Calculating Child Support in Florida
If two parents cannot reach a sensible agreement on a child support amount in a West Palm Beach child custody case, the court will determine an amount using the support guidelines located in Florida statutes. Child support is calculated using Florida Statute 61.30, which states that certain child support guidelines are taken into consideration when determining the amount of child support to be ordered. These guidelines are largely based on the income of each parent.
How Child Support is Calculated
To start, each parent’s net income (his or her gross amount of income minus allowable deductions) is determined.
A parent’s gross income includes:
- Salary or wages
- Disability benefits
- Bonuses and other commissions
- Unemployment compensation
- Pension, retirement and social security benefits
- Income from trusts, estates or royalties
- Reimbursed expenses
Allowable deductions from gross income include:
- Federal, state and local income tax deductions
- Mandatory retirement payments
- Health insurance payments
- Self-employment tax or federal insurance contributions
In accordance with Florida law, both parents’ net income is then added together and the fundamental child support amount is determined using a specific Florida Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (which can be found in the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form - http://flcourts.org/gen_public/family/forms_rules/902b.pdf).
The amount of child support that one parent must pay to another parent is determined by the Florida Child Support Guidelines, and it’s important you are familiar with these guidelines. Our firm has experience handling child support matters in Florida and our West Palm Beach attorneys assist our clients with their initial child support calculations.
This article was provided by:
Plasencia & Associates
http://www.plasencialawfirm.com
Suite 100, 4 Harvard Circle,
West Palm Beach, Florida 33409
877-821-9365
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