Child Support Enforcement in Florida
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Child Support Payments Established By A Court Order Signed by A Judge
In Florida, a Florida judge can issue an Order legally requiring a parent to pay a certain amount of money on a periodic basis in financial support of their child. These court orders are known as Child Support Orders.
Florida Statute 61.30 provides the various sources of income that can be included in a child support order calculation (for example, salary, wages, bonuses, commissions, tips, retirement payments, social security payments, rental income).
Florida Statute 61.30 also gives a standardized schedule for how much child support payments must be each month, as shown below (click on the image to see the full schedule online):
Child Support Payments Established by Financial Facts
Child support may be set according to financial information provided by one parent to the other parent in the form of a financial affidavit. The Financial Affidavit is not the only source of financial information that may be used to establish the amount of child support; other sources of financial information include:
- W-2 Forms
- Income Tax Returns
- Social Security Administration Records
- United States Military Branch Records (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard)
Child support payments often are not paid pursuant to the Child Support Order, for a wide variety of reasons. This non-payment often results in additional legal steps being taken to enforce the Child Support Order.
Enforcing Child Support Orders in Florida
Child Support Orders can be enforced from a simple letter reminding the parent of past due and owing child support with a request that the child support be made current, to taking various actions to obtain the past due child support payments such as:
- Instituting collection efforts with a Florida collection agency
- Legally claiming child support payment amounts out of income tax refunds, unemployment payments, or workers’ compensation relief
- Bringing the matter before the Florida Courts in a formal Child Support Enforcement action.
Other actions that can be taken against a non-paying parent in violation of a Florida Child Support Order include:
- Filing an action to have his/her Florida Driver’s License suspended
- Filing a lien against his/her real estate (home)
Florida Child Support Enforcement Lawyer
If you are a parent with a valid Florida Child Support Order that has not been honored and you are facing past due and owing child support from your child’s other parent, then a Florida Child Support Enforcement Lawyer can help you recover the past due Child Support as well as insure that future Child Support payments are timely paid.
Additionally, a Florida Child Support Enforcement attorney can help parents with the following Child Support issues:
- Getting a Child Support Order in place;
- Amending (changing) a Child Support Order that is out of date and does not reflect current circumstances;
- Establishing paternity for parents who were not married at the time of the child’s birth (in order to get a Child Support Order).
Please feel free to contact our offices for a free legal consultation (with courtesy review of your Florida Child Support Order).
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