Quick answer: In Arkansas, a 20% change in either parent’s gross income, or an inconsistency between your order and the Family Support Chart amount, is a material change of circumstances sufficient to petition for modification. The change takes effect on the date the other parent is served with the file-marked motion, unless the court orders otherwise.
This Arkansas child support modification calculator applies the tests in Ark. Code 9-14-107. Enter your current order, the amount the chart gives today (you can get it from the Arkansas child support calculator) and the income change, and it shows whether either shortcut is met, the monthly gap and what that gap adds up to over the time a case takes. A change in a parent’s ability to provide health insurance can also be a material change, and the court cannot change support that accrued unpaid before the motion was filed.
Arkansas child support modification at a glance
| Rule | What Arkansas says |
|---|---|
| Income test | A change in the gross income of the payor or payee parent of 20% or more is a material change sufficient to petition (Ark. Code 9-14-107(a)(1)) |
| Chart inconsistency | A gap between the existing award and the chart amount is a material change unless it falls short of the quantitative standard, comes from an unchanged rebuttal of the guideline, or is due solely to a chart revision (9-14-107(c)(2)) |
| Health insurance | A change in a parent’s ability to provide health insurance may be a material change (9-14-107(b)) |
| Effective date | The date of service of the file-marked notice of the motion, unless the court orders otherwise (9-14-107(d)) |
| Accrued support | The court may not set aside, alter or modify support that accrued unpaid before the motion was filed (9-14-234(c)) |
| Agency review | The Office of Child Support Enforcement reviews at least every three years for assisted cases, or on the request of either parent or the custodian (9-14-107(c)(1)) |
How does child support modification work in Arkansas?
- Know the standard. See what counts as a material change of circumstances in Arkansas.
- File and serve on time. See how to modify child support in Arkansas.
- Income problems. See reducing child support after job loss or incarceration in Arkansas and, for what stays owed from before the motion, the Arkansas child support arrears calculator.
What does this modification calculator check?
The calculator applies the 20% income test (a change of exactly 20% counts, because the statute says “equal to or more than twenty percent”) and the chart-inconsistency test, which the statute ties to the quantitative standard of subsection (a); we read that as the same 20%. It cannot decide whether to modify: the court sets the new amount from the chart. Because the effective date is service, the months before you serve the other parent are the ones you cannot recover.
Frequently asked questions
How much does child support have to change to be modified in Arkansas?
A change in the gross income of the payor or payee parent of 20% or more is a material change of circumstances sufficient to petition for modification. A gap between the existing award and the Family Support Chart amount can also qualify.
Can either parent’s income change justify an Arkansas modification?
Yes. The statute covers the gross income of the payor or the payee parent.
From what date does an Arkansas child support change take effect?
As of the date of service on the other party of the file-marked notice of the motion, unless the court orders otherwise.
Can Arkansas change support that is already unpaid?
No. The court may not set aside, alter or modify a decree or order that has accrued unpaid support prior to the filing of the motion.
Does the Arkansas agency review child support orders without a change?
The Office of Child Support Enforcement reviews at least every three years, without regard to a material change, cases with a public-assistance assignment, or on the request of either parent or the physical custodian.
Official sources
- Ark. Code 9-14-107: change in income warranting modification
- Ark. Code 9-14-234: support decrees, final judgment
- Arkansas Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 10 (amended October 6, 2022)
- Cathey v. Altazan, 2023 Ark. App. 314
- 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9) and (a)(10): judgments by operation of law and review of orders