Kentucky Consumer Law: LegalConsumer.com

Tools and Resources for Kentucky Consumers

Kentucky Inheritance Law & Probate Procedure

Kentucky PROBATE COURT FINDER:
- Probate Court for Your County: Key information about your local probate court (District Court in Kentucky) for Your County.
How Probate Works in Kentucky: How to handle the probate of an inheritance at Your County's probate court.
- Here are links to Kentucky probate forms from the Kentucky probate court website.
Small Estates Procedures in Kentucky: Learn how to use Kentucky's Small Estate procedures that can save you time and money.
- In Kentucky, there's no Affidavit procedure available for small estates. There is a summary probate procedure available for estates that are less than $30,000, there is no Will, and there is a surviving spouse. This procedure is also available if there is no surviving spouse and someone else has paid at least $30,000 in preferred claims.
  
  Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann 391.030, 395.455
Kentucky Estate Taxes:
- Kentucky, like most states, does not impose an estate or inheritance tax. Only a few states do.
Avoiding Probate in Kentucky. Find out what property bypasses probate death and goes directly to beneficiaries. such as:
- Transfer on Death Deeds (TODDs)

Kentucky Wage & Hour Law

Kentucky Minimum Wage:
- The minimum wage in Kentucky is the same as the federal minimum wage: $7.25 an hour.
  
  Jefferson County Minimum Wage
  
  The minimum wage in Jefferson County is $7.25 an hour, the state minimum wage. Kentucky law prohibits city and county governments from adopting a local minimum wage that's higher than the state minimum wage.
  
  Louisville Minimum Wage
  
  The minimum wage in Louisville is $7.25 an hour. The city of Louisville tried to raise its minimum wage in 2015 (to $8.15 to start, with increases thereafter). However, Kentucky’s Supreme Court struck down this ordinance, finding that cities and local governments can’t raise the minimum wage for local employees. As a result, Louisville employees are entitled only to the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25.
- Learn more about Kentucky’s minimum wage and pay laws at https://labor.ky.gov/standards/Pages/Wages-and-Hours.aspx.
Overtime Pay: Every state has rules about weekly maximum hours and overtime. Learn about the overtime laws in Kentucky and whether they apply to you.
- If you work more than 40 hours in a workweek, your employer must pay you 1-1/2 times your regular hourly wage for each overtime hour you work, unless you are exempt. If you work seven days in a workweek, your employer must also pay you 1-1/2 times your regular hourly wage for work on the seventh day. See Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws, at the website of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, for more information on overtime rules and exemptions in Kentucky.
Wage Claims: If you're being unlawfully underpaid, you need to learn how to file a "Wage Claim" in Kentucky.
- The Kentucky Labor Cabinet has posted an online wage complaint form at its website.
Tips : Every state has special pay rates for tipped workers. Find out the rules for tipped workers in Kentucky.
- In Kentucky, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of $2.13 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.
State Labor Board:
- Learn more about your rights under Kentucky law from the Kentucky Labor Cabinet. 502-564-3534

Kentucky Unemployment Benefits

Benefit Amounts in Kentucky: Learn how unemployment works, how much you'll get, and for how long.
- In Kentucky, unemployment benefits range from $39 per week to $665 per week.
- Formula:
  In Kentucky, your weekly benefit amount will be 1.1923% of your wages during the entire base period.
- Duration:
  In Kentucky, the duration of benefits depends on the state's unemployment rate when you apply. The maximum period for which you can receive benefits ranges from 12 to 24 weeks.
Eligibility: >Whether you qualify for unemployment.
How to Apply: How to apply for unemployment in Kentucky.
Unemployment Office Near Me? How to find your local unemployment office.

Bankruptcy & Debt

Free Kentucky MEANS TEST CALCULATOR for Your County (applies the state and county income and expense standards into your means test calculation. Updated with the latest median income and expense standards for April 1, 2024)
Free Kentucky BANKRUPTCY EXEMPTION FINDER: Search detailed listings of bankruptcy exemptions under Kentucky law and Federal law, for use in filing out Schedule C, when you file for bankruptcy.
Kentucky BANKRUPTCY COURT ESSENTIAL INFO: Get information about using your local bankruptcy court.
FREE BANKRUPTCY FORMS:
We'll tell you which bankruptcy forms you need and where to find them.