Kansas Divorce with Children: Custody, Support, and Required Steps

A Kansas divorce with minor children adds three requirements that don't exist in cases without children: a parenting plan, a child support calculation, and a mandatory parenting class. Skip any of these and the court won't finalize your divorce.

Additional Forms Required

When you download the divorce packet from the Kansas Judicial Council, make sure you get the version for cases with minor children. Beyond the standard Petition, Domestic Relations Affidavit, and Summons, you'll also need:

Parenting Plan. A detailed written agreement covering legal custody (decision-making authority), residential custody (where the child lives), a specific parenting time schedule with exact days and transition times, holiday rotation, communication provisions, and a dispute resolution method.

Child Support Worksheet. Kansas uses an income-shares model under the Kansas Child Support Guidelines (Administrative Order 2025-RL-121). Both parents' gross incomes are combined, then support is apportioned based on each parent's percentage of the total. Parenting-time information can affect the calculation along with income and other factors.

The worksheet accounts for:

• Both parents' monthly gross income
• Work-related childcare costs
• Children's health insurance premiums
• Extraordinary medical expenses
• Parenting time percentages

Kansas Payment Center (KPC) information. The KPC tracks and processes child-support and spousal-maintenance payments. If income withholding applies, use the current Child Support Income Withholding Order (IWO) with the support order.

The Mandatory Parenting Class

Under K.S.A. 23-3214, parents in divorce cases with minor children must complete a court-approved parenting education program. Check your district's procedure for when proof of completion must be filed.

• Cost: $20–$60 depending on the county and provider
• Format: 4–6 hours, offered in-person or online in some counties
• Timing: Complete approximately 4–8 weeks after filing, subject to district and provider requirements
• What it covers: Impact of divorce on children, co-parenting communication, reducing conflict

Register early. Classes fill up, and procrastinating on this can push your final hearing date back weeks beyond the 60-day minimum.

Custody Under the UCCJEA

If your children haven't lived in Kansas for at least six consecutive months before filing, Kansas courts may not have permanent custody jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). This matters in cases where one parent recently moved to Kansas or where the children have been living in another state.

You can still file for divorce in Kansas after 60 days of residency, but permanent custody and parenting-time determinations may need to be handled in the state where the children have their "home state" connection.

How Children Affect the Timeline

Cases with children typically take longer than childless divorces:

• Complete the parenting class approximately 4–8 weeks after filing, subject to district and provider requirements
• Both parents must exchange financial documents and complete Child Support Worksheets at least 14 days before the final hearing
• Judges scrutinize proposed parenting plans more carefully than property settlements, which can mean additional questions or revisions at the final hearing

Uncontested divorces typically take 60–90 days total; local parenting-course and hearing-scheduling requirements can make a case take longer.

The Kansas Divorce Filing Process Guide includes the complete children's filing requirements — parenting plan template, child support worksheet walkthrough, and a timeline that accounts for the parenting class deadline so nothing falls through the cracks.

See more Kansas guides →