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In order to calculate child support in Florida, you must follow the following steps-by-step formula:

  •  Calculate each party’s net monthly income by determining their total pay and then deducting federal income taxes, social security, Medicare, health insurance premiums (for the parent but not the child), mandatory retirement payments and mandatory union dues.
  •  Add both parties’ net monthly income to arrive at a combined net monthly income figure.
  • Divide each party’s individual net monthly income by the combined net monthly income to determine the percentage by which each party will be liable for the total child support.
  • Plug the combined net monthly income figure and the number of children into the chart found in Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e). Where each parent has the child more than 20% of the overnights, you will multiply this base child support by a factor of 1.5. (Hint, under the new law this will happen in almost every case.) This provides the base amount of support that is owed.
  • Multiply each party’s percentage (see C above) by the base child support reflected in Form 12.902. This will give you each party’s initial support obligation.
  • Multiply the each party’s initial support obligation by the percentage of overnights that the children spend with the other parent. This will calculate each party’s support obligation.

 Add-Ons

  •  Determine the costs for the child’s heath insurance and daycare expenses. Multiply these costs by each party’s percentage (see C above) and add it to their support obligation.
  • Offset the amounts owed by each party to determine the amount that the payor will be obligated to tender.

 

Of course, there are any number of online child support calculators which will do this for you but it is important to have a basic understanding of the underlying issues in your case.