A person must be a resident of the State of Missouri for 90 days in order to file for dissolution of marriage in Missouri.
Missouri is a modified no-fault state, which means that for the court to hear the case, the person filing the petition must show that the marriage is irretrievably broken.
It is not necessary for the husband and wife to be separated in order to file for dissolution of marriage.
There are two types of legal custody under Missouri law; joint legal custody and sole legal custody to one parent. Legal custody concerns the decision making for the child, including decisions regarding education, religion, health care, extracurricular activities, etc.
Joint legal custody means that the parents have an obligation to work together to make the decisions regarding their children's lives.
Sole legal custody to one parent means that both parents have input into the decisions regarding their children's lives, but in the event of a dispute, the parent with sole legal custody can make the decision.
With either type of legal custody arrangement, there must be a plan for physical custody, so that arrangements are made for where the children will be on any given day.
A common physical custody schedule provides that one parent has the children for most of the time during the week, and the other parent has the children every other weekend, one evening during the week, six weeks during the summer, and alternating holidays.
Child support is calculated under Missouri law according to a chart. The chart includes income from both parents. The chart includes expenses for day care, health insurance, and extraordinary expenses for the children.
Under Missouri law, child support continues until a child reaches the age of 18, however, if the child remains in school as a full time student after age 18 the child support obligation will continue until the child turns age 22.
