Category Archives: Child Support
Child Support Calculations in Shared Custody Arrangements
Child support becomes more complicated when both parents have meaningful time with the children because the financial obligation has to support two households without treating the parenting schedule as the only fact that matters. Florida’s calculation looks at each parent’s income, the overnight schedule, health insurance, childcare costs, and recurring child-related expenses. Equal or… Read More »
Retroactive Child Support: How Courts Handle Past Financial Obligations
Child support disputes are not always limited to future payments. One of the most contested financial issues in a child support case is support that should have been paid before a court order was entered. Parents may have lived separately for months before filing, paternity may have been established after a child’s birth, or… Read More »
Interstate Child Support Issues: Jurisdictional Challenges and Enforcement
Child support disputes become significantly more complicated when parents live in different states. A case already involving financial tension and parenting conflicts can quickly expand into disputes over which court has authority, where enforcement actions should be filed, and whether an existing support order can be modified after relocation. Multi-state child support disputes can… Read More »
Child Support Deviations: When the Guidelines Don’t Tell the Full Story
Child support in Florida is often described as formula-driven, and for good reason. The state relies on statutory guidelines designed to create consistency and predictability in how support obligations are calculated. But in practice, family law cases are rarely that simple. Real life does not always fit neatly into a formula, and courts are… Read More »
Hidden Income and Self-Employment: Proving True Earnings in Support Cases
Child support cases involving self-employed parents rarely follow a clean, predictable path. Unlike traditional employees with W-2 wages, self-employed individuals often have control over how income is received, reported, and even characterized. That flexibility can create legitimate complexity, but it can also open the door to disputes over whether income is being understated. When… Read More »
Imputed Income in Child Support Cases: When Courts Assume Earning Capacity
Child support litigation is rarely just about what a parent earns on paper. In many cases, the court is forced to look deeper, especially when a parent’s reported income does not reflect their true financial ability. This is where the concept of imputed income becomes critical. When one parent appears to be voluntarily underemployed,… Read More »