department of Social Services has a child support program in place to help find parents, establish paternity and start or enforce child support orders, as well as medical support orders.

These DSS services, according to the state website, are built to assist both the parent who has custody and the parent who doesn’t live with the child.

More information on child support can be found through Missouri Legal Services: https://www.lsmo.org/node/472/child-support-missouri.