Establishing Paternity

• Fathers can sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity form at the hospital after their child is born. If either parent is unsure of the father's identity, Missouri courts can order the man who the mother thinks is the child's father to take a genetic test. Establishment of paternity is required to set child support orders in Missouri.
  
  

Child Support Court Orders

• Missouri's Family Services Division reviews both parents' gross monthly incomes, the number of children both parents are legally responsible to support and the costs of child care services to determine the amount of child support non-custodial parents must pay. Parents need to bring copies of their tax returns, paystubs, the child's birth certificates, marriage licenses and copies of divorce decrees with them to the Family Services Division. They should also bring records and receipts of voluntary child support payments they are making.
  
  

Penalties for Late Payments

• The Family Services Division has authority to garnish wages, intercept federal and state tax refunds, and suspend driver's licenses of parents who fail to make their court ordered child support payments. They can also report late payments to credit reporting bureaus, intercept lottery winnings and ask the courts to file contempt of court charges against the non-paying parent.
  
  

Getting Support Orders Modified

• Every three years, Missouri's Child Support Enforcement agency reviews existing child support court orders to see if they require modification. Parents who experience an increase or decrease in their income of 20 percent or more should contact the Family Services Division and request to have their court order reviewed prior to the three-year date. Non-custodial parents are responsible for making child support payments until the order is modified. They are also responsible for paying all late child support payments, even if their child support order is changed.
  
  

Making Child Support Payments

• Non-custodial parents can submit their child support payments via automatic withdrawal through their bank. The payments are automatically taken out of their bank account and sent to the Family Services Division electronically. Non-custodial parents can also submit their child support payments online at the Family Services Division website, by check or money order or via Western Union.