All states have child support guidelines by which courts determine child support. Florida child support guidelines attempt to approximate the portion of parental income that should be available for the care of the minor children. Florida child support guidelines are not an exact method of calculating child support in every situation. Parties can argue that because of special circumstances, for example, shared parental responsibility, primary physical residence, or secondary physical residence, a court should deviate from the guideline amount by five (5%) percent. Other factors for consideration upon which the child support guidelines may be adjusted include:
- Extraordinary medical, psychological, educational, or dental expenses
- Independent income of the child
- The custodial parent receiving child support for another child
- Seasonal variations in a parent's income or expenses
- The amount paid for the child's health insurance
- The terms of any shared parental agreement
- The amount paid for insurance of each individual parent
- The impact of any IRS Dependency Exemption
- Any subsequent children by the paying spouse
- Any other reason that should be considered in order to make the child support payments equitable.
The court may order either parent to pay child support during and after a Dissolution of Marriage proceeding in an equitable amount, based on the nature and circumstances of the case. Florida child support is typically calculated by using a Child Support Worksheet. The worksheet will generate an appropriate Florida child support obligation according to each spouse's income and other relative numeric factors such as taxes paid and health insurance paid, etc.
The Baird Law Group can assist you and your family with all of your Florida Child Support needs. For assistance with child support in Florida, please contact us.
