Child Support

You and the other parent each have a responsibility to financially support your children in accordance with your income and their needs. 

Child support may be by direct payment or by indirect benefits, such as mortgage payments, insurance or payment of medical and dental expenses. 

Ordinarily, the obligation to support your child ends when that child reaches age 18, marries, is emancipated, joins the armed forces or dies. 

Some of the issues concerning child support that must be considered include:

•                            The amount of support.
•                            The method of payment.
•                            Ways to ensure payments are made.
•                            When child support may be increased or decreased.
•                            Who claims the dependency deduction for tax purposes.

Other questions may need to be answered, depending on the circumstances of your case. Guidelines for the amount of support apply to all cases and are based on the income of the parents and the number of children, with adjustments for substantial overnight contact.

If you have a problem receiving support payments from your spouse or former spouse, or the time-sharing plan is not being followed, you should bring this matter to the attention of the court. It is not legal to withhold time-sharing or child-support payments because either parent fails to pay court-ordered child support or violates the time-sharing schedule in the parenting plan.

Source: The Florida Bar 

If need help establishing your rights and deciding what to do in your family’s situation, please schedule a consultation to speak with our Family Law Attorney.