Understanding Missouri child support helps you navigate the financial responsibilities of raising children after separation or divorce. Whether you're paying or receiving child support, knowing how the system works ensures children get the support they need while parents meet their legal obligations fairly.
What Is Missouri Child Support?
Missouri child support is money paid by one parent to help cover the costs of raising children when parents no longer live together. The Missouri Department of Social Services oversees the child support program through the Family Support Division. This state agency helps families establish, modify, and enforce child support orders to ensure children receive consistent financial support from both parents.
Child support covers essential needs like food, housing, clothing, healthcare, and education. The payments help maintain children's quality of life regardless of their parents' relationship status. Missouri law requires both parents to support their children financially, with the noncustodial parent typically making payments to the custodial parent who has the children most of the time.
How to Apply for Missouri Child Support Services
The Family Support Division offers services to custodial parents, noncustodial parents, legal guardians, and adult children between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. You can apply for child support services online through the Missouri Department of Social Services website at dss.mo.gov. The application process is straightforward and begins by providing basic information about your family situation.
When you apply, you'll need details about both parents, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, employment information, and income details. You'll also provide information about the children who need support. After submitting your application, the Family Support Division reviews your case and sends a letter confirming your case has been opened. This letter includes your case identification number and contact information for your caseworker.
Services Provided by the Missouri Child Support Program
The Missouri child support program offers comprehensive services to help families. The Family Support Division can locate parents who aren't providing support, even if you don't know their current address or employer. They use various databases and resources to find noncustodial parents who need to fulfill their obligations.
Paternity establishment is another critical service. When parents aren't married, legal fatherhood must be established before child support can be ordered. The program helps determine paternity through voluntary acknowledgment or genetic testing when necessary. Once paternity is established, the father's name can be added to the birth certificate, and child support orders can be created.
The program establishes child support orders by working with courts to determine appropriate payment amounts based on Missouri's guidelines. They calculate payments using Form 14, which considers both parents' incomes, the number of children, healthcare costs, and childcare expenses. Once established, child support orders are legally enforceable court orders that both parents must follow.
Enforcement services ensure payments are made consistently. The Family Support Division uses various methods to collect child support when parents don't pay voluntarily. Medical support establishment ensures children have health insurance coverage, with the program working to enroll children in available health plans and enforce medical support orders.
Modification services help when circumstances change significantly. If income changes substantially, custody arrangements shift, or children's needs evolve, the program assists with requesting modifications to existing child support orders through proper legal channels.
Contacting Missouri Child Support Services
Different phone numbers serve different purposes within the Missouri child support system. For questions about cases with existing child support orders, call 1-866-313-9960. This child support call center handles enforcement questions and helps with issues related to existing support orders.
For paternity questions, call 1-855-454-8037. This line provides information about establishing paternity, adding fathers' names to birth certificates, and obtaining paternity testing. These services are crucial first steps before child support orders can be created for unmarried parents.
For a general overview of child support services, call 1-800-859-7999. This number provides information about the range of services available through the Family Support Division, helping you understand what assistance you can receive.
To check the status of your case, call 573-556-3800. This line allows you to get updates on where your case stands in the process, whether applications are being processed, or if any actions are needed from you.
The New Child Support Citizen Portal
Missouri recently launched an improved online portal for child support services at my.mo.gov/child_support. This modern system makes accessing child support information easier and more convenient than ever before. The portal is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, allowing you to manage your case whenever it's convenient for you.
Creating an account is simple. Visit the portal website and agree to the data disclaimer. Fill in your identifying information including your name, case identification number, and Social Security number. Verify your email address and phone number to complete the sign-up process. Once your account is active, you can access many features that previously required phone calls or office visits.
Through the portal, you can view detailed information about your case including payment history, current balances, and upcoming due dates. You can update household information like address changes, phone numbers, or employment details without needing to call or visit an office. The secure messaging feature lets you communicate directly with program staff, asking questions and receiving responses through the portal.
