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Calculating Child Support is probably far more complicated that you have been told. While Florida Law contains Child Support Guidelines (http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html), those Guidelines are not iron clad rules and can been impacted significantly by, for example, the amount of overnights each party gets with the children. Giving up overnights or gaining overnights may significantly alter the amount of child support.
CHILD SUPPORT
(Compliments of THE FLORIDA BAR)
You and your spouse each have a responsibility to support your children in accordance with their needs and your income. Child support may be by direct payment or by indirect benefits, such as mortgage payments, insurance, or payment of medical and dental expenses. Ordinarily, the obligation to support your child ends when that child reaches age 18, marries, is emancipated, joins the armed forces, or dies.
Some of the issues concerning child support which must be considered include: (a) the amount of support; (b) the method of payment; (c) ways to assure payments are made; (d) when child support may be increased or decreased; and (e) who claims the dependency deduction for tax purposes. Other questions may need to be answered, depending on the circumstances of your case. Guidelines for the amount of support apply to all cases and are based on the income of the parents and the number of children with adjustments for substantial overnight contact.
If you have a problem getting support payments from your spouse or former spouse, or the time-sharing plan is not being followed, you should bring this matter to the attention of the court. It is not legal to withhold time sharing or child support payments because either parent fails to pay court ordered child support or violates the time-sharing schedule in the parenting plan.
CHILD SUPPORT CALCULATOR
Link to Child Support Calculator:
http://floridachildsupportcalculator.com/
While the standard Child Support Calculator can be an effective tool to generally gauge support obligations, a true and more accurate picture, which may result in your getting or keeping more money, typically requires the use of the Divorce Power Analyzer, a software program available to St. Johns Law Group that can really make the difference.
Let us run the numbers for you and put our experience and knowledge to work for you.
IMPORTANT: CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINE CALCULATIONS ARE INCREASED OR DECREASED BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF OVERNIGHTS. CONTACT US BEFORE AGREEING TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU ARE ENTITLED.