As a general rule, every parent is legally obligated to financially support his or her children, regardless of employment status. The court determines the amount of child support a parent owes by first evaluating the child's primary residence and the total time spent with each parent. The court then considers the income and expenses of both parents and the child. The specific amount of child support is determined by the child support guidelines of the state where the child support order is issued. However, deviations from these guidelines are permitted under certain circumstances. Once a child support order is [...]

If you are paying or receiving child support, there may come a time when child support needs to be reevaluated and either increased or decreased. There are a few reasons a court may decide that a modification is appropriate. In Missouri, the standard for modifying child support is whether there has been a substantial and continuing change in circumstances that renders the terms of the current order unreasonable. In Kansas, the standard is whether there has been a material change in circumstances. Kansas will also allow child support to be reevaluated every three years without the need to show [...]

A child support obligation is a major financial responsibility. When does that responsibility end? There are several ways that children can be emancipated for child support purposes, and the states of Kansas and Missouri differ in their approaches.   Age According to Kansas law, the age of majority is 18. Typically, when the child reaches the age of 18, a child support obligation ends, although child support payments will continue through high school graduation if certain basic high school requirements are met. Parents are not required to pay college expenses or child support for adult children in college, although [...]

Figuring out how to pay for your children’s college education is an intimidating process, and it can be even further complicated if you are divorced or are going through a divorce. Do the parents have any responsibility to pay college tuition and expenses? Does child support continue when the children go off to college, and if so, how is it affected? The answers to these common questions depend on which state has jurisdiction of the divorce. In Kansas, parents are not required to pay child support after the child turns 18 and graduates high school, even if the child [...]