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Missouri child support: Form 14, line by line, with the 2026 schedule

Every Missouri support order starts from a one-page worksheet called Form 14. The Supreme Court of Missouri replaced that worksheet and its schedule effective January 1, 2026, so any estimate made with the older chart is out of date. Here is how the twelve lines work, with a worked example.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on each parent's adjusted monthly gross income (Rule 88.01, Civil Procedure Form No. 14)
ScheduleNew schedule effective January 1, 2026, in $50 rows from $60 a month (combined income up to $1,300) to $40,000 combined
Overnight creditLine 11: from 6% of the basic amount at 36 overnights a year up to 34% at 181 to 183; a court may go up to 50%
Medical costsUninsured costs above $250 per child per year are extraordinary and go on Line 6d
Support endsAge 18, or up to 21 while the child attends high school or college on the statute's terms
ModificationA 20% change in the Form 14 amount is a prima facie substantial change (RSMo 452.370)
Unpaid supportSimple interest of 1% a month on delinquent support (RSMo 454.520)
AgencyFamily Support Division, Missouri Department of Social Services

How Form 14 builds the presumed amount

Line 1 is one-twelfth of each parent's yearly gross income: wages, commissions, pensions, Social Security and retirement benefits, disability benefits for the parent's own disability, unemployment, workers' compensation, and military allowances for housing and food. Overtime, bonuses and second jobs may be counted in whole or in part. TANF, SSI, food stamps and other means-tested aid are left out. A parent who is unemployed or underemployed can be assigned imputed income based on work history, skills and local wages.

Lines 1a through 3 adjust that figure: add maintenance (spousal support) received, subtract maintenance paid, support paid under other orders, and a Line 2c credit for other children living primarily with the parent, equal to the schedule amount for those children on that parent's income alone. Line 4 gives each parent's share of the combined total, to a tenth of a percent.

Line 5 is the basic child support amount read from the schedule, after rounding combined income to the nearest $50 row. Lines 6 through 8 add work-related child care, the children's health insurance premium, uninsured extraordinary medical costs and other agreed or ordered costs such as tutoring or private school. Line 9 splits the total by income share, Line 10 credits the paying parent for the add-ons that parent pays directly, Line 11 subtracts the overnight credit, and Line 12 is the presumed child support amount, rounded to the dollar.

What changed on January 1, 2026

By order dated March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of Missouri repealed the prior Form 14 and adopted a new worksheet, directions and schedule for orders entered on or after January 1, 2026. The new schedule comes from the 2024 guideline review: child-rearing cost estimates from the 2013 to 2019 Consumer Expenditure Survey brought to 2024 prices, 2024 federal and Missouri tax rates, and a self-support reserve tied to the 2024 federal poverty guideline. It now runs to $40,000 of combined monthly income; above that, or with more than six children, the court may deviate.

Worked example: Missouri

  1. Line 3: Parent A, the parent paying support, has $5,200 a month in adjusted gross income and Parent B has $2,800, for $8,000 combined.
  2. Line 4: Parent A's share is 65% and Parent B's is 35%.
  3. Line 5: the 2026 schedule lists $1,795 for two children at $8,000.
  4. Line 9: with no child care or insurance on Lines 6 through 8, Parent A's obligation is 65% of $1,795, which is $1,167; Parent B's share, $628, is spent directly in Parent B's home.
  5. Line 12: if Parent A has fewer than 36 overnights a year, there is no Line 11 credit and the presumed amount is $1,167 a month, $14,004 a year.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

The Line 11 overnight credit, and substantially equal time

Line 11 takes a percentage of the Line 5 basic amount off the paying parent's obligation, based on the overnights a year that parent is awarded and actually exercises: 6% for 36 to 72, 9% for 73 to 91, 10% for 92 to 109, 13% for 110 to 115, 15% for 116 to 119, 17% for 120 to 125, 20% for 126 to 130, then 23%, 25%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 31%, 32% and 33% in steps of about a week, up to 34% for 181 to 183 overnights.

In the example, 110 overnights earn the 13% credit, so Parent A's presumed amount falls from $1,167 to $933, a reduction of $233 a month. With substantially equal time, the higher earner is presumed to be the parent paying support and the 34% credit leaves about $556. The 34% cap reflects the assumption that clothing and other non-duplicated fixed costs stay in one home; a court that finds the result unjust may allow up to 50%, especially when incomes are close or the paying parent covers those costs.

