Child Support in Florida
Both parents of a child have a legal responsibility to provide financial support. Normally, that obligation ends when the child reaches age 18, marries, emancipates, joins the armed forces or dies.
Child support is calculated based on the income of both parties; the number of children; and the amount of time the children spend with each parent. The computed support is adjusted for child care and health insurance expenses. To secure payment, a court may order a parent to purchase or maintain life insurance.
A party may not withhold time-sharing or child support because the other parent fails to pay court-ordered child support or violates the the parenting plan.
reference
related topics
Here are the steps involved in a divorce in Florida:
1. File a Petition
2. File an Answer
3. File Required Affidavits/Worksheet
4. Discovery
5. Mediation
6. Final Hearing
Florida courts try to ensure that both parents have frequent contact with a child following separation or divorce. As such, the default time-sharing plan in Florida is 50-50 visitation for each parent, regardless of the child’s age or gender.
Alimony, or spousal support, is based upon one spouse’s need for financial support and the other spouse’s ability to pay.
Florida law provides for an “equitable distribution” of marital assets and debts in a divorce. Although the court must begin with the presumption that all marital assets and debts are to be divided equally between the parties, the court may make an unequal division if the judge thinks that is fair.
Mediation is a process where a neutral third party called a “mediator” acts to encourage and facilitate the resolution of a dispute between two or more parties. It is informal and non-adversarial. As opposed to court, decision-making authority rests with the parties. A majority of cases settle through mediation.
Here are the steps involved in a divorce in Florida:
1. File a Petition
2. File an Answer
3. File Required Affidavits/Worksheet
4. Discovery
5. Mediation
6. Final Hearing
Alimony, or spousal support, consists of periodic payments made from one spouse to another during and following a divorce.
The Consumer Credit Protection Act limits the amount that can be deducted as child support or alimony from earnings.
Laws and requirements for relocating parents vary by state.
The laws of the state in which you were divorced or, if unmarried, where your child lives will apply.
Military pay stops when a member dies. The Survivor Benefit Plan, or SBP, is an annuity that provides a beneficiary with monthly payments for life.
In so many ways, the military community is a different beast. We have our own lingo. Our own unique challenges. Our own justice system. We rely on established, consistent systems to manage life's curveballs.
The Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act (USFSPA) recognizes the right of state courts to distribute military retired pay to a spouse or former spouse and provides a method of enforcing these orders through the Department of Defense.
Many courts have standard parenting plans they use when parents litigate custody. These plans differ depending on the time the child spends with each parent and the distance between them.
Child support is established by court order. The amount of support is generally determined by guidelines provided by each state. Once established, child support remains in effect at the rate determined by the initial court order unless and until modified by a subsequent order.