section I. Authority and Scope
Pursuant to Act 948 of 1989, as amended, codified at Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-312(a) and the Family Support Act of 1988, Pub. L. No. 100-485 (1988), the Court adopted and published Administrative Order Number 10, titled “Child Support Guidelines” (“Guidelines”). Pursuant to Act 907 of 2019, codified at Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-312(a)(4), the […]
section II. Use of the Guidelines
There is a rebuttable presumption that the amount of child support calculated pursuant to the most recent revision of the Family Support Chart and these Guidelines is the amount to be awarded in any judicial proceeding for divorce, separation, paternity, guardianship, or child support. In addition to an initial award for child support or the […]
section III. Gross Income
Definitions: Gross Income Inclusions: “Income” is “intentionally broad and designed to encompass the widest range of sources consistent with the State’s policy to interpret ‘income’ broadly for the benefit of the child.” Evans v. Tillery , 361 Ark. 63, 204 S.W.3d 547 (2005); Ford v. Ford , 347 Ark. 485, 65 S.W.3d 432 (2002); McWhorter […]
section IV. Health Insurance, Extraordinary Medical Expenses, and Childcare Costs
Three additional child-rearing expenses—health insurance premiums, extraordinary medical expenses, and childcare expenses—shall be added to the Worksheet and must be considered by the court when determining the total child-support obligation. If either or both parents carry health insurance for the child(ren), incur extraordinary medical expenses for the child(ren), or pay for childcare expenses for one […]
section V. Computation of Child Support
Calculation and Use of Worksheet: Except as provided in Section II, paragraph 3, Self-Support Reserve, the gross income of both parents shall first be determined and combined. Each parent’s share of the combined total gross income is then determined based on their percentage of the combined income. Next, the basic child-support obligation is determined by […]
section VI. Miscellaneous Provisions
Allocation of Dependents for Tax Purposes: Allocation of dependents for tax purposes belongs to the payee parent pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. However, if allowed by state or federal law, the court shall have the discretion to grant dependency allocation, or any part of it, to the payor parent if the benefit of the […]
§ 9-32-205. Annual performance audits
(a) The Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth shall conduct annual performance audits of the Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services. (b) To establish performance auditing standards, the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth shall use for guidance […]
§ 9-32-206. Provision of information and assistance
(a) The Division of Youth Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of Children and Family Services shall make available to the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth a list of all reports the unit submits to the Secretary of the Department of Human Services. (b) Under the […]
§ 9-32-207. Annual report to General Assembly
The Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth shall report annually to the General Assembly its findings and recommendations regarding the child welfare program.
§ 9-34-201. Definitions
For purposes of this chapter: (1) “Fire department” means any organization that is staffed twenty-four (24) hours a day and established for the prevention or extinguishment of fires, including, but not limited to, fire departments organized under municipal or county ordinances, improvement districts, membership fee-based private fire departments, and volunteer fire departments; (2) “Law enforcement […]