How is Child Support Calculated in Florida?

Florida calculates child support using both parents' incomes — not just the paying parent's. The state uses what's called the Income Shares Model: both parents' net monthly incomes are combined, looked up on a statutory guidelines chart, and the resulting obligation is split between the parents based on what percentage of the total each one earns. If you earn 70% of the combined income, you're generally responsible for 70% of the baseline child support amount.

How Florida's Income Shares Model works

Florida's approach is meaningfully different from states like Texas, which base child support only on the paying parent's income. Florida law — under Florida Statute Florida Statute § 61.30 — starts from the premise that a child should receive the same share of their parents' combined financial resources they would have had if the family stayed together.

The calculation runs in three steps. First, each parent's net monthly income is calculated separately. Second, those two numbers are added together to get the combined monthly net income. Third, that combined figure is matched against Florida's statutory guidelines chart, which shows the baseline monthly obligation for that income level and number of children. Each parent then owes their proportional share of that baseline amount.

What counts as net income in Florida

Florida defines income broadly. Wages, salary, overtime, bonuses, commissions, self-employment earnings, rental income, disability benefits, and virtually any regular source of money all count as gross income for child support purposes.

From that gross income, Florida law allows only specific deductions to arrive at net income. Understanding what is and isn't deductible matters — a lot — because many parents assume more comes off than actually does.

Allowed deductions	Not deductible
Federal and state income taxes	Voluntary retirement contributions
Social Security and Medicare taxes	The child's health insurance premium
Mandatory retirement contributions	Personal living expenses
Mandatory union dues	Mortgage payments
Parent's own health insurance premium	Car payments or other debts
Court-ordered child support actually being paid for other children	Non-mandatory expenses of any kind

One deduction that surprises people: if you're already paying court-ordered child support for a child from another relationship — and you're actually making those payments — that amount may be deducted from your gross income before calculating net income for this case. But it has to be a court order that you're actively fulfilling, not a voluntary arrangement.

The statutory guidelines chart

Once both parents' net incomes are combined, the court references Florida's statutory guidelines chart to find the baseline monthly support obligation. The chart is organized by combined monthly net income and number of children.

The chart covers combined incomes up to $10,000/month. Below $800 combined monthly net income, the court uses its own judgment rather than the chart. Above $10,000, the court applies additional percentages to the amount over $10,000 — 5% for one child, 7.5% for two children, and 9.5% for three children — added to the chart's $10,000 result.

Worked Example — Two incomes, one child, primary residence

Add-ons: health insurance and childcare

The guidelines chart amount is a baseline, not the full picture. Two categories of expenses are added on top and split between the parents proportionally — meaning each parent pays their income percentage of these costs, just like the baseline obligation.

The first is health insurance for the children. If one parent is providing the coverage, the cost of the children's portion of the premium is added to the support calculation and shared. The second is work-related childcare expenses — daycare, after-school care, or care that allows a parent to work or attend school. These are also added to the baseline and split proportionally.

Extraordinary medical expenses — uninsured dental, vision, therapy, or other out-of-pocket medical costs above a threshold — are also typically shared proportionally when they come up.

The time-sharing adjustment — a major factor

This is where Florida's system gets significantly more nuanced than most states. If each parent has at least 20% of the overnights per year — that's 73 nights or more — Florida applies what's called the time-sharing adjustment under §61.30(11)(b).

The threshold matters sharply. A parent with 72 nights doesn't trigger the adjustment. A parent with 73 nights does. The adjustment can meaningfully reduce the support amount for the higher-earning parent.

Under a pure 50/50 custody arrangement, both parents have 182 overnights, well above the 73-night threshold. In cases like this, the time-sharing adjustment often significantly reduces the payment amount — and sometimes eliminates it entirely if incomes are similar. The exact result depends on the specific income numbers and the statutory chart values for those incomes.

When the combined income is above $10,000

Florida's guidelines chart tops out at $10,000 in combined monthly net income. When parents earn more than this combined, the court doesn't cap support at the $10,000 chart amount. Instead, it starts with the chart's result at $10,000 and adds a percentage of the combined income above $10,000. Those percentages are 5% for one child, 7.5% for two children, and 9.5% for three children.

Courts in high-income cases also have discretion to consider the child's actual established lifestyle and demonstrated needs — which means the support amount in wealthy households may be higher than the formula alone would suggest, if the evidence supports it.

When a judge can order a different amount

Florida courts treat the guidelines amount as the presumptive correct number. But §61.30 gives judges the ability to deviate from it. Adjustments of up to 5% require no explanation. For deviations beyond 5%, the court is required to make a written finding explaining why the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate given the circumstances.

Factors courts may consider when deviating include extraordinary medical, psychological, educational, or dental expenses for the child; independent income the child has; seasonal variations in one or both parents' incomes; the age of the child; and special needs related to disability. Florida courts treat the guidelines as a floor for the child's benefit — deviations upward for documented extraordinary needs are more common than reductions without compelling cause.

If you're navigating divorce finances in Florida more broadly, our Florida divorce finances overview covers property division, spousal support, and retirement accounts in one place. We also have a dedicated guide on how alimony is calculated in Florida, including the 2023 changes that eliminated permanent alimony.

Common questions about Florida child support

What if one parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed? Florida courts can impute income — meaning they assign an income to a parent based on what that person could reasonably earn given their education, work history, and the local job market. If a parent quits a job or takes a lower-paying one to reduce their child support obligation, the court may calculate support based on their earning capacity rather than their actual current income.

What if I'm self-employed? Self-employment income is included in gross income. Courts look at business revenue minus legitimate, ordinary business expenses to determine net profit. If business expenses appear inflated or personal in nature, a judge may scrutinize them and add them back into the income calculation.

Can child support be modified in Florida? Yes. Either parent may seek a modification if there's been a substantial change in circumstances — typically a change in income of at least 15% or $50, or a significant change in the child's needs or custody arrangement. The standard is a change that is substantial, material, and unanticipated at the time of the original order.

Does Florida child support end at 18? Generally yes, child support in Florida ends when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes later. If a child is still in high school at 18, support may continue through graduation but no longer than age 19. Support for a child with a disability may continue beyond 18 depending on the circumstances and what the court orders.