Full question:
i need to know if Florida has a child support law in reference to joint or shared custody. for example the parental support is figured out instead of a combined income.
- Category: Divorce
- Subcategory: Child Support
- Date:
- State: Florida
Answer:
Yes, Florida has specific child support guidelines for joint or shared custody. According to Fla. Stat. § 61.30, when a parenting plan allows each child to spend a substantial amount of time with both parents, the court adjusts the child support award. Here’s how it works:
- Calculate each parent's support obligation without including daycare and health insurance costs, then multiply by 1.5.
- Determine the percentage of overnight stays each parent has with the child.
- Multiply each parent's support obligation by the percentage of overnight stays the other parent has.
- The difference in these amounts is the monetary transfer needed for child care, adjusted for daycare and health insurance costs.
- Calculate the net amounts owed for daycare and health insurance, and adjust the support obligation accordingly.
- The court can deviate from this calculated amount based on various factors, including the parents' income and the likelihood of following the time-sharing schedule.
To qualify as spending a substantial amount of time, a parent must have at least twenty percent of the overnights in a year.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
