Florida Child Support

In Florida, a person who is obligated to pay child support is called the “obligor parent,” and the person entitled to receive child support is called the “oblige parent.”  When parents are married, they have a legal obligation to support their children. This responsibility remains even when the parents’ divorce or if the parties have never been married. Both parents must continue to financially support the child until they turn eighteen (18) years-old, or if they are still in high school at the age of eighteen (18) years-old, the child support obligation will continue until the child graduates from high school.

What Are Florida’s Child Support Laws?

In most cases, child support is mandatory in Florida. The purpose of child support is to make sure that both parents are still financially responsible for the child, even after a divorce. Child support can also be imposed on a parent once paternity has been determined, even if that parent did not know of the child’s existence.

Child support payments in Florida are overseen by the Florida Department of Revenue. They help Florida citizens with locating parents, establishing paternity, determining assets, and establish and modify child support orders. They monitor payments and help a parent take action if the other parent does not pay their support on time. They can receive and distribute payments. If needed, they also offer parenting classes.

Another term frequently used in child support issues is the term “Guidelines.” This term refers to the guidelines which are set forth in Florida law for the courts to use when calculating the amount of child support owed. Learn more about the specifics of the Florida child support laws and guidelines below.

How is Child Support Determined/Calculated in Florida?

Child custody and child support are two different determinations. Child custody establishes who will have legal and/or physical custody or as we term in Florida, parental responsibility timesharing of the child. These can be joint, where the parents share responsibility, or it can be sole, where one parent is mostly in charge of the child. In general, the non-custodial parent will end up making child support payments to the other parent. Determining custody is generally done through Florida family courts.

Determining who pays child support and the amount that is owed can be a difficult task. When making these decisions, the courts follow the Income Shares Model that considers several monetary factors of both parents including:

  • Wages and salary
  • Bonuses, commissions, and tips
  • Disability benefits
  • Spousal support
  • Worker’s compensation
  • Social Security payments
  • Retirement and pension plans
  • Property ownership
  • Unemployment assistance
  • Other forms of compensation through self-employed or contractor work

After the total amount of a parent’s gross wages is calculated, deductions are subtracted from the amount. These include taxes, other spousal support, and any additional child support payments. This net amount is then used to determine the total amount of money you need to pay by using specific state-mandated guidelines.

In the event the other party is unemployed, underemployed, or not making as much as you potentially could in an attempt to lower child support payments, the court may “impute” income. In other words, if you are intentionally not working at your true capacity, the court may calculate an appropriate salary for you as if you were working to determine the amount of support owed. However, this is only used when the reduction in hours or pay is at the discretion of the party. This is used to help the receiving party when the paying party tries to conceal their true income to pay less child support.

What About Florida Child Support Deductions?

As you can see, almost any income source can be considered and will be included when calculating child support. However, there are still several deductions that a party maty qualify for which would lower their child support payments. While this is not an exhaustive list, some examples of deductions include:

  • Federal, state, and local income tax deductions.
  • Retirement payments.
  • Health insurance payments, except for those concerning the minor child.

These deductions lower the total amount of income earned by a party that the court can use to determine their obligation of child support payment. This becomes especially important when the court calculates the net income of both parents.

When Does Child Support End in Florida?

Once child support is determined, parents will continue to pay the set amount until the child turns 18. Some special circumstances may exist that extend the length of payment like graduation from high school after the age of eighteen (18) or if the child has a disability.

Child support laws in Florida provide that the court “may order either or both parents to support a child” until either the child turns 18 or graduates from high school (the later of the two), the child emancipates by marriage, the disabilities of the child are removed, or the child dies. However, as further discussed below, if the child is deemed to be disabled by the court (physically or mentally), then the child may receive support indefinitely.

How Can You Stop Child Support Payments in Florida?

It is possible to alter child support payments. This too has specific qualifications that must be met and it can be hard to change payment calculations or schedules. It is usually only done when one parent can show that the other has had a major and ongoing financial change. Examples include a change in job status or coming into a substantial amount of money like from an inheritance or winning the lottery.

Stopping child support payments in Florida can be even more difficult, but it can be done. Some ways to do this include:

  • An agreement between the parents: If both parents agree, child support payments can be waived or stopped. It is important to note that a judge has the right to supersede this agreement if they feel it is unfair. This means that a judge can still order child support even if both parents state they do not need it. In practice, the judge tends to follow parental agreements unless they suspect one parent has not entered the decision in good faith.
  • Give up your parental rights: A parent can decide to do this but they will have to follow specific state guidelines. If a parent surrenders their parental rights they do not have to pay child support anymore. However, this also means that they no longer have any say in what the child does and they cannot request visitation rights. In some instances, the custodial parent may ask the non-custodial parent to give up their rights. This is generally done when the custodial parent either has a new partner that wants to legally adopt the child, or they do not want the child to know the other parent.
  • Terminating any child support agreement: The support agreement will be void when the child turns eighteen (18) unless there are special circumstances. It is also automatically terminated if one parent dies. The court could also terminate the agreement if you lose your job or if you go to prison. In these cases, the court will more than likely be inclined to alter payments rather than terminating them altogether.

