Arkansas Child Support: Chart, Income, and Modifications

Arkansas child support guidelines use the Income Shares Model: the court adds both parents’ gross monthly incomes together, finds the basic support obligation for that combined income and the number of children on the state’s Family Support Chart, and then assigns each parent a share of that obligation equal to their share of the combined income. The paying parent sends their portion to the household where the child lives. A parent whose income is at or below $900 per month pays a minimum order of $125 per month instead of the chart amount.

How the Calculation Works

Arkansas moved to the Income Shares Model through a 2020 revision of Administrative Order No. 10. The older approach looked only at the paying parent’s income; the current one treats child support as a cost both parents would have shared if the household had stayed intact.¹

The mechanics are straightforward once you have both incomes in hand. Combine the two gross monthly figures. On the Family Support Chart, find that combined income in the left column and the number of children across the top. The cell where they meet is the total basic support obligation for the family. Each parent owes the share of that obligation that matches their share of combined income, so a parent who earns 60% of the combined total covers 60% of the chart amount.²

Both parents fill out an Affidavit of Financial Means that lays out their complete financial picture, and the court works from those figures.³

What Counts as Income

The guidelines define income broadly. Wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, workers’ compensation, disability payments, pension and retirement benefits, and interest all count. So do Veterans Affairs disability and unemployment compensation. The one notable carve-out is Supplemental Security Income, which the guidelines explicitly leave out of the calculation.⁴

When a Parent Is Underemployed

If a parent is unemployed or working below their earning capacity without a good reason, the court can impute income based on what they could reasonably earn. The floor for imputed income is at least minimum wage. The judge weighs the parent’s lifestyle, work history, and the reasons for the shortfall to decide whether the drop in earnings is a real hardship or a strategic one. Incarceration cannot be treated as voluntary unemployment for this purpose.⁵

The $900 Self-Support Reserve

The guidelines build in a $900 monthly self-support reserve so the paying parent keeps enough to meet basic needs. When their income is at or below that threshold, the court applies a minimum order of $125 per month instead of the chart amount.²

Health Insurance and Medical Costs

Every Arkansas support order addresses health coverage. The court looks at which parent can get the most comprehensive insurance at the most reasonable cost and can order one or both parents to carry it. Coverage counts as reasonable only if dependent coverage costs no more than 5% of the providing parent’s gross income.⁶

When a parent already carries employer-sponsored insurance, only the added cost of putting the child on the plan folds into the support calculation. If that marginal cost can’t be verified separately, the court divides the total premium by the number of people covered, then multiplies by the number of children on the order. If adding the child costs nothing extra, nothing gets added to the obligation.⁶

Extraordinary medical expenses can be added on top of the basic amount. These include uninsured costs for orthodontia, asthma treatment, physical therapy, chronic health conditions, and professional counseling or psychiatric care for a diagnosed mental health condition.

When a Judge Can Depart From the Chart

The chart figure is a presumption, not a locked number. A judge can go above or below it based on circumstances the guidelines list, and twelve primary factors apply: shelter and utility costs, clothing, educational expenses, childcare needed so the custodial parent can work, the child’s accustomed standard of living, and other income or assets available to support the child, among others.⁴

Other factors that commonly justify a deviation include life or dental insurance kept for the child’s benefit, special education needs, trust fund contributions, and extended parenting time with the noncustodial parent. Joint or shared custody is specifically called out as a basis for adjustment. If the chart figure comes in below the real cost of childcare, the court is directed to consider adjusting upward.⁴

When Support Ends

The obligation ends automatically when the child turns 18, unless the child is still in high school. If so, it continues until graduation or the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever comes first.⁷

Support also ends if a court emancipates the child, if the child marries or dies, if the parents marry each other, or if a final adoption decree terminates the paying parent’s parental rights.⁷

Two exceptions push the cutoff later. The court can extend support past 18 to cover educational needs when the child’s birthday falls before high school graduation, as long as the child stays enrolled. The court can also extend support indefinitely for a child whose disability affects their ability to live independently from the custodial parent.⁸

Changing the Amount Later

Modifying an existing order takes a material change in circumstances. A change of at least 20% in either parent’s gross income automatically qualifies.⁵ The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration also notes that a recalculated amount differing by at least $100 per month may qualify.⁹ A change in a parent’s ability to provide health insurance can also qualify, even without any shift in income.

Separate from the material-change route, the Office of Child Support Enforcement must review cases every three years when the child receives public assistance. In other cases, either parent can request a three-year review without having to show any particular change.⁹

Each parent also has the right to request proof of the other parent’s income once per year by certified mail. The recipient has 15 days to respond. Refusing to provide the information can lead to contempt of court, and the parent forced to go to court for disclosure may recover attorney’s fees.⁵

Incarceration

Incarceration cannot be treated as voluntary unemployment when a court sets or modifies support. The rule covers convictions resulting in confinement of at least 180 days in a jail, prison, or state psychiatric hospital, not counting credit for pre-sentencing time served.⁵ Federal regulations reinforce this. When a noncustodial parent will be confined for more than 180 days, the state child support agency must either start a review on its own or notify both parents of the right to request one within 15 business days of learning about the incarceration.¹⁰

Active Military Duty

Service members on active deployment can request a stay of child support proceedings under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. They must show that military service prevents them from attending the hearing. A stay can also apply to execution of a judgment or garnishment order if the service member shows that military duties prevented compliance. Before a default judgment can be entered against a deployed service member, the court generally must appoint an attorney to represent them.

1
Arkansas Judiciary. Supreme Court of Arkansas – Amendments to Administrative Order Number 10
2
Arkansas Judiciary. Family Support Chart of Basic Child Support Obligations
3
Arkansas Judiciary. Affidavit of Financial Means
4
Arkansas Judiciary. Administrative Order Number 10 – Arkansas Child Support Guidelines
5
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 9-14-107 – Change in Income Warranting Modification
6
Justia Law. Arkansas Code Section IV – Health Insurance
7
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 9-14-237 – Expiration of Child Support Obligation
8
Justia Law. Arkansas Code 9-12-312 – Alimony – Child Support – Bond
9
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Review of Order Amounts
10
Administration for Children & Families. Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs – Modification for Incarcerated Parents