Child Support- What You Need To Know

In Florida, Child support is a financial obligation imposed by a court on a parent to provide for their children’s care, maintenance, training, and education. The amount of child support a parent is to pay is determined in accordance with the statutory Child Support Guidelines. This  guideline schedule is based on the parents’ combined net income estimated to have been allocated to the child as if the parents and children were living in an intact household. The guidelines encourage fair and efficient settlement of support issues between parents and minimizes the need for litigation.

The amount of child support is generally determined by the parents’ net income, custody (now known as time-sharing) rights, and the number of children involved in the case. In the vast majority of cases, the Florida Child Support Guidelines will be strictly enforced by the court. However, the judge has the authority to vary from the Guidelines in certain circumstances.

In order to have the child support calculated correctly, it is very important to work with our attorneys who can help you determine the amount of support and advocate for your best financial interests. The attorneys at Quinn & Lynch, P.A. have extensive experience with family law and divorce matters. We work with parents throughout the Tampa Bay area who need assistance with any and all child support-related issues.

In order to determine child support, the Court will review the gross and net income of the Parties. Gross income and allowable deductions are defined in Florida Statue 61.30. Once the parties’ net incomes have been calculated, the child support guidelines will then take into consideration any costs of health insurance paid by either parent for the child as well as any before school or after school care or daycare costs for the child. In addition, the number of overnights each parent has with the child annually is considered in the determination of child support.

If a parent is either unemployed or underemployed, the court can assign income to such person if  such unemployment or underemployment is found by the court to be voluntary on that parent’s part, absent a finding of fact by the court of physical or mental incapacity or other circumstances over which the parent has no control.

The attorneys at Quinn & Lynch, P.A. have extensive experience with family law and divorce matters. We work with parents throughout Tampa and St. Petersburg who need assistance with any and all child support-related issues