In order to determine the net resources available for child support, the court may assign a reasonable amount of deemed income attributable to assets that do not currently produce income. The court may also consider whether certain property that is not producing income can be liquidated without an unreasonable financial sacrifice due to market conditions. The court may assign a reasonable amount of deemed income to income-producing assets that a party has voluntarily transferred or on which earnings have intentionally been reduced.
In Kentucky, when determining child support obligations, the court has the discretion to consider the potential income from non-income-producing assets. This means that if a parent possesses assets that could reasonably be expected to produce income but do not, the court may assign a hypothetical or 'deemed' income to those assets for the purpose of calculating child support. Additionally, if the court finds that a parent has voluntarily transferred income-producing assets or intentionally reduced their earnings to avoid higher child support payments, it may impute income based on the potential earnings from those assets or the earnings prior to the reduction. The court also takes into account whether liquidating non-income-producing property would cause unreasonable financial sacrifice due to market conditions. This ensures that child support calculations are fair and reflect the true financial capacity of the parents.