Missouri child support payments run through the Family Support Payment Center in Jefferson City, which is administered by the Family Support Division inside the Department of Social Services.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 454.400 – Family Support Division Established, Duties, Powers, Rules, Procedure The amount owed is set by a standardized worksheet called Form 14 that uses both parents’ incomes. Non-custodial parents can pay online, by phone, by mail, through cash at retail locations, or by automatic payroll withholding, and custodial parents receive money by direct deposit or on a prepaid Visa card.2Missouri Department of Social Services. Non-Custodial Parent Falling behind triggers automatic interest and a stack of enforcement tools.
How the Payment Amount Is Calculated
Every Missouri support order begins with Form 14, a mandatory worksheet tied to Missouri Supreme Court Rule 88.01.3Legal Information Institute. 13 CSR 40-102.010 – Child Support Obligation Guidelines The worksheet takes each parent’s monthly gross income, applies certain adjustments, combines the totals, and produces what the state calls the “presumed child support amount.” Both parents’ incomes go into the math, not just the parent who ends up paying.
Adjustments on the worksheet include work-related childcare, health insurance premiums for the child, and any child support already being paid under a separate order for children from a prior relationship.416th Circuit Court of Jackson County. Form 14 Child Support Amount Calculation Worksheet Each parent’s share of the combined income sets their proportionate responsibility for those costs.
The Form 14 figure carries a legal presumption that it is the correct amount. A judge must follow it unless specific evidence shows the number would be unjust or inappropriate, and any deviation has to be explained on the record.5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 210.841 – Judgment or Order, Contents, Amount of Support, Presumption
What Counts as Income
Gross income on Form 14 is broader than a paycheck. It covers salaries, wages, commissions, dividends, pensions, Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment, disability, and military allowances. Overtime, bonuses, and second-job earnings can be counted when the court finds them recurring and likely to continue.
Certain public benefits are excluded: TANF, Medicaid, SSI, food stamps, and other need-based public assistance. Child support received for children who aren’t part of the current case is also excluded.
Imputed Income
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court can assign an income figure based on what they could reasonably earn. The judge weighs the parent’s work history over the past three years, their occupational qualifications, realistic employment prospects, and jobs available in the local market.6Missouri Courts. Form 14 Directions, Comments for Use, and Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations A parent who is the primary caretaker of a very young child or a child with special needs may not be expected to work outside the home.
Ways to Send a Payment
Missouri gives non-custodial parents four main ways to pay:
- Online at mo.smartchildsupport.com using a credit or debit card, either one-time or recurring. Online payments typically post to the account within two to three business days.7Smart Child Support. Noncustodial Parent: Create Credit Card Payment
- By phone at 888-761-3665.
- In cash at participating retail locations through the PayNearMe network.
- By automatic bank withdrawal using the state’s auto-withdrawal form.
- By mail to the Family Support Payment Center at PO Box 109002, Jefferson City, MO 65110-9002.
Mailed payments need identifying information in the memo section of the check or money order: your Social Security number, your eight-digit child support case number, and your support order number. If a single payment covers more than one order, list both order numbers and how much goes toward each.8Missouri Department of Social Services. How Do I Mail a Support Payment? Missing that information can delay the credit or post the payment to the wrong case.
Ways to Receive a Payment
Custodial parents receive money through direct deposit or on an smiONE prepaid Visa card. Direct deposit requires the CS-160 Direct Deposit Application with your routing and account numbers.9Missouri Department of Social Services. Missouri Family Support Payment Center Direct Deposit Application While the application is processing, payments come by check or on the prepaid card. Without direct deposit set up, the state loads payments onto the smiONE Visa card, which works anywhere Visa is accepted.10Missouri Department of Social Services. Prepaid Card
You can review payment history through the Missouri Automated Child Support System online. Logging in requires the eight-digit case ID, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.11Missouri Department of Social Services. Custodial Parent The system displays up to 24 months of payment and disbursement records, which helps when there’s a dispute about whether a payment was made or when it arrived.
