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The Washington County Attorney’s Office, Child Support Division, through the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, locates non-custodial parents and helps obtain financial and medical support from them for their children.

The goals and responsibilities of the Child Support Division:

  • Location of non-custodial parents
  • Establishment of paternity
  • Establishment of financial and medical support
  • Enforcement and collection of support payments
  • Review and modification of support orders

To provide these services the child support program works closely with federal, state and local agencies as well as employers.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF CUSTODIAL PARENTS

You must contact our office if you have a change of address, telephone number, change of employment or change of residency of the child / children for whom support is owed. You must keep us informed of new information regarding the non-custodial parent.

The length of time to process your case varies depending on the information we have been provided and the type of actions required. Delays can occur if the non-custodial parent lives out of state or if the non-custodial parent cannot be located or served by the Sheriff. Processing a case fully through the court system can take several months. Your case is very important to us, but we request your patience and cooperation throughout the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone who has a child support order, or wants to establish one, can apply for child support enforcement services. If paternity has not been established for your child/children, it will be established prior to a child support obligation being established. Custodial or noncustodial parents can apply for support services. You can print the application here. Mail or bring the completed application to our office.

There are no fees for completing the application for services. There is a small fee for the case, ($25.00 per year) that is taken from the child support that is collected annually. Child support services are automatically provided to current and former recipients of K-TAP and medical assistance.

It is helpful if you can provide the non-custodial parent’s address, social security number, date of birth, employer, bank account numbers, property holdings and investments. Look for this information in old insurance policies, credit card or other applications, state and federal tax returns, hospital records, police records, birth certificates and social network websites.

You may be able to get information from the non-custodial parent’s business associates, friends, or relatives. Also, please provide copies of any existing court orders and records of payments.

If you can provide the non-custodial parent’s date of birth, father’s name, and mother’s maiden name, the child support agency may be able to obtain information from the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Veterans’ Administration, the Department of Defense, the Armed Forces, and/or the Selective Service Administration.

If you can provide the non-custodial parent’s social security number and / or date of birth, the child support agency can obtain information from all state and federal files. Be aware, however, that finding a non-custodial parent through these sources may take several months.

The Kentucky Legislature has established a mathematical formula for setting child support. Parties’ income, medical insurance costs, day care expenses and child support being paid for older children are all factored into the formula to arrive at the amount of support to be paid.

If there is a change in circumstances (i.e. change in one or both parties’ income, an older child being emancipated) that results in a change in the amount of child support of at least 15%, then the amount may be changed.

If you feel like circumstances have changed that would make a 15% increase or decrease in the monthly obligation AND have an active case with the child support office, please complete this form. We will then send both parties a packet of information to fill out. You must return the completed packet within 30 days or the review will not be done.

You must have an active case with the child support office for us to complete a review of your case.

In accordance with 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 303.8(a), Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 405.430(6) and 921 Kentucky Administrative Regulation (KAR) 1:400 Section 3, the following individuals or entities may request a review for possible modification:

  • The custodial parent;
  • The noncustodial parent;
  • A nonparental custodian (i.e., grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, etc.);

A foreign reciprocating country or a foreign country with which Kentucky has an arrangement may request a review of their order and the request shall be treated the same as a request by another state in accordance with SSA 454(32)(A) (42 U.S.C. 654(32)(A)).

Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) Section 351, SSA 466(a)(10) (42 U.S.C. 666(a)(10)), 45 CFR 303.8(b)(6), and KRS 405.430(6) specify that at least once every three years, child support staff must notify each party subject to a IV-D child support order of the right to request a review of the order and, if appropriate, adjust the order.

Contact your child support caseworker and request that enforcement action be taken. There are many enforcement remedies that may be used by child support staff to enforce a child support order. Some examples include: court action, income withholding, denial or suspension of a driver’s or professional license, intercept of lottery winnings, intercept of state or federal taxes, and denial of a passport.

KRS 405.020(1) provides that… “The father shall be primarily liable for the nurture and education of his children who are under the age of eighteen (18) when the child is a full-time high school student, but not beyond completion of the school year during which the child reaches the age of nineteen (19) years.”

You must complete this form to have your check deposited in your bank account or reloadable debit card.

Contact your caseworker at the Washington County Attorney Child Support office to request a copy of your payment history. Payment histories can be picked up at the office or mailed.

Even if the noncustodial parent lives in a different state, a child support case can be opened at the local child support office. The local child support office can work with the other state to establish or enforce the support order. The same location resources and services are available in all states. Although interstate cases are more difficult and generally take longer, new federal legislation and more computer links between states are improving interstate processing of child support.

The legal obligation to pay child support is completely separate from the issue of visitation rights. If you are court ordered to pay child support, you must do so regardless of when or if you see the children. If there is a court order giving you visitation and the custodial parent refuses to let you see the children, your recourse is to file a motion with the court asking that he/she be held in contempt of court.

Click the link to view the employer’s guide to withholding.

Mail your check or money order (no cash) with your name and IVD number and/or social security number as identifying information for correct posting to the following address:

Division of Child Support
P.O. Box 14059
Lexington, KY 40512-4059

CHILD SUPPORT HELPFUL LINKS:

Child Support Voice Response System
(800) 443-1576

The toll-free number (800) 443-1576 provides automated access to child support payment and account information. This system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You must use your Individual Child Support ID Number provided by the child support agency to access and obtain information from the IVR. In the event your Individual Child Support ID Number is lost or forgotten, please contact your local child support office for assistance.

Interactive State Child Support Web Portal

How to Calculate Your Child Support Obligation

The following forms are used to calculate the amount of child support a noncustodial parent must pay. The CS-71.1 is only used when one parent has 100 percent of the total income for the family. When printing these forms, you must also print a copy of the Child Support Guidelines Table, in order to complete the worksheet.

KY New Hire Reporting Center
(800) 817-2262

All public and private employers doing business in Kentucky are required by Federal Law to report each newly hired employee to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Employers are also required to withhold child support payments from the wages paid to employees with a child support obligation.

Not all child support cases are handled through our office. Private cases are handled through the NIVD Unit. The NIVD Unit receives information on private wage withholding cases from private attorneys and inputs the necessary information to the Kentucky Child Support System for distribution of child support payments. Private wage withholdings do not involve the Washington County Attorney Child Support Office.

Private Wage Withholding Cases (Non-IV-D)
(877) 706-8508

Division of Child Support NIVD Unit
P.O. Box 24828
Lexington, Kentucky 40524-4828

Additional Links