Missouri Child Support

No, the support payments can't be claimed on taxes int he state.

A person receiving payments should not claim the funds as income. A person making payments cannot deduct the total on their taxes.

No, it can not be taken pre-tax.

State and federal tax refunds can be intercepted if support payments are not being made.

Paternity can be voluntarily established by completing the Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity at any point following the birth of a child. Paternity that is contested can be resolved through Missouri's support agency or in court.

Paternity must be established before a father can have parental rights.

A court may be able to order a DNA test. Any man in Missouri who believes that he is the father of a child in a situation where a mother does not want to establish paternity should put his name on the state's Putative Father Registry.

The DNA of a family member can often be used.

DNA testing cannot be done without the knowledge or consent of the primary legal guardian.

An acknowledgment or affidavit of paternity (AOP) can be signed at the hospital within 72 hours of the child's birth, or at the local health department. Both the mother and the father must sign the affidavit. Within 60 days of the signing the affidavit, however, anyone who is entitled to file a paternity case can file a case and ask for genetic testing.

Yes, it can be modified.

You can modify the support in the state every three years.

A written request for a review of your support order must be submitted to the following address: Family Support Division, P.O. Box 6790 Jefferson City, Missouri, 65102-6790

Grounds for a modification of an order include a material or substantial change in the circumstances of a child or parent.

Legal representation is recommended when attempting to modify a support order.

This can depend on whether or not a non-custodial parent needs to be located and if paternity needs to be established..

Your caseworker should be notified.

You will face a variety of actions as enforcement representatives attempt to collect unpaid funds. Missouri will also work with other states to collect support when a non-custodial parent lives outside of Missouri. Here are some of the methods that can be legally used to collect unpaid support:

• Withholding income

• Intercepting tax refunds

• Ordering an employer to enroll a child in a healthcare plan

• Reporting parents to credit bureaus

• Filing liens on property

• Intercepting lottery winnings

• Suspending licenses

• Seeking civil contempt or criminal charges

Payments that are overdue by two years or that exceed $10,000..

Missouri does not forgive the support debts.

This must be done through the Missouri court.

A support obligation traditionally only ends once a child reaches the legal age when support stops. However, it is possible to apply for an abatement if the child involved has resided in the non-custodial parent’s care for 30 days or more without any overnight visitations with the custodial parent or if the child has not provided college transcripts as required by Missouri law.

Missouri's Affidavit for Termination of Child Support can be used by either parent to terminate a case.

When a child reaches the appropriate legal age, becomes emancipated, joins the military, is married or experiences some other qualifying circumstance.

Support ends at the age of 18 in Missouri. However, support may continue until a child turns 21 if that child is enrolled in school. Courts in Missouri can order parents to continue to support a disabled adult child in some cases.