Payments Through Employer Withholding
Most Missouri child support is collected through income withholding. An Income Withholding for Support order goes to the employer, who deducts the payment from each paycheck and sends it to the Family Support Payment Center for distribution. Withholding becomes binding two weeks after the order is mailed, and the employer must keep withholding until a court or the Family Support Division issues a new order.12Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 452.350 – Income Withholding
Employers have no discretion in the matter. If the paying parent changes jobs, the obligation does not pause. A new withholding order will go to the new employer, but there is usually a gap of a few pay cycles while the paperwork catches up. During that gap the parent still needs to keep payments current using one of the other methods above.
What Happens When Payments Fall Behind
Missouri’s enforcement tools escalate quickly, and several apply automatically once the arrears cross a threshold.
Interest on Unpaid Support
Unpaid child support accrues simple interest at one percent per month, or twelve percent per year. Interest is calculated on the last day of each month based on the outstanding balance minus that month’s installments, and it attaches automatically to the order without a separate lawsuit.13Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 454.520 – Delinquent Child Support and Maintenance, Interest On, Rate, How Computed No payment is applied to interest until the underlying support arrearage is fully paid off, so the interest balance can grow substantially over time.
License Suspension
When a parent owes at least $2,500 in arrears or falls three months behind, whichever is less, the court or the Division director can order suspension of that parent’s driver’s license, professional license, business license, or recreational licenses such as hunting and fishing permits.14Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 454.1003 – License Suspension
Tax Refund Intercept
The federal tax refund offset program lets the state intercept a non-custodial parent’s federal tax refund to cover past-due support. The arrears threshold is $150 when the custodial parent receives TANF benefits and $500 when they don’t.15Administration for Children and Families. When Is a Child Support Case Eligible for the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program State refunds can be intercepted as well.
Passport Denial
A parent who owes $2,500 or more in past-due support can be denied a U.S. passport or have an existing passport revoked.16Administration for Children and Families. Passport Denial Program 101 This catches many parents by surprise when they apply for a passport before a trip.
Contempt of Court
When non-payment is willful, meaning the parent has the ability to pay but chooses not to, the court can hold them in contempt. Penalties can include fines, jail time, or both.17Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 476.120 – Punishment for Contempt Jail is typically reserved for parents who have ignored repeated court orders and clearly have the means to pay.
Changing the Order When Circumstances Change
Missouri law allows modification only when there has been a “substantial and continuing” change that makes the current order unreasonable. The clearest way to meet that standard is to run a fresh Form 14 calculation: if the new figure differs from the existing order by twenty percent or more, the court treats that as automatic evidence the current amount is unreasonable.18Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 452.370 – Modification of Judgment as to Maintenance or Support, When
You don’t need a private attorney to start the process. The Family Support Division conducts a review every 36 months from the date the order was last established, reviewed, or modified. Either parent can request the review in writing, and the Division looks at whether income, insurance costs, or childcare expenses have shifted enough to justify an update.19Legal Information Institute. 13 CSR 40-106.010 – Review and Modification of Child and/or Medical Support Orders
A modified amount generally takes effect from the date the motion was filed, not from the date circumstances actually changed. If you lose your job in January but wait until June to file, you still owe the full original amount for those five months. Courts rarely grant retroactive relief outside of fraud, concealed income, or clerical errors in the original order. Filing promptly is the most important step when finances shift.
When the Obligation Ends
Child support in Missouri generally terminates when the child turns 18, with several exceptions that can extend it to 21 or beyond.20Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 452.340 – Child Support, How Allocated, Factors to Be Considered, Abatement or Termination of Support
- If the child is enrolled in and attending a secondary school program at 18, support continues until they complete the program or turn 21, whichever comes first.
- Support can continue through college or vocational school if the child enrolls by October 1 following high school graduation, carries at least 12 credit hours per semester (excluding summer), earns grades good enough to re-enroll, and doesn’t receive failing grades in half or more of the courses in any semester. A child working at least 15 hours per week may carry as few as 9 credit hours.
- If the child cannot support themselves because of a physical or mental disability and is unmarried and without financial resources, the court may extend support beyond 21.
Termination is not automatic. If the Family Support Division issued the original order, the paying parent or custodian files a notarized Affidavit for Termination (Form CS-699) with the Division. The other parent then has 30 calendar days to respond. If they agree or don’t respond, the obligation ends; if they disagree, the case goes to an administrative hearing.21Missouri Department of Social Services. Affidavit for Termination of Child Support/Administrative Order If a circuit court entered the original order, contact the circuit clerk in the county where it was issued. A separate affidavit is required for each child.