How Florida Calculates Child Support
Florida uses the Income Shares model for child support. The governing law is Florida Statutes Section 61.30, which sets out the guidelines every court in the state must follow. Florida's guidelines were updated in 2023 to reflect current economic data on child-rearing costs. All child support orders in Florida — whether entered by agreement or by a judge — must comply with Section 61.30 unless the court specifically finds that applying the guideline would be unjust or inappropriate.
Florida's model combines both parents' monthly gross incomes to establish the total minimum monthly obligation for the children. Each parent pays their proportional share of that obligation. The parent with less parenting time transfers their share to the parent with more parenting time.
The Florida Child Support Formula
Florida's calculation follows five steps.
Step one is determining each parent's monthly gross income. Step two is adding both gross incomes together to get the combined gross monthly income. Step three is locating the Minimum Child Support Need in Florida's schedule using the combined income and number of children. Step four is dividing each parent's gross income by the combined total to calculate their income share percentage. Step five is multiplying each parent's income share by the Minimum Child Support Need to determine their individual monthly obligation.
Florida's schedule produces the minimum support need — courts can order more when circumstances warrant, but the schedule sets the floor.
A practical example: Parent A earns $4,500 per month gross. Parent B earns $2,000 per month gross. Combined income is $6,500. Parent A's income share is 69.2%. Parent B's income share is 30.8%. If Florida's schedule sets the Minimum Child Support Need at $1,050 for one child at $6,500 combined income, Parent A's obligation is $727 per month. Add-ons for healthcare and childcare are then allocated on top of that figure.
What Counts as Income in Florida
Florida's income definition is detailed in Section 61.30(2). Courts include wages, salaries, bonuses, commissions, overtime, business income from self-employment or partnerships, rental income, pension and retirement distributions, Social Security benefits, SSDI payments, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, and income from any other source.
Florida courts can impute income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Courts consider the parent's recent work history, qualifications, and the prevailing wage for their occupation in the local area. If a parent chooses not to work when they are capable of working, the court uses the income they could earn rather than their current earnings.
Florida also allows courts to consider seasonal or fluctuating income. If a parent's income varies significantly by month — for example, a construction worker or a commission-based salesperson — courts typically average income over the prior 12 to 24 months.
Step-by-Step: How to Use This Calculator
Step 1 — Get your gross monthly income. Gross means before taxes and before any deductions. Include all sources: wages, rental income, business profits, retirement distributions, and any other regular income.
Step 2 — If you have court-ordered child support obligations for other children, subtract that amount. Florida allows a deduction for court-ordered support payments to children from other relationships. This reduces your income for purposes of this calculation.
Step 3 — Estimate the other parent's gross monthly income using the same approach.
Step 4 — Enter the number of children this order covers.
Step 5 — Enter your parenting time percentage. Count your actual overnights per year. Divide by 365. Every-other-weekend is roughly 14 to 20 percent. Equal time is 50 percent. Florida has a specific threshold at 20 percent — parenting time below 20 percent receives no credit. At 20 percent and above, an adjustment applies.
Step 6 — Add healthcare costs. Enter the monthly premium for the children's health insurance — only the children's portion.
Step 7 — Add childcare costs. Enter monthly work-related childcare expenses.
Step 8 — Review the full breakdown before accepting the result.
Parenting Time Adjustments in Florida
Florida's parenting time adjustment is one of the clearest in the country. The threshold is 73 overnights per year — approximately 20 percent of the year. Below that threshold, no parenting time credit applies. At 73 overnights and above, a credit reduces the paying parent's obligation.
At 50/50 parenting time (182 or more overnights per year), Florida applies a specific shared parenting formula. Both parents' obligations are calculated, and the two amounts are offset against each other. The parent with the higher net obligation pays the difference.
For parents close to the 73-overnight threshold, the exact count matters. Moving from 72 to 73 overnights per year triggers the credit. If your parenting schedule is in that range, counting actual overnights is worth doing.
At equal parenting time with significantly different incomes, a net payment still flows from the higher earner to the lower earner in Florida. Equal time does not mean zero child support unless incomes are also essentially equal.
Add-On Expenses in Florida
Florida adds health insurance premiums and work-related childcare costs to the Minimum Child Support Need. These are split proportionally by income. Courts may also add noncovered medical, dental, and prescription expenses when those costs are significant.
Florida courts can also address other necessary costs specific to a child's circumstances — for example, ongoing therapy, special education expenses, or extraordinary extracurricular costs. These require a specific finding and are generally handled through the deviation process.
Reading Your Results
The results section shows the combined gross income, the Minimum Child Support Need from Florida's schedule, each parent's income share percentage, the parenting time adjustment if applicable, add-on costs, and the final monthly obligation.
Florida's results include an annual total and a projection to age 18. Florida child support obligations typically terminate when the child reaches 18 or graduates high school, whichever is later — up to age 19 maximum. For college-aged children, Florida courts can order support to continue in limited circumstances.
After You Get Your Estimate
Florida courts use the Section 61.30 guidelines in essentially every case. Deviation requires a written finding that the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate. Deviation grounds include a child's unusual medical or educational needs, significant income disparities combined with very low incomes, or a prior written agreement between the parents that departs from the guideline.
Florida allows modification when there has been a substantial change in circumstances — typically at least a 15 percent change in the calculated amount or $50 per month, whichever is greater. Income changes, parenting time changes, and changes in the children's needs are the most common grounds.
Connect with a licensed Florida family law attorney to review your specific numbers — many Florida family law firms offer a free initial consultation for child support cases.