On October 8, 2008, the Supreme Court of Missouri approved a new Civil Procedure Form 14 which becomes effective January 1, 2009. The schedule of basic child support obligations is based on the income shares model, which seeks to apportion to the child the amount that the parents would have spent if the household were intact. There are four (4) major changes that differentiate this new Form 14 from the Form 14 that is presently in use.
The first major change is that the largest amount of combined monthly gross income has been increased from $20,000.00 to $30,000.00. The income share model as used in Missouri guidelines attempts to draw from the chart an amount expected to be spent on the child or children given a combined income level of the parties.
The second major change is that the amounts on the schedule of basic child support obligations have changed. The schedule of basic child support obligations is based upon economic estimates of child-rearing costs as a proportion of household spending from national data compiled by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in the annual Consumer Expenditure Survey, and the schedule of basic child support obligations reflects the federal and Missouri personal income tax rates in 2008.
The third major change is the change in the visitation credit limitations, and the adjustment is based on the number of overnight visitation or custody per year awarded to and exercised by the parent obligated to pay support under any Order or Judgment.
Fourth, the maximum visitation credit is capped at 34%. If the parent obligated to pay support is or has been awarded periods of overnight visitation or custody of more than 110 days per year, the adjustment for that parent may be greater than 10% but no more than 34%.
