2014 Arkansas Code
Title 9 - Family Law
Title 9 - Appendix Administrative Order Number 10 -- Child Support Guidelines

The Per Curiam Orders of the Supreme Court of Arkansas of February 5, 1990, May 13, 1991, and October 25, 1993, established guidelines for child support enforcement. The Per Curiam Order of September 25, 1997, established Administrative Order Number 10, establishing guidelines effective October 1, 1997. Administrative Order Number 10 was republished in the Per Curiam Order of January 22, 1998, making minor corrections to the child-support charts and to the Affidavit of Financial Means. The Per Curiam Order of January 31, 2002, made further amendments which included and incorporated by reference the revised weekly and monthly family-support charts and the revised Affidavit of Financial Means effective February 11, 2002. The Per Curiam Order of April 26, 2007, included revised weekly and monthly support charts and Affidavit of Financial Means and added new biweekly and semimonthly charts effective May 3, 2007. The Per Curiam Order of June 14, 2007, was issued to correct errors in the attachments included in the Per Curiam Order of April 26, 2007. Administrative Order Number 10 as revised by the Per Curiam Order of June 14, 2007, is set out in this appendix for easy reference and includes the weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly support charts and the Affidavit of Financial Means.

PER CURIAM: "On April 26, 2007, this court handed down a per curiam order regarding Administrative Order No. 10 -- Arkansas Child Support Guidelines, which included the following attachments to the order: (1) a revised Administrative Order No. 10, (2) revised Child Support Charts (weekly, biweekly, monthly, and bimonthly), and (3) a revised Affidavit of Financial Means. These attachments had errors in them. This per curiam order amends and corrects Administrative Order No. 10, the Biweekly Child Support Chart and the Affidavit of Financial Means.

"Administrative Order No. 10 is amended in Section III, Calculation of Support, in subsection 'b,' Income Which Exceeds Chart. A new Example is provided for computing child support when income exceeds the chart. The maximum weekly income in the example now conforms to the maximum weekly income on the revised chart.

"Section III is also amended in subsection 'c,' Nonsalaried payors, to update military terminology for 'quarters allowance' and to add subsistence allowance as a component of total income for military personnel.

"Two of the four Family Support Charts have been amended. The Biweekly Child Support Chart skipped from 'Payor Net Biweekly Income' of $290 to $400. The Chart has been corrected. The 'bimonthly' chart is renamed the 'Semimonthly' Family Support Chart, and all references to 'bimonthly' have been changed to 'semimonthly' in the administrative order and in the affidavit.

"A new Affidavit of Financial Means is substituted, renumbered to correct errors in numbering in the one published originally. Substantive changes include a request for three pay stubs to be attached to the affidavit after section 1.c. There are additions for clarification about income in sections 4.a. and 4.d., and about the children being supported in section 5.b. 'Health insurance' was added to the list of monthly expenses as section 'm.' The term 'legally determined illegitimate children' was replaced with 'legally legitimated children' in section 23.i. After that section is a new instruction to repeat the 'net pay' information on separate attachments for other salaried positions.

"We republish the April 26, 2007, per curiam order and substitute all attachments, (1) revised Administrative Order No. 10, (2) revised Child Support Charts, and (3) the revised Affidavit of Financial Means[:] PER CURIAM On February 5, 1990, this court first adopted guidelines for child support in response to P.L. 100-485 and Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-312(a). Effective October, 1989, P.L. 100-485 required that all states adopt guidelines for setting child support; that it be a rebuttable presumption that the amount of support calculated from the child-support chart is correct; and that each state's guidelines be reviewed and revised, as necessary, at least every four years. In response to the federal law, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Ark. Code Ann. § 9-12-312, which included the federal provision and authorized the Arkansas Supreme Court to develop guidelines based on recommendations submitted to the court by a committee appointed by the Chief Justice. The Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Child Support initially made recommendations to the court that formed the substance of a 1990 per curiam order. On May 13, 1991, pursuant to the committee's recommendations, the court issued a new per curiam to supplement the original.

"In compliance with the four-year requirement of P.L. 100-485, the committee has submitted periodic reports and recommendations to the court since 1990. On October 23, 1993, the court issued a per curiam order and adopted guidelines that were published in the Court Rules Volume of the Arkansas Code Annotated. On September, 1997, the court issued a per curiam and adopted the recommendations of the child support committee. At that time, the court adopted and published Administrative Order Number 10 -- Arkansas Child Support Guidelines, effective October 1, 1997. The Administrative Order incorporated by reference weekly and monthly family support charts and the Affidavit of Financial Means. On January 22, 1998, the court entered a per curiam and republished Administrative Order Number 10, making minor corrections to the child support charts and to the Affidavit of Financial Means.

"The last revision following the child support committee's periodic review was on January 31, 2002. By a per curiam order, the court adopted and republished Administrative Order Number 10 -- Arkansas Child Support Guidelines, effective February 11, 2002, which incorporated by reference the weekly and monthly family support charts and the Affidavit of Financial Means. The committee has continued to study the existing guidelines, pursuant to federal and state law. Once again, the committee submitted a report to the court, including recommendations for revisions to the Administrative Order, the guidelines and the Affidavit of Financial Means.

"Having carefully considered these most recent recommendations, the court adopts and publishes revised Administrative Order Number 10 -- Arkansas Child Support Guidelines, effective May 3, 2007. This Administrative Order includes and incorporates by reference revised weekly and monthly support charts and adds new biweekly and bimonthly charts. The Affidavit of Financial Means has been substantially revised and is also included and incorporated by reference into Administrative Order Number 10.

"The court thanks the committee for its service, and as it has done in the past, directs the committee and the Chief Justice, as its liaison, to continue its charge pursuant to law and the rules of this court."