Florida calculates child support using an income-shares formula designed to give a child roughly the same share of parental income they would have received if the family had stayed together. This guide explains how the guideline works under Fla. Stat. § 61.30.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. Your actual support amount depends on your specific numbers. For how support fits with the rest of a divorce, see Divorce and Family Law in Florida.
The income-shares model
Florida uses an income-shares approach under Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The court combines both parents’ net incomes, looks up the total support obligation for that combined income and the number of children on a statutory guideline schedule, and then divides that obligation between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The parent with more income generally pays a larger share. The goal is that the child benefits from both parents’ resources.
The method follows a defined sequence. First, the court determines each parent’s monthly net income and adds the two together to reach the combined monthly net income. Second, it locates that combined figure and the number of children on the guideline schedule built into Fla. Stat. § 61.30 to find the basic monthly child support obligation — the amount the schedule says a family at that income level typically spends on that number of children. Third, it adds qualifying expenses such as health insurance and work-related child care to reach the total obligation. Fourth, it calculates each parent’s percentage share of the combined income and assigns each parent that percentage of the total obligation. Finally, it adjusts for the time-sharing schedule. Because the schedule and percentages do most of the work, the calculation is meant to be relatively objective: the same incomes and the same number of children generally produce the same baseline number regardless of which judge runs it.
Calculating net income
Support is based on net income, not gross. The court starts with each parent’s gross income from nearly all sources — wages, salary, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, and more — then subtracts allowable deductions, such as federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare taxes, mandatory union dues, health insurance for the parent, and any court-ordered support actually paid for other children. Because Florida has no state income tax, the net-income calculation here is somewhat simpler than in many other states, though federal taxes and other deductions still apply.
The guideline schedule and the low-income adjustment
The heart of Fla. Stat. § 61.30 is the guideline schedule — a table that pairs combined monthly net income with the number of children to produce a basic support figure. The schedule is not a flat percentage; the obligation rises as combined income rises, but the percentage of income devoted to the child gradually decreases at higher income levels, reflecting how families actually spend. The schedule covers combined net incomes up to a stated ceiling. Below the lowest income tiers, the statute builds in a minimum support obligation and a low-income adjustment so that a parent with very little income is not left with too little to live on, while still contributing something for the child. When combined income exceeds the top of the schedule, the court does not simply stop — it applies the highest scheduled amount and may add a percentage of the income above the ceiling, using its judgment to set a figure that fits the child’s needs and the family’s circumstances. Either way, the schedule is the anchor, and most disputes are really about the inputs — income, overnights, and add-ons — rather than the table itself.
Adding child care and health insurance
Two common costs are added to the basic obligation and then allocated between the parents in proportion to income:
- Health insurance — the child’s portion of health and dental insurance premiums, plus reasonable uncovered medical expenses.
- Child care — work-related or education-related child care costs needed so a parent can earn income.
These additions can significantly change the final number, which is why accurate figures matter. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.30, the cost of the child’s health insurance premium and the work-related child-care cost are added to the basic obligation before it is split, so each parent ends up sharing those expenses in proportion to income. A practical wrinkle is that the parent who actually pays a given expense — for instance, the one who carries the child on an employer health plan or who writes the daycare check — receives credit for it in the final calculation, which offsets what they would otherwise owe. The child-care figure should reflect the parent’s actual, reasonable, work- or education-related cost, and the statute directs that it be reduced to account for the federal child-care tax credit where applicable. Uncovered or extraordinary medical expenses — copays, deductibles, orthodontics, and the like — are typically allocated between the parents in the same income proportions, and a careful order will say so expressly to avoid later disputes.
How overnights affect the amount
The number of overnights each parent has with the child is built directly into the guideline. The key threshold under Fla. Stat. § 61.30 is 20 percent of the overnights in a year — roughly 73 nights. When each parent has the child for at least that many overnights, the case is treated as substantial time-sharing, and the formula switches to a gross-up calculation. The gross-up method multiplies the basic obligation by 1.5 to recognize that maintaining two households for a child costs more than one, then allocates that grossed-up amount between the parents according to both their income shares and their share of overnights. The two resulting obligations are offset against each other, and the parent who owes the larger amount pays the difference.
The practical effect is that the more overnights a paying parent has above the 20 percent line, the more their obligation is reduced, because they are directly covering more of the child’s day-to-day costs during their own time. That said, equal (50/50) time-sharing rarely reduces support to zero when the parents earn different incomes, because the income-shares logic still aims to keep the child’s standard of living roughly equivalent in both homes. A parent just below the 20 percent threshold does not get the gross-up adjustment at all, which is why the exact count of overnights in the parenting plan can meaningfully change the number. For how the time-sharing schedule itself is set, see Time-Sharing and Parenting Plans in Florida.
