How Kentucky calculates child support
- Each parent’s monthly gross income is reduced by maintenance they pay (to a former spouse, or ordered in this case) and by child support they pay for prior-born children.
- The parents’ combined adjusted income and the number of children give the total obligation from the table in KRS 403.212 (effective March 1, 2022). Work-related child care and the children’s health insurance premium are added, and the total is shared by income percentage. Each parent is credited with what they pay to the provider.
- A paying parent with a low income (at or below $1,100 a month for one child, up to $1,600 for six or more) pays the lesser of that amount and the table amount for their own income alone, which builds in a $915 self-support reserve. The minimum order is $60 a month.
- Since July 15, 2024, a parent who has the children at least 88 days a year can ask for a shared parenting time credit: a percentage from 15% (88 days) to 50% (equal time) of the table amount is subtracted from what they pay.
- The table goes up in $100 steps. Kentucky publishes no rule for incomes between two rows, so for those incomes the calculator shows both table amounts and points you to the official worksheet.
What the calculator asks
- How many children do you and the other parent have together?
- Who has the children more of the time?
- How many days a year are the children with the parent who has them less?
- Your gross income per month
- Maintenance (spousal support) you pay each month
- Child support you pay each month for prior-born children
- The other parent’s gross income per month
- Maintenance (spousal support) the other parent pays each month
- Child support the other parent pays each month for prior-born children
- Does either parent have prior-born children living with them who are not part of this case?
- Work-related child care you pay to the provider each month
- Work-related child care the other parent pays to the provider each month
- Health insurance premium you pay for these children each month
- Health insurance premium the other parent pays for these children each month
- Do the children receive Social Security or other benefits because of a parent’s disability?
It never asks for names, Social Security numbers or account numbers, and your answers are not saved.
What the estimate leaves out
- Combined incomes between two $100 rows of the table, and combined incomes above $30,000 a month
- Split custody, where each parent has sole custody of a different child
- The imputed deduction for prior-born children living with a parent
- Benefits the children receive because of a parent’s disability
- Extraordinary medical expenses (uninsured costs above $250 a year) the court divides separately
- Deviations the court may make (KRS 403.211(3)), and its discretion over the shared parenting time credit
When a situation is outside what the calculator covers, it says so and points you to the official worksheet instead of guessing.
Official sources
- KRS 403.212, child support guidelines and table (current text effective July 1, 2025; table effective March 1, 2022)
- KRS 403.2122, shared parenting time credit (effective July 15, 2024)
- KRS 403.211, child care and health care coverage
- 40 KAR 11:040, worksheets CS-71 and CS-71.1 (Rev. 10/2024)
- Worksheet for Monthly Child Support Obligation (CS-71, Rev. 10/2024)
- Worksheet for Monthly Child Support Obligation Exception (CS-71.1, Rev. 10/2024)
Kentucky child support worksheets CS-71 and CS-71.1 (Office of the Attorney General) →
Ready to estimate? The calculator shows each worksheet line so you can check it against the official form.
Open the Kentucky calculator →An estimate from the published guideline formula, not a prediction of a court order. The official court worksheet and the court’s decision control. General information, not legal advice. LawCat is not a law firm.