Child support in St. Louis County runs through the 21st Judicial Circuit Court in Clayton and is calculated using Missouri’s statewide Form 14 worksheet, which sets the payment based on both parents’ incomes, the cost of health insurance and childcare, and the number of overnights the child spends with each parent. Missouri law requires both parents to contribute financially regardless of whether they were ever married, and the amount Form 14 produces is presumed correct unless a parent convinces the judge it would be unjust in their situation.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 452.340 – Child Support, How Allocated2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 210.841 – Judgment or Order, Contents – Amount of Support, Presumption
How the Payment Amount Is Calculated
Form 14 was created under Missouri Supreme Court Rule 88.01 and applies to every case in the state. The worksheet combines both parents’ monthly gross income, subtracts certain credits, and matches the total against a schedule that estimates what families at that income level typically spend on their children.
Gross income on Line 1 means pay before taxes. For wage earners, that covers salary, commissions, and regular overtime, along with bonuses and second-job earnings depending on how consistent they are.3Legal Information Institute. 13 CSR 40-102.010 – Child Support Obligation Guidelines Social Security benefits, pensions, and investment income count too. A self-employed parent starts with total business receipts, subtracts ordinary and necessary business expenses, then deducts half of the self-employment tax actually paid.
If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or working below their earning capacity, the court can impute income based on what that parent could earn by making a real effort to find work. The imputed figure has to be backed by actual evidence of the parent’s skills, education, and the local job market.
Credits and Add-Ons
Form 14 subtracts court-ordered spousal maintenance paid to a former spouse and existing child support paid for children from other relationships before producing the base number.3Legal Information Institute. 13 CSR 40-102.010 – Child Support Obligation Guidelines On the add-on side, the worksheet includes the cost of the child’s health insurance premium, work-related childcare, and extraordinary medical expenses. The parent paying the health premium does not get a dollar-for-dollar reduction; the cost is folded into each parent’s proportionate share.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 454.603 – Health Benefit Plan May Be Required Extraordinary expenses only go on Form 14 if a court order or a written agreement between both parents supports them.
Credit for Overnight Time
Line 11 reduces the paying parent’s obligation based on how many overnights the child spends with that parent each year. A parent housing and feeding the child during overnights is already covering costs the support payment would otherwise fund, so the worksheet multiplies the basic amount by a percentage tied to the overnight count. More overnight time means a larger reduction.
Filing a Case in St. Louis County
New child support cases are filed at the 21st Judicial Circuit Court in Clayton. Attorneys file electronically through Missouri’s Case.net system; self-represented parents can file in person at the courthouse. The petition typically includes a completed Form 14, financial disclosure statements, and income documentation. There is a filing fee, and the amount changes periodically, so confirm the current figure with the clerk’s office before you go.
After filing, the court issues a summons that has to be formally served on the other parent, usually by the sheriff’s department or a private process server. Once service is complete, the court sets an initial hearing, generally within 30 to 90 days. At that hearing the judge reviews the financial disclosures, resolves any disputes about the Form 14 numbers, and can enter a temporary or permanent support order.
If the Parents Were Never Married
When the parents were never married, paternity has to be legally established before the court will order support. The simplest route is an Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity signed voluntarily by both parents, which carries the same legal weight as a court judgment.5Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity If the parents disagree, either parent or the Missouri Family Support Division can file a court action, and the court may order genetic testing. Once paternity is confirmed, the support calculation proceeds the same way it does for divorced parents.
How Payments Are Collected and Received
All Missouri child support payments flow through the Family Support Payment Center in Jefferson City, which handles recordkeeping and disbursement for St. Louis County cases.6Missouri Department of Social Services. Family Support Payment Center Most orders include an Income Withholding Order sent to the paying parent’s employer under RSMo 452.350. The employer must start deducting support no later than the first pay period occurring two weeks after receiving the notice and must forward the payment within seven working days of the pay date. Employers may charge a processing fee of up to $6 per month. When withholding for multiple orders would exceed 50% of disposable income, the law caps the total at that level.7Missouri Courts. Income Withholding for Support
Receiving parents can take payments by direct deposit or on a prepaid smiONE card.8Missouri Department of Social Services. Prepaid Card – Child Support Direct deposit into your own bank account is the fastest option.
