Kentucky child support guidelines
Kentucky uses an income-shares guideline under KRS 403.212 — support is based on both parents’ incomes. This page explains the rules and links the official state estimator; it doesn’t compute your amount.
How the Kentucky formula works
The guideline works in steps:
- Combine both parents’ gross monthly incomes;
- Find the base obligation on the statutory table for that income and the number of children — based on what the family would have spent together;
- Divide it proportionally by each parent’s income share;
- Add health insurance and childcare, and apply parenting-time credits (KRS 403.2121).
Courts enter binding orders on the CS-71 worksheet; the online estimator applies the same guidelines.
The July 2025 update, reserve, and duration
Kentucky made two meaningful changes effective July 1, 2025: it doubled the top of the guideline table from $15,000 to $30,000 of combined monthly income (so more cases now land on the schedule rather than in the court’s discretion), and it lowered the modification threshold from 15% to 10% (KRS 403.213), making orders easier to revisit. A self-support reserve of about $915/month keeps a low-earning parent above a basic-needs floor, and income can be imputed to a voluntarily unemployed or underemployed parent. Support runs until 18, or through the end of the school year in which the child turns 19 if still in high school.
Use the official calculator
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services publishes the official Child Support Estimator (linked above). Use it for an estimate; this page only explains the model. Only a Kentucky court can set the actual order.
For a real case
The guideline amount is presumed correct but can be adjusted in circumstances the law allows. For advice on your situation, consult a Kentucky family-law attorney.
Reviewed by Aqil Abbas Khan, Founder & Editor of ToolsNexus
This page is general information, not legal advice. Child support in Kentucky is set by Kentucky’s official guidelines, and the amount in any real case is determined by the court or the state child-support agency using the official worksheet — not by this page. Guideline figures, schedules, and adjustments change over time and depend on facts specific to your situation (each parent’s income, parenting time, health-insurance and childcare costs, and other factors a court may consider). Use the official Kentucky calculator for an actual estimate, and consult a licensed family-law attorney in Kentucky for advice about your circumstances. ToolsNexus is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation.
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Frequently asked questions
- How is child support calculated in Kentucky?
- Kentucky uses an income-shares model under KRS 403.212. It estimates what parents would have spent on the children in an intact household, combines both parents' gross monthly incomes, finds the base obligation on the statutory table, and divides it proportionally by each parent's share of the combined income.
- What changed on July 1, 2025?
- A significant update: effective July 1, 2025, Kentucky doubled the top of the guideline table from $15,000 to $30,000 of combined monthly income, and lowered the modification threshold from 15% to 10%. So more middle- and upper-income cases now fall on the schedule, and it takes a smaller change to justify revisiting an order.
- What goes into the Kentucky formula?
- Both parents' gross monthly incomes, the number of children, health insurance premiums, work-related childcare, and parenting-time credits (KRS 403.2121). Courts use the formal CS-71 worksheet (CS-71.1 when one parent has all the combined income) to enter binding orders.
- Is there a low-income floor, and until what age is support paid?
- Yes. A self-support reserve of about $915 a month protects a low-earning parent from being ordered below a basic-needs level. Support continues until the child turns 18, or through the end of the school year in which the child turns 19 if still in high school.
- Where do I get an official estimate?
- Use the Kentucky Child Support Estimator linked on this page, published by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. This page explains the model but does not compute an amount, and it is not legal advice.