In Kentucky, there are a set of child support guidelines that outline what the appropriate amount of child support is for any particular case. Usually, the courts strongly prefer that the litigants follow those guidelines. The litigants often have an opportunity to reach a private agreement on that, but most often the court likes to see both parties following preset guidelines.
According to FindLaw, the formula takes into account just a couple of variables. It takes into account the amount of parenting time that each parent has and the number of children that you have. Then, it also takes into account the gross monthly income of each parent. If one parent is not working or if it is the position of one of the parties that the other is underemployed, meaning that they are not employed to their full capacity, the court does have the option of imputing income to the under-earning spouse. These guidelines then plug in the income, the number of kids and the amount of parenting time to determine the specific child support.
According to theBalance, the basic support amount is discounted if one parent has a fair amount of parenting time. It is discounted even further if there is an equal access schedule with the children. In terms of medical support and daycare support, both of those are divided in proportion to the relevant income of each parent. This is the percentage of income for child support. For example, you may have medical insurance premiums, some unreimbursed medical expenses or orthodontic expenses. The parties typically will exchange receipts, and then those expenses will be subject to division in proportion to either your actual or potential income.