Changing an Existing Order
Child support orders can be changed. Under RSMo 452.370, either parent can file a Motion to Modify with the court that issued the original order, but the parent asking for the change has to show a substantial and continuing change in circumstances.9Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 452.370 – Modification of Judgment as to Maintenance or Support Missouri gives a concrete benchmark: if a fresh Form 14 run with current income produces a number that differs from the existing order by 20% or more, the court presumes the change is significant enough to justify modification.
Typical triggers include job loss, a substantial raise, a custody change, or new medical needs for the child. A temporary dip in income, like a slow quarter for a contractor, usually will not clear the bar. The shift has to look durable, not seasonal.
When Child Support Ends
Under RSMo 452.340, the obligation ends when the child:
- Turns 18, unless the child qualifies for the education extension described below
- Marries at any age
- Enters active military duty
- Becomes self-supporting after the custodial parent releases them from parental control
- Dies
- Turns 21, which is the outer limit in nearly every case1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 452.340 – Child Support, How Allocated
Extension for College or Vocational School
Support can continue past 18 if the child enrolls in college or vocational school by October 1 following high school graduation. To keep payments going, the child has to carry at least 12 credit hours per semester (summer excluded), earn grades sufficient to re-enroll, and give each parent an official transcript at the start of every semester showing completed courses, grades, and the upcoming schedule.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 452.340 – Child Support, How Allocated
A child working at least 15 hours per week during the semester can drop to nine credit hours and still qualify. If the child fails half or more of their courses in any semester, support ends permanently with no reinstatement. The same permanent cutoff applies if the child ignores a noncustodial parent’s written request for transcripts and fails to produce them within 30 days.
Disabled Adult Children
If a child is physically or mentally unable to support themselves and is both unmarried and without resources, the court can extend support past 18 with no automatic cutoff at 21.1Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Revised Statutes 452.340 – Child Support, How Allocated This requires a specific court finding; it does not happen automatically.
What Happens When a Parent Doesn’t Pay
Missouri gives the Family Support Division and the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office a layered set of collection tools, starting with administrative measures and ending with criminal charges.
Administrative Collection
The state can intercept federal and state tax refunds to cover overdue support. The Family Support Division can also suspend driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and recreational permits such as hunting and fishing licenses once arrears reach $2,500 or three months of current support, whichever is less. Delinquent balances are reported to credit bureaus, and lottery winnings or insurance settlements can be seized in some cases.
At the federal level, a parent certified as owing more than $2,500 in arrears can be denied a U.S. passport, and the State Department can revoke or restrict an existing one.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary
Interest on What’s Owed
Unpaid child support accrues simple interest at 1% per month, which works out to 12% a year. Interest is calculated on the last day of each month on the total arrearage balance minus that month’s regular installment.11Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 454.520 – Interest on Delinquent Payments A $10,000 arrearage grows by roughly $100 every month in interest alone. Letting arrears pile up without filing a motion to modify is one of the most expensive mistakes a paying parent can make.
Contempt and Criminal Nonsupport
When administrative tools do not get results, the court can hold a non-paying parent in contempt, which can mean fines and jail time. A parent jailed for contempt can usually secure release by paying the arrearage or a court-approved portion of it.
For persistent cases, prosecutors can file criminal nonsupport charges under RSMo 568.040. Criminal nonsupport is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail. If the arrearage exceeds 12 months’ worth of payments, the charge becomes a Class E felony with up to four years in prison.12Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 568.040 – Criminal Nonsupport A felony conviction stays on the record long after the support obligation itself ends.
Taxes and the Dependency Claim
Child support payments have no federal tax effect for either parent. The paying parent cannot deduct them, and the receiving parent does not report them as income.13Internal Revenue Service. Publication 504 – Divorced or Separated Individuals
Who claims the child as a dependent is a separate question from who pays or receives support. By default, the custodial parent (the one the child lives with for more than half the year) claims the child, but that parent can release the claim by signing IRS Form 8332, letting the noncustodial parent take the dependency exemption and related credits.14Internal Revenue Service. Dependents Many Missouri divorce agreements alternate the claim year by year; if your order says nothing, the IRS default gives the claim to the parent with more overnight time.