In Florida, both parents have a responsibility to financially provide for their child. This is not a negotiable policy. Regardless of relationship status, both the parents of a child must financially provide for their well-being, upkeep, and education. When the parents are together, they often pool their resources to accomplish this. When the parents are divorced, child support enters the picture.
The goal of child support is for one parent to provide their share of the financial help while they are not with the child in person. It is intended to replace the support that they would normally give if they were living full-time with the child themselves. Unless both parents make exactly the same income and both have equally split Time Sharing, one parent is almost always going to pay child support.
The amount of child support is determined by the Florida courts in the divorce process. They take each parent’s net income and determine how they compare to each other. Then they make some calculations involving the number of children involved and the amounts currently being paid. At the end, they consult a chart to determine how much child support one parent must pay to the other.
After the child support payment amounts have been established by the court, they get paid monthly from one parent to the other. If there is a major life change after the child support amount is determined, the parents are allowed to return to court later and modify it. Otherwise, it will continue until the child in question turns eighteen or graduates high school, whichever comes later.
Many parents have an apprehension about paying child support. In Florida, it is a guideline that the child support amount must be reasonable and the parent must be able to pay it. They are all based on income level, so it is not uncommon for a lower-income parent of three to be paying less each month than a higher-income parent of one. Whatever amount is assigned, it should not break your bank.
Taking care of your children is one of the great joys and responsibilities of a parent. While all parents seek to feed their children and make sure they get good sleep, taking financial care of your children is often undervalued. The Florida court hopes to use child support to change that – and make sure that all children are properly provided for.
At the Law Offices of Ray Garcia, P.A., we work to make sure that all children are fairly provided for and all parents feel capable of moving forward at their income level. For help with any child support related issues, contact the Law Offices of Ray Garcia, P.A. today! We are here to help!
Law Office of Ray Garcia, P.A.
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