How Are Florida’s Child Support Guidelines Applied?

Once the court has calculated your total income, the judge will use this number to determine how much child support is owed based on the Child Support Guidelines from Florida Statute 61.30.

Even though the guidelines seem like a rigid set of rules that the court must follow, they have some flexibility when determining the amount of child support in a case. The court automatically has the discretion to set the child support five percent above or below the amount in the guidelines.

Any deviation from the guidelines greater than five percent must have a written finding to support why the different amount is warranted. For example, if a party’s child support obligation pursuant to the guidelines is $500, the court can automatically adjust the amount to $475 or $525 based on what they find is suitable for the given situation.

In addition to the court’s discretion regarding the amount of support owed, these figures also automatically adjust based on how many children the couple shares. For example, if the parties have a net income of $2,000, the guidelines state $442 in support will be granted for one child, $686 for two children, $859 for three children, and so on.

Once the amount of support has been determined, the court will find how much each party will be responsible for. The paying parent will pay a portion of the amount found by the child support guidelines based on their percentage of the total net income.

If the guideline determines $500 as the total amount needed for the child and both parties are earning an equal amount, each parent would be responsible for $250 each month; however, if the non-custodial party makes 60% of the party’s net income, they would pay 60% of the child support amount: $300.

No two cases are identical, which makes it crucial to have proper legal guidance when understanding your child support rights and responsibilities.

How Much Child Support Do You Get for One Child in Florida? 

This is an example of the guidelines by net monthly income and the number of children and the average monthly child support obligation.