There is a low-income guard: no Line 11 credit is allowed unless the receiving parent's adjusted income is above $1,750 for one child, $2,200 for two, $2,550 for three, $2,850 for four, $3,100 for five or $3,600 for six, with exceptions. The credit can also be rebutted when the paying parent does not actually use the overnights or does not spend significantly during them.

Child care and the tax credit, health insurance, medical and school costs

Reasonable work-related child care of either parent goes on Lines 6a and 6b. For the receiving parent, Form 14 first subtracts a child care tax credit: up to $250 a month of costs for one child or $500 for two or more, times a rate from 35% down to 20% depending on that parent's gross income.

Line 6c is the share of a health insurance premium that covers these children; if the exact figure is unknown, the premium is divided by everyone covered. Line 6d holds uninsured, predictable medical and dental costs such as orthodontia or therapy above $250 per child per year. Line 6e can include private school, tutoring, camps, lessons and college costs when the parents agree or the court orders them.

Low income: the $60 floor and the shaded area

The schedule has a self-support reserve built in. Its first row lists $60 a month for any number of children when combined income is $1,300 or less. When the paying parent's own income falls in the shaded part of the schedule, Form 14 is run twice: once normally and once using only the schedule amount for the paying parent's income, and the lower result becomes the basic obligation.

Other children and split custody

Support paid under an earlier order comes off the paying parent's income on Line 2a. The Line 2c credit covers a parent's natural or adopted children, not stepchildren, and in a modification children born after the current order count only in limited ways. When each parent has at least one of the children, a separate Form 14 is prepared for each household and the larger obligation is offset by the smaller.

When support ends: 18, high school, and college to 21

Support ends when the child dies, marries, enters active military duty, becomes self-supporting with the receiving parent's consent, or turns 18. A child still attending high school at 18 keeps support until finishing or turning 21. A child who enrolls in college or vocational school by October 1 after graduating, carries at least 12 credit hours a semester (9 if working 15 hours a week) and keeps passing grades can receive support until finishing or turning 21, and must send each parent a transcript each semester.

Changing an order: the 20% test and the three-year review

A judgment can be modified only on changed circumstances so substantial and continuing that its terms are unreasonable. If a new Form 14 would change an order based on the presumed amount by 20% or more, that is a prima facie showing. A modification reaches back only to installments due after the other parent was served, so file promptly.

Through the Family Support Division, either parent can ask for a review every three years; a review sooner is possible only in special circumstances. When the paying parent voluntarily has the child for more than 30 consecutive days with the other parent's agreement, support can abate for that period.

Collection, enforcement and interest

The Family Support Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services locates parents, establishes paternity, and sets and enforces support and medical support orders, and it runs a customer portal for payment information. Missed payments accrue simple interest at 1% a month, which attaches to the support judgment automatically.

Documents you will need

Missouri child support FAQ

What is Form 14 in Missouri?

Form 14 is the Child Support Amount Calculation Worksheet that Missouri Supreme Court Rule 88.01 requires in every judicial and administrative support case. The amount on Line 12 is presumed correct; a judge who orders a different amount must find it unjust or inappropriate in writing.

Did Missouri child support change in 2026?

Yes. A new Form 14, directions and schedule apply to orders entered on or after January 1, 2026. Existing orders do not change automatically; a parent has to seek a modification, and a 20% difference under the new worksheet is a prima facie showing.

How much is child support for 2 kids in Missouri?

At $8,000 of combined adjusted gross income, the 2026 schedule lists $1,795 for two children. A parent earning 65% of that income, with under 36 overnights and no add-ons, would owe $1,167 a month.

Does 50/50 custody mean no child support in Missouri?

No. The higher earner is presumed to pay, with a 34% Line 11 credit at 181 to 183 overnights. In our example that leaves about $556 a month. A court can raise the credit to as much as 50% on findings, and the Form 14 directions say equal time alone does not remove the need for support.

Does child support stop at 18 in Missouri?

Not always. It continues to 21 while the child attends high school, or college or vocational school with at least 12 credit hours a semester and passing grades, and it can extend past 18 for a child who is incapacitated and cannot self-support.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

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This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Missouri.