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Child Support

If you have children under 18, whether you are involved in a divorce or a paternity action, then child support is, with rare exception, a fact of life. Florida law requires a determination of child support when parents are not residing together, and the legally mandated guidelines usually require one parent to pay the other parent an amount calculated under Florida Statutes.

Child support is calculated based on the net incomes of both parents. When a parent may own a business, determination of actual income becomes less transparent. Our firm has the resources to ferret out hidden income so that a just and proper child support calculation is made. Further, if one parent is unemployed or underemployed, the court may impute income to that parent, and we provide guidance to the court, based on the unemployed party’s past history, to try and obtain a fair support number.

In addition to determining the net income of the parties, the amount of overnight timesharing each parent enjoys with the children also impacts on the amount of child support. Several years ago the legislature determined that once the paying parent has over 20 percent of the overnights with the children (or 73 overnights) child support should be adjusted to take into account the paying parent’s expenses incurred while that parent has the children.

Other factor affecting child support include child care expenses, health insurance costs as well as out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Disputes often occur when it comes to additional expenses not specifically addressed by the guidelines such as extracurricular activities, private schools and summer camps. Our firm strives to negotiate fair solutions, keeping in mind the economic limitations of a now two-household family and balancing those with the best interests of the children.

The Law Office of Cindy S. Vova, P.A. handles all aspects of child support, whether in a divorce suit, paternity action or modification proceeding. Our attorneys’ credible and trustworthy reputations established with the courts and clients ensure that we take your problems and help create solutions.