Children Legal Services

In Florida, child support is the child's right, not the parents. So, when you think about child support, think about your child or children benefiting from it, even if you think a large portion of child support is being spent on your ex and not just the child.

In Florida, child support may come in to play in different ways. Many Florida residents with children have no idea there are different types of child support "cases." For example, one way child support may come into effect is the result of a divorce with minor children. In that case, usually a judge will enter an order which may be temporary or enter a Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage which sets the amount and frequency of child support as supported by the Florida Child Support Guidelines.

Another way child support may come into effect is through a proceeding initiated by the Florida Department of Revenue. In this instance, you and the other parent may not have been married, may not have been in a relationship, or in some cases, you may not know or even remember the child's other parent! In many instances, a Florida Department of Revenue child support case may come about because one parent seeks some type of benefit provided by the State of Florida for the child. Those benefits may be the Florida Nutritional Assistance Program ("SNAP"), Medicaid, Florida Healthy Kids, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ("TANF"), etc. In these instances, the Florida Department of Revenue will require information regarding the child's parents or if unknown, who the child's parents might be. Once possible parents are determined, the Florida Department of Revenue may seek child support on behalf of the child to offset or supplement some of the benefits the state provides the child. In these types of child support cases, the only thing the hearing officer will determine is child support, not timesharing, parents' rights, etc.

Another way Florida Child Support may begin is through a parent seeking the Florida Department of Revenue's assistance in collecting support from the other parent. This type of Florida Child Support case may possibly not be based on benefits at all. For example, one parent may live in Florida and the parent may live with the minor child in some other state. The out-of-state parent could contact the Florida Department of Revenue to either determine or enforce child support on the parent who is the Florida resident.

There are also various ways to pay child support which include but may not be limited to: direct payment of child support, income withholding order (may also be known as income deduction order), and through the Florida Department of Revenue.

In a divorce or dissolution of marriage, Florida courts usually look to your child's standard of living and will likely try to keep your child's way of life the same or similar to when you and your ex were together. For example, if your family had a high standard of living when you were together based on income you individually received, then the other parent and the child will most likely be entitled to some continued monetary support to keep the status quo.

People most often underestimate just how expensive it is to raise a child in Florida. That being said, you need to make sure you are either paying or receiving the right amount of child support. Florida Child Support is a very complex area of law because children have so many different expenses.

Simply put, parents need to work and earn enough money to support their children. If a parent chooses not to work or pay support, he or she can face extreme consequences for such decision.

Fair Price Legal concentrates in Florida Child Support matters and our team has years of experience in child support law. Our client reviews speak for themselves.

Our Child Support Lawyers and the law understand that life is not static. It provides a framework to change or cancel child support based on different circumstances. In order to qualify for a change in child support, you must demonstrate a material change in your circumstances. Until you obtain a court order that changes your current child support obligations, you must continue to pay what you currently owe. Therefore, if you are experiencing financial hardship, you should speak to our experienced child support lawyers now.