Child support is a legal duty. The amount that one parent must pay the other is determined by the Florida Child Support Guidelines as laid out in Florida law.
These guidelines take into consideration several factors including both parents’ income, the child’s healthcare and child care costs and the standard needs for the child.
Child support payments are not voluntary; they are mandatory and court ordered. The court order must lay out who will pay for a child’s health insurance and it will be credited to the parent who pays it.
In instances where there is shared custody, the court will take into consideration how much time the child spends with each parent and the expenses incurred. In such cases, the amount of child support generally will be less than in cases where one parent has sole custody or the non-custodial parent has limited visitation.
A free calculator is available here. However, it is important to keep in mind it should serve only as a guideline and may not take into consideration various factors that can impact individual cases.
Support can be modified as circumstances change. Either parent can request a modification, but their financial situation must have changed substantially. It’s important that child support is determined properly early on so that both parties don’t have to come back to court and face additional attorneys fees and costs.
Sustainable Family Solutions has extensive experience in handling child support matters in Florida. We can assist our clients with their child support calculations and modifications.
If you are interested in a consultation or have questions do not hesitate to contact Sustainable Family Solutions. Simply click here and send us a message and we will get right back to you.