subject: Deadbeat Dad No More: Collecting Your Back Child Support [print this page] What is my Missouri child support based on? Child support is based on many factors including the income of each parent, the number of other children each parent has, the cost of daycare and the cost of health insurance. Missouri plugs all of those numbers into Form 14 which computes the non-custodial parent's presumed child support amount.
Does the Missouri non-custodial parent pay insurance in addition to child support payments? Usually yes. Insurance coverage is important to both judges and the child support enforcement agency so they will order one parent or the other to provide coverage. If Form 14 is used the cost of coverage is factored into the child support amount. If child support enforcement calculates the support amount it will require the non-custodial parent to provide any insurance available through his employer.
How often can I modify my child support order? You can modify it for free through child support enforcement agency once every 3 years. They gather the data at one parent's request and do a new calculation. Or you can pay to go to court as often as you would like. Courts will not modify the order for a small change, but for anything around 20% or more you will get a judge's ear.
How can I collect child support payments due to me? Missouri allows child support collection by all the means available to anyone collecting any type of judgment. Child support may be enforced through wage withholding, tax refund intercept, seizing banks accounts or cars or putting a lien on real estate. A good child support collector can find many assets and hidden money that you would never be able to find and the state would never take the time to do.
How long can I collect child support on my child? Whichever comes last of your child turning 18 or graduating from high school. But if your child goes into the service or gets hitched or dies or is legally emancipated from you child support ends.
Does child support end when a child goes to college? Missouri requires the non-custodial parent to continue paying child support if the child enrolls in college after high school. This support is due the parent who had custody when the child was living at home and continues until the child turns 22 or gets an undergraduate degree, whichever is first. Many families modify this action on their own if both parents contribute to the cost of college.
My child is grown. Can I still collect my past due child support? Absolutely. Just because a deadbeat parent skated when your child was young does not mean they got off scott free. that is still money owed to you and you can still use all methods to collect it. Missouri gives you 10 years from either the date of the last child support payment or the date child support ended. For a parent who never paid a penny you get until the child is at least 28 (up to age 32 if the child went to college). If you receive sporadic payments you could be collecting money from the deadbeats social security check because each payment (whether voluntary or forced) starts a new 10 year time limit.
