Kentucky uses the Kentucky Child Support Guidelines (KRS 403.212) to determine child support obligations. Under the Income Shares model, both parents' incomes are combined to estimate what the family would have spent on the child if the household were intact. The obligation is then divided proportionally based on each parent's contribution to combined gross income.

Kentucky has several distinctive features in its child support system. Kentucky uses 105 overnights (approximately 29%) as the shared parenting threshold. The state applies a "split custody" formula when each parent is the primary custodian of at least one child. Kentucky includes specific provisions for self-employment income, requiring courts to average income over multiple years.

Kentucky bases calculations on gross income — meaning income before taxes and deductions. This includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, self-employment income, and other sources. The self-support reserve in Kentucky is $1,175/month, ensuring the paying parent retains enough income to cover basic living expenses.

Kentucky recognizes "Shared Parenting" when the non-custodial parent has the children for at least 105 overnights per year (approximately 29% of the time). When this threshold is met, the standard child support formula is adjusted to reflect the increased direct expenses borne by both parents.

Under Kentucky's Income Shares approach, the shared parenting adjustment typically calculates each parent's obligation based on their income share, then applies a credit or cross-calculation that accounts for the time each parent directly supports the child. The more overnights the non-custodial parent has, the greater the reduction in their payment — but the adjustment is not dollar-for-dollar because fixed costs like housing don't decrease when the child is away.

Below 105 overnights, Kentucky generally treats the arrangement as a sole custody situation with standard visitation, and no custody time adjustment is applied to the child support calculation.