Combined
Monthly Net Child or Children
Income One Two Three Four Five Six
800.00 190 211 213 216 218 220
850.00 202 257 259 262 265 268
900.00 213 302 305 309 312 315
950.00 224 347 351 355 359 363
1000.00 235 365 397 402 406 410
1050.00 246 382 443 448 453 458
1100.00 258 400 489 495 500 505
1150.00 269 417 522 541 547 553
1200.00 280 435 544 588 594 600
1250.00 290 451 565 634 641 648
1300.00 300 467 584 659 688 695
1350.00 310 482 603 681 735 743
1400.00 320 498 623 702 765 790
1450.00 330 513 642 724 789 838
1500.00 340 529 662 746 813 869
1550.00 350 544 681 768 836 895
1600.00 360 560 701 790 860 920
1650.00 370 575 720 812 884 945
1700.00 380 591 740 833 907 971
1750.00 390 606 759 855 931 996
1800.00 400 622 779 877 955 1022
1850.00 410 638 798 900 979 1048
1900.00 421 654 818 923 1004 1074
1950.00 431 670 839 946 1029 1101
2000.00 442 686 859 968 1054 1128
2050.00 452 702 879 991 1079 1154
2100.00 463 718 899 1014 1104 1181
2150.00 473 734 919 1037 1129 1207
2200.00 484 751 940 1060 1154 1234
2250.00 494 767 960 1082 1179 1261
2300.00 505 783 980 1105 1204 1287
2350.00 515 799 1000 1128 1229 1314
2400.00 526 815 1020 1151 1254 1340
2450.00 536 831 1041 1174 1279 1367
2500.00 547 847 1061 1196 1304 1394
2550.00 557 864 1081 1219 1329 1420
2600.00 568 880 1101 1242 1354 1447
2650.00 578 896 1121 1265 1379 1473
2700.00 588 912 1141 1287 1403 1500
2750.00 597 927 1160 1308 1426 1524
2800.00 607 941 1178 1328 1448 1549
2850.00 616 956 1197 1349 1471 1573
2900.00 626 971 1215 1370 1494 1598
2950.00 635 986 1234 1391 1517 1622
3000.00 644 1001 1252 1412 1540 1647
3050.00 654 1016 1271 1433 1563 1671
3100.00 663 1031 1289 1453 1586 1695
3150.00 673 1045 1308 1474 1608 1720
3200.00 682 1060 1327 1495 1631 1744
3250.00 691 1075 1345 1516 1654 1769
3300.00 701 1090 1364 1537 1677 1793
3350.00 710 1105 1382 1558 1700 1818
3400.00 720 1120 1401 1579 1723 1842
3450.00 729 1135 1419 1599 1745 1867
3500.00 738 1149 1438 1620 1768 1891
3550.00 748 1164 1456 1641 1791 1915
3600.00 757 1179 1475 1662 1814 1940
3650.00 767 1194 1493 1683 1837 1964
3700.00 776 1208 1503 1702 1857 1987
3750.00 784 1221 1520 1721 1878 2009
3800.00 793 1234 1536 1740 1899 2031
3850.00 802 1248 1553 1759 1920 2053
3900.00 811 1261 1570 1778 1940 2075
3950.00 819 1275 1587 1797 1961 2097
4000.00 828 1288 1603 1816 1982 2119
4050.00 837 1302 1620 1835 2002 2141
4100.00 846 1315 1637 1854 2023 2163
4150.00 854 1329 1654 1873 2044 2185
4200.00 863 1342 1670 1892 2064 2207
4250.00 872 1355 1687 1911 2085 2229
4300.00 881 1369 1704 1930 2106 2251
4350.00 889 1382 1721 1949 2127 2273
4400.00 898 1396 1737 1968 2147 2295
4450.00 907 1409 1754 1987 2168 2317
4500.00 916 1423 1771 2006 2189 2339
4550.00 924 1436 1788 2024 2209 2361
4600.00 933 1450 1804 2043 2230 2384
4650.00 942 1463 1821 2062 2251 2406
4700.00 951 1477 1838 2081 2271 2428
4750.00 959 1490 1855 2100 2292 2450
4800.00 968 1503 1871 2119 2313 2472
4850.00 977 1517 1888 2138 2334 2494
4900.00 986 1530 1905 2157 2354 2516
4950.00 993 1542 1927 2174 2372 2535
5000.00 1000 1551 1939 2188 2387 2551
5050.00 1006 1561 1952 2202 2402 2567
5100.00 1013 1571 1964 2215 2417 2583
5150.00 1019 1580 1976 2229 2432 2599
5200.00 1025 1590 1988 2243 2447 2615
5250.00 1032 1599 2000 2256 2462 2631
5300.00 1038 1609 2012 2270 2477 2647
5350.00 1045 1619 2024 2283 2492 2663
5400.00 1051 1628 2037 2297 2507 2679
5450.00 1057 1638 2049 2311 2522 2695
5500.00 1064 1647 2061 2324 2537 2711
5550.00 1070 1657 2073 2338 2552 2727
5600.00 1077 1667 2085 2352 2567 2743
5650.00 1083 1676 2097 2365 2582 2759
5700.00 1089 1686 2109 2379 2597 2775
5750.00 1096 1695 2122 2393 2612 2791
5800.00 1102 1705 2134 2406 2627 2807
5850.00 1107 1713 2144 2418 2639 2820
5900.00 1111 1721 2155 2429 2651 2833
5950.00 1116 1729 2165 2440 2663 2847
6000.00 1121 1737 2175 2451 2676 2860
6050.00 1126 1746 2185 2462 2688 2874
6100.00 1131 1754 2196 2473 2700 2887
6150.00 1136 1762 2206 2484 2712 2900
6200.00 1141 1770 2216 2495 2724 2914
6250.00 1145 1778 2227 2506 2737 2927
6300.00 1150 1786 2237 2517 2749 2941
6350.00 1155 1795 2247 2529 2761 2954
6400.00 1160 1803 2258 2540 2773 2967
6450.00 1165 1811 2268 2551 2785 2981
6500.00 1170 1819 2278 2562 2798 2994
6550.00 1175 1827 2288 2573 2810 3008
6600.00 1179 1835 2299 2584 2822 3021
6650.00 1184 1843 2309 2595 2834 3034
6700.00 1189 1850 2317 2604 2845 3045
6750.00 1193 1856 2325 2613 2854 3055
6800.00 1196 1862 2332 2621 2863 3064
6850.00 1200 1868 2340 2630 2872 3074
6900.00 1204 1873 2347 2639 2882 3084
6950.00 1208 1879 2355 2647 2891 3094
7000.00 1212 1885 2362 2656 2900 3103
7050.00 1216 1891 2370 2664 2909 3113
7100.00 1220 1897 2378 2673 2919 3123
7150.00 1224 1903 2385 2681 2928 3133
7200.00 1228 1909 2393 2690 2937 3142
7250.00 1232 1915 2400 2698 2946 3152
7300.00 1235 1921 2408 2707 2956 3162
7350.00 1239 1927 2415 2716 2965 3172
7400.00 1243 1933 2423 2724 2974 3181
7450.00 1247 1939 2430 2733 2983 3191
7500.00 1251 1945 2438 2741 2993 3201
7550.00 1255 1951 2446 2750 3002 3211
7600.00 1259 1957 2453 2758 3011 3220
7650.00 1263 1963 2461 2767 3020 3230
7700.00 1267 1969 2468 2775 3030 3240
7750.00 1271 1975 2476 2784 3039 3250
7800.00 1274 1981 2483 2792 3048 3259
7850.00 1278 1987 2491 2801 3057 3269
7900.00 1282 1992 2498 2810 3067 3279
7950.00 1286 1998 2506 2818 3076 3289
8000.00 1290 2004 2513 2827 3085 3298
8050.00 1294 2010 2521 2835 3094 3308
8100.00 1298 2016 2529 2844 3104 3318
8150.00 1302 2022 2536 2852 3113 3328
8200.00 1306 2028 2544 2861 3122 3337
8250.00 1310 2034 2551 2869 3131 3347
8300.00 1313 2040 2559 2878 3141 3357
8350.00 1317 2046 2566 2887 3150 3367
8400.00 1321 2052 2574 2895 3159 3376
8450.00 1325 2058 2581 2904 3168 3386
8500.00 1329 2064 2589 2912 3178 3396
8550.00 1333 2070 2597 2921 3187 3406
8600.00 1337 2076 2604 2929 3196 3415
8650.00 1341 2082 2612 2938 3205 3425
8700.00 1345 2088 2619 2946 3215 3435
8750.00 1349 2094 2627 2955 3224 3445
8800.00 1352 2100 2634 2963 3233 3454
8850.00 1356 2106 2642 2972 3242 3464
8900.00 1360 2111 2649 2981 3252 3474
8950.00 1364 2117 2657 2989 3261 3484
9000.00 1368 2123 2664 2998 3270 3493
9050.00 1372 2129 2672 3006 3279 3503
9100.00 1376 2135 2680 3015 3289 3513
9150.00 1380 2141 2687 3023 3298 3523
9200.00 1384 2147 2695 3032 3307 3532
9250.00 1388 2153 2702 3040 3316 3542
9300.00 1391 2159 2710 3049 3326 3552
9350.00 1395 2165 2717 3058 3335 3562
9400.00 1399 2171 2725 3066 3344 3571
9450.00 1403 2177 2732 3075 3353 3581
9500.00 1407 2183 2740 3083 3363 3591
9550.00 1411 2189 2748 3092 3372 3601
9600.00 1415 2195 2755 3100 3381 3610
9650.00 1419 2201 2763 3109 3390 3620
9700.00 1422 2206 2767 3115 3396 3628
9750.00 1425 2210 2772 3121 3402 3634
9800.00 1427 2213 2776 3126 3408 3641
9850.00 1430 2217 2781 3132 3414 3647
9900.00 1432 2221 2786 3137 3420 3653
9950.00 1435 2225 2791 3143 3426 3659
10000.00 1437 2228 2795 3148 3432 3666

