If you are a business owner or executive, understanding how the state evaluates changes in your income can help you determine whether your current child support order still fits your circumstances.
The foundation of Missouri’s law
A party can seek modification of a child support order by showing a change in circumstances that is both substantial and continuing. If a recalculated support amount under the state’s guidelines differs from the existing order by 20% or more, that gap creates a prima facie case that the current terms are no longer reasonable.
This presumption applies only when the original order followed Missouri’s child support guidelines. If the prior order involved a deviation, whether agreed to by the parties or set by the court, the 20% threshold may not apply the same way. In that case, the requesting party may need to meet the broader substantial and continuing change standard instead.
Examples of what triggers modification
The following changes can cause the 20% threshold to activate:
- A sustained increase or decrease in business revenue
- Changes in executive compensation structure
- New or increased child-related expenses
Because judges carefully distinguish between temporary market dips and permanent structural shifts in your compensation, establishing a new baseline takes time.
Form 14’s role in calculating the presumed amount
Missouri requires completion of a Form 14 Child Support Amount Calculation Worksheet in every child support case, including modifications. The worksheet follows the state’s income shares system, which estimates what parents would have collectively spent on a child in an intact household and divides that responsibility based on each parent’s proportionate share of combined income.
It also accounts for adjustments such as health insurance premiums, work-related childcare costs and credits for overnight parenting time. Each of these inputs affects the final presumed support amount, and even small reporting errors can shift the outcome.
A practical path toward resolution
If your income has changed, you will need to have a new Form 14 prepared using your current financial information. Comparing that figure to your existing order gives you a concrete sense of whether you meet the 20% threshold.
Reaching out to attorneys while pursuing modification can help, especially with the more complex parts of this case. They can review your documents to ensure everything meets court requirements.