Deviating from the guideline
The guideline amount is presumed correct, but a court can deviate by more than five percent if it makes written findings explaining why the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate. Reasons can include extraordinary medical or educational needs of the child, a special parenting arrangement, or other relevant factors listed in Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The party asking for a deviation must justify it.
Imputed income and underemployment
A parent cannot lower their support obligation simply by quitting a job or taking a lower-paying one. If the court finds that a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, it can impute income — that is, calculate support based on what the parent could reasonably earn rather than what they actually earn (Fla. Stat. § 61.30). The court looks at the parent’s recent work history, occupational qualifications, and the prevailing earnings level in the community, and it must make specific written findings about the source of the imputed income and the amount. The parent asking the court to impute income generally bears the burden of showing both that the other parent is voluntarily earning less and what that parent could earn instead. Imputation does not apply when the lower income is genuinely beyond the parent’s control, such as a layoff, a documented disability, or the demands of caring for a child of the parties. The rule prevents a parent from manipulating the guideline by becoming voluntarily poor, while still protecting parents whose reduced income is involuntary.
Enforcement of child support
Florida takes child-support enforcement seriously. Most orders include automatic income withholding, so payments are deducted directly from the paying parent’s wages. If a parent falls behind, the court and the Florida Department of Revenue can use a range of tools, including suspending a driver license or professional license, intercepting tax refunds, placing liens on property, and holding the parent in contempt of court. Unpaid support accrues as a judgment and does not simply disappear over time.
Duration and modification
Child support in Florida generally continues until the child turns 18, or until 19 if the child is still in high school with a reasonable expectation of graduating before turning 19. Support can continue beyond that for a child who is dependent due to a mental or physical incapacity that began before adulthood. Either parent can ask the court to modify support if there is a substantial change in circumstances — such as a significant change in income or in the time-sharing schedule. Support is enforced by the court and the Florida Department of Revenue, with tools including income withholding. For how support fits with parenting and the rest of a divorce, see Time-Sharing and Parenting Plans in Florida and How Divorce Works in Florida.
A simplified example of how the math works
It helps to see the income-shares method applied. Suppose two parents have combined monthly net income of $6,000, split $3,600 (60 percent) for one parent and $2,400 (40 percent) for the other, with one child. The court looks up the basic support obligation for $6,000 and one child on the statutory schedule in Fla. Stat. § 61.30 — say that figure is $1,000. The parent earning 60 percent is responsible for 60 percent of that obligation, and the parent earning 40 percent for 40 percent. If the child lives primarily with the lower-earning parent, the higher-earning parent typically pays their 60 percent share to the other household. Real cases add the child’s health insurance and child-care costs to the obligation and adjust for overnights, so the actual number will differ, but this illustrates the core idea: both incomes go in, and the obligation is shared in proportion to income.
Retroactive support
When parents have been separated before a support order is entered, Florida allows the court to order retroactive child support back to the date the parents stopped living together in the same household, up to a maximum of 24 months before the petition was filed (Fla. Stat. § 61.30). The court uses the parents’ income during that earlier period to calculate the retroactive amount and can allow it to be paid over time. This prevents a parent from avoiding support simply by delaying the case.
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Florida?
Florida uses the income-shares guideline in Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The court combines both parents’ net incomes, finds the total support obligation on a statutory schedule, and splits it between the parents in proportion to income. Health insurance, child care, and the number of overnights all factor into the final amount.
Do I still pay child support with 50/50 time-sharing?
Often yes. The overnight schedule is built into the calculation, so equal time-sharing reduces the amount, but it rarely eliminates support when the parents earn different incomes. The higher-earning parent typically still pays something to keep the child’s standard of living consistent across both homes.
When does child support end in Florida?
Generally when the child turns 18, or up to 19 if the child is still in high school and expected to graduate before turning 19. Support can extend longer for a child who remains dependent because of a mental or physical incapacity that began before reaching adulthood.
Can child support be changed later?
Yes. Either parent can seek a modification if there is a substantial change in circumstances, such as a significant change in income, a change in the time-sharing schedule, or a change in the child’s needs. The court recalculates under the current guideline using updated figures.
Find a Florida family law attorney. Small differences in income, overnights, and add-on costs can meaningfully change a support number. A Florida family law attorney can run the guideline correctly and advocate for a fair result. This guide is general information, not legal advice.