 

(b) For combined monthly net income greater than the amount in the guidelines schedule, the obligation is the minimum amount of support provided by the guidelines schedule plus the following percentages multiplied by the amount of income over $10,000:

Child or Children
One Two Three Four Five Six
5.0% 7.5% 9.5% 11.0% 12.0% 12.5%

 

Can There Be Deviation From the Child Support Guidelines in Florida?

The court may determine that Guidelines are unjust or inappropriate and may deviate. The court may deviate from guidelines if the evidence shows that the “best interests” of the child justify a deviation. According to Florida’s child support laws the court can basically consider anything that is relevant including a number of statutory factors.

For example, the court can consider: the age and needs of the child, the ability of the parents to contribute to supporting the child, the amount of time and possession of and access to a child, financial resources available to support the child, childcare expenses, special or extraordinary education, health care or other expenses of the child.

Can Child Support Be Ordered Retroactively in Florida?

If an obligor has not been paying child support, the court can order retroactive child support to be paid to the obligee. In determining the amount of retroactive child support, the court must look to the “net resources of the obligor during the relevant time period” and whether the mother had made any attempts to let the father known of his paternity (or the possibility of), if the father knew of his paternity (or the possibility of); whether an undue hardship will be imposed on the father and his father, and if the father had provided actual support or necessaries before the filing of the action.

The court can order retroactive child support to be paid for the two (2) years preceding the date of the support petition. The court will presume that two (2) years of retroactive is in the best interest of the child.

However, the obligee can argue that retroactive child support for more than two (2) years is in the best interest of the child if they can show that the obligor “knew or should have known that the obligor was the father of the child” and “sought to avoid the establishment of a support obligation to the child.”