The portal also provides electronic access to important documents related to your case. You can view and download court orders, payment records, and other paperwork without waiting for mail delivery. This transparency helps both custodial and noncustodial parents stay informed about their cases and make informed decisions.
Since launching in May 2024, the portal has improved customer experience significantly. Wait times for phone calls have decreased because many routine tasks can now be handled online. Processing times for updates and changes have shortened since information flows more efficiently through the digital system.
Making and Tracking Child Support Payments
Missouri child support payments typically go through the state payment processing system rather than directly between parents. This centralized system maintains accurate records of all payments, protecting both parents by documenting every transaction. Payments are processed and disbursed to the custodial parent, ensuring consistent support for children.
Noncustodial parents can make payments several ways. Income withholding is the most common method, where payments are automatically deducted from paychecks and sent to the state processing center. This ensures timely, consistent payments without requiring manual action each pay period. Employers receive income withholding orders and are legally required to deduct and remit child support payments.
Parents can also make direct payments online, by mail, or through authorized payment centers. The Missouri Smart Child Support website at mo.smartchildsupport.com provides online payment options and account management tools. Making payments this way gives you immediate confirmation and allows you to schedule payments in advance.
Tracking payment information is easy through the payment information system at apps.dss.mo.gov/ChildSupportPaymentInformation. Enter your eight-digit case identification number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your date of birth to access your payment history. The system shows up to twenty-four months of payment and disbursement information, helping you verify that payments were made and received correctly.
What’s Your Child Support Order?
Your child support order is a legal document issued by the court that specifies payment amounts, due dates, and other important terms. Understanding this order helps you comply with your obligations or know what support you should receive. The order typically includes the base child support amount calculated using Missouri's guidelines, which considers both parents' incomes and the number of children.
Medical support provisions outline which parent provides health insurance and how uncovered medical expenses are divided. Childcare cost allocation explains how work-related childcare expenses are shared between parents. The order also specifies payment frequency, whether weekly, biweekly, or monthly, and the exact due dates for payments.
Modification procedures are outlined in the order, explaining how either parent can request changes if circumstances change substantially. Enforcement provisions detail consequences for non-payment, including income withholding, license suspension, and other collection methods. Understanding these terms helps you avoid problems and ensures children receive consistent support.
What Happens If Payments Aren't Made
Missouri takes child support enforcement seriously because children depend on this financial support. When payments aren't made as ordered, the Family Support Division has many tools to enforce collection. Income withholding orders can be issued or strengthened to ensure payments come directly from paychecks before the paying parent receives their wages.
Tax refund interception allows the state to take federal and state tax refunds and apply them to past-due child support. This powerful tool ensures even parents who change jobs or hide income eventually pay what they owe. License suspension can affect driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses, making it difficult to work or enjoy certain activities until support obligations are met.
Credit reporting of past-due support damages credit scores, making it harder to get loans, credit cards, or favorable interest rates. Liens can be placed on property, vehicles, and other assets, preventing their sale without paying owed support. In serious cases, contempt of court charges can result in fines or jail time for parents who willfully refuse to pay child support despite having the ability to do so.
Modifying Missouri Child Support Orders
Life circumstances change, and child support orders can be modified when changes are substantial and continuing. You might need a modification if either parent experiences a significant income change, more than twenty percent higher or lower than when the order was created. Job loss, career changes, or substantial raises can justify modification requests.
Custody arrangement changes also warrant modifications. If children spend significantly more or less time with one parent than originally ordered, the child support amount should reflect this new reality. Changes in children's needs, like new medical conditions requiring expensive treatment or special education costs, can support modification requests.
To request a modification, contact the Family Support Division or file a motion with the court that issued your original order. You'll need to provide updated financial information and explain what has changed since the order was created. The division reviews your request and determines if a modification is appropriate. If so, they help facilitate the legal process to update your order.