Florida Child Support: How Much Will You Have to Pay and Where Is It Going To

When parents divorce in Florida, it is their duty to continue to support their children financially. Both parents are responsible for providing the financial support that is needed to take care of their children. 

Florida Child Support: How Much Will You Have to Pay and Where Is It Going To
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The parent who does not live with the child is known as the “obligor,” and the parent who does live with the child full-time is called the “obligee.” If you are legally divorced from your spouse and do not live with your child, you will be required to make monthly payments to support your child. 

This is known as “child support,” and it ensures that your child continues to have his or her basic needs met after you are no longer living in the same home.

This article will explain how Florida child support is calculated and where it goes.

How Florida Child Support is Calculated

If you and your spouse can come to an agreement on your own about what is fair, you do not have to use the guidelines that the court uses. But if you cannot agree and need to go through the court process, here are some things you should know about how child support is calculated:

Gross Income

The state of Florida uses a formula that takes into consideration each parent's gross income. Gross income includes all types of income, including salary, hourly wages, bonus pay, commission earnings, tips, rental income, self-employment income, dividends and interest on investment accounts.

Number of Children

The number of children you have will have an impact on your finances. Not only will there be more mouths to feed, but your housing and car needs will increase. That's why Florida law requires that the noncustodial parent increase their child support payments if they have more than one child.

Time Spent With the Child

The amount of time the child spends with each parent is a major factor in determining who will pay child support and how much. The general rule is that, if the parents spend equal amounts of time with the child, they will have an equal responsibility to provide for their child. If one parent has more time with the child than the other, he or she will be less responsible for paying support because he or she already spent more on the child directly. This is true even if the other parent makes significantly more money.

What Child Support Covers

● Florida child support is used for covering the costs of day-to-day care of the child. The expenses involved in this are:

● Food, including daily meals and snacks

● Clothing, including school clothes, socks and shoes

● School-related expenses, such as tuition and fees, books, school supplies and transportation to and from school

● Childcare or babysitting costs

● Healthcare costs, including health insurance premiums and copays for doctor visits

● Recreational activities and equipment, including sports uniforms and fees

● Educational travel

Final Word

Child support is a subject that many people do not understand completely. There are misconceptions about what the amount of child support actually covers, how it is calculated, and how it can be modified. We hope that this article has helped to clear the air around some of these subjects. If you have any questions regarding child support, it is best to speak with an experienced family law attorney.