How Much Is My Child Support Going To Be In Florida?
Under Florida law, both parents have an obligation to support their minor children financially. That is why the court will order child support when parents get divorced.
Florida law sets forth child support guidelines to ensure that courts award the appropriate amount of support after the dissolution of marriage. If you and the other parent of your child wish to end your marriage, you may wonder, “How much is my child support going to be?”
Contact an Orlando child support attorney to help you determine the appropriate amount of support in your specific case.
How Do Florida Courts Calculate Child Support?
Florida courts are required to follow the state’s child support guidelines when calculating support. The guidelines are codified in Fla. Stat. § 61.13. The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that:
- the awarded amount of child support is fair; and
- the payor has the ability to provide support.
The guidelines include but are not limited to the following factors:
- Each parent’s ability to provide for the child financially;
- Each parent’s income;
- The number of children each parent has;
- The reasonable costs of the child’s needs; and
- The amount of time the parents were ordered to spend with the child.
It is advisable to consult with an experienced attorney to help you analyze your particular situation to determine how much your child support is going to be.
Determining Child Support in a Florida Divorce
When determining child support upon divorce, each parent is required to provide a financial affidavit to the court. The affidavit establishes each parent’s income and reasonable expenses.
The court will then calculate each party’s net income by calculating gross income and deducting certain fees and costs. Once the court finds out each parent’s net income, it will use the guidelines to calculate the appropriate amount of child support.
The court then assigns a percentage of the monthly obligation to each parent by adding together each parent’s net income to determine the combined available income. The percentage is not always equal, as one parent may be obligated to pay more than the other.
The amount of child support each parent is required to pay also depends on the amount of time each parent spends with the kids. The more parenting time a parent has, the less they are required to pay because the parent who spends more time with the child is presumably spending more money on the child.
Once the court determines child support, the parents cannot modify the amount unless there has been a substantial change in circumstances.
Discuss Your Case with an Orlando Child Support Lawyer
In Florida, child support awards are based on a wide range of factors. Determining how much your child support is going to be is difficult without a thorough analysis of your specific case.
That is why it is advisable to contact a skilled child support lawyer for a case review. Schedule a consultation with our detail-oriented and experienced attorney Rania Arwani at Arwani Law Firm. Call 407-254-0060 to get a consultation.