Both parties have the
responsibility to support the children that they have in common. Here in
the State of Florida,
the party’s child support obligation usually ends when the child
reaches the age of majority (18), marries, or becomes financially
independent. There are circumstances in which the obligation of child
support may continue past the age of eighteen (18) for the child, but
consult with an experienced attorney so that they may explain to you
whether or not this may apply in your matter.
The amount of child
support obligation that each party is responsible for is calculated
based upon the Florida Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. In order to
calculate each parties share of their respective child support
obligation, the following information is considered (a) the net income
of each of the parties; (b) any childcare expenses; (c) medical
insurance coverage provided for the children; and (d) any adjustments
for any substantial overnight contact.
Other factors that are
involved in child support are (a) who claims the dependency deduction
for tax purposes; (b) the method of payment (i.e., direct payment,
income deduction order.); and (c) the amount of support. There is some
flexibility that is allowed for a deviation in the child support
obligation amount; however, any deviation requires an explanation to the
Court in the Order as to the reasons for the deviation.
One of the most important
issues to remember in reference to child support is, if you are not
receiving child support from the other parent this does not give you the
right to withhold visitation, just as well, if you are not able to
exercise visitation with the child because of the interference of the
other parent does not give you the right to withhold child support.
These actions are not legal, and require the reprimand of the Court.
Longwell & Gentle
serves all of Central Florida, including Orange,
Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, Volusia, and Lake
counties. We offer a free consultation
that allows you to meet personally with one of our family lawyers to
confidentially discuss your case. Spanish speaking family law attorneys
and staff are available to further assist our clients. Our firm has reasonable fees and flexible payment plans. Longwell & Gentle works hard to
achieve the best possible outcome for our clients.
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