The calculation of child support in Florida is controlled by child support guidelines. To calculate child support, there are several factors that must be considered in every case. What is the net monthly income of each party? How many children do the parties have together? What is the monthly daycare costs of the children? What is the monthly health insurance costs of each party? What is the monthly health insurance cost of the children?
I built (with the help of a smart computer programmer!) a Florida Child Support Calculator. The calculator is provided for general information purposes. Obtaining a printout of the calculation may help you understand some of the “math” behind the calculation.
Before agreeing on a child support figure a complete understanding of how net income is calculated including what constitutes gross income and what deductions are allowed from gross income needs to be understood. The correct calculation of net income could have a substantial impact on the actual amount of child support paid.
It is important to also note that there may be reasons to deviate from the child support guidelines due to factors set forth in the Florida Statutes. As an example, the amount of timesharing provided a parent could have an impact on the amount of child support paid. I will address the issue of deviation in a future separate post.
Copyright © 2009 Steven A. Leitman
Original posting on 904Divorce.com
