Florida’s Child Support Guidelines Work A Bit Differently For High Income Parents

Florida, like many states, has specific guidelines that it uses to spell out how much divorcing parents should pay in child support, an amount that is based on how much the parties earn, the family’s expenses, and the number of children being supported. Unlike other states, however, Florida also has a provision in its child support law that specifically addresses situations where a child’s parents earn a higher than average income. Read on to learn more about how this could affect your own child support obligations.

Calculating Child Support in Florida

How much a parent must pay in child support in Florida is dictated by specific guidelines that take into account:

• The income of both parents;
• The child’s expenses, including healthcare, childcare, and education costs;
• The child’s specific needs;
• The number of children being supported; and
• A family’s particular custody arrangement.

Once these factors have been assessed, a court will use the state’s guidelines to determine how much each parent is required to pay in monthly child support. Once finalized, these orders become legally binding, which means that a parent who fails to pay could face serious penalties, including fines, contempt of court proceedings, driver’s license forfeiture, wage garnishment, and even jail time.

Florida Child Support Guidelines for Parents with Higher Incomes

Under Florida’s child support law, parents who earn over a certain amount every month may be required to pay more than the guidelines dictate in child support. For instance, under state law, parents with a combined monthly net income of $10,000 or more must not only pay the minimum amount of support provided in the guidelines, but also a specific percentage multiplied by the amount of income over $10,000. This percentage will vary depending on the number of children being supported. For one child, for instance, parents who earn more than $10,000 a month will need to pay five percent of the amount earned over $10,000. The other percentages are listed as follows:

• 7.5 percent for two children;
• 9.5 percent for three children;
• 11 percent for four children;
• 12 percent for five children; and
• 12.5 percent for six children.

If your income exceeds Florida’s child support guidelines and you have questions about how this could affect your own financial obligations, don’t hesitate to reach out to our legal team for help.

An Experienced Florida Child Support Lawyer

Just because two parents decide to divorce does not mean that those parents no longer have obligations to their shared children. They are still, for instance, obligated to financially support those children, which upon divorce, takes the form of child support payments. Calculating child support amounts can be a bit complicated, especially for high income families, so if you have questions or concerns about how much child support you or your co-parent will need to pay after divorce, feel free to call dedicated Florida child support lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. for help. You can set up a free consultation by calling our office at 954-945-7591 today.

Sources:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html

floridarevenue.com/childsupport/child_support_amounts/Pages/child_support_amounts.aspx