By Anna Fernandez, Esq., Legal Lotus, P.A. · Last reviewed July 2026 against Fla. Stat. §61.30 (2025).
Short answer: Florida sets child support with a guidelines formula in Fla. Stat. §61.30. It’s based on both parents’ net monthly incomes, the number of children, and how the overnights are split, plus child care and health insurance. The guideline number is presumptive, so a judge can adjust it by ±5% (or more with written findings).
Use the free estimator below to see a ballpark, then read on for how it works. For a precise, filing-grade number, use Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, available on the Florida Courts website.
Estimate your child support
Enter the number of children, each parent’s net monthly income and overnights per year, and (optionally) monthly child care and the child’s health insurance. You’ll get an estimated monthly amount and who pays whom. It’s an estimate, not legal advice.
A plain-language estimate based on Florida’s child support guidelines (Fla. Stat. §61.30). This is an educational estimate, not legal advice.
Take-home after taxes, health insurance, mandatory retirement (§61.30).
Nights the child is with Parent 1 (both add up to ~365).
Same basis: monthly take-home pay.
Nights the child is with Parent 2.
No attorney-client relationship. Using this tool, or contacting Legal Lotus through it, does not create an attorney-client relationship. The information provided is not legal advice, is not a solicitation, and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified Florida attorney. You should not act on it without first consulting counsel about your specific situation.
Source: Fla. Stat. §61.30 (2025). Prepared by Legal Lotus, P.A.
How Florida calculates child support
- Add both parents’ net income. Net income is gross income minus allowable deductions like taxes, FICA, mandatory retirement, and the parent’s own health insurance (§61.30(2)-(3)).
- Look up the basic obligation. The combined net income and the number of children point to a dollar amount on the §61.30(6) schedule.
- Add child care and health insurance. Work-related child care and the child’s health insurance are added on top and shared (§61.30(7)-(8)).
- Split it by income share. Each parent is responsible for their percentage of the combined income (§61.30(9)-(10)).
- Adjust for time-sharing. When each parent has at least 20% of the overnights (about 73 nights), the court uses the gross-up method in §61.30(11)(b), which multiplies each share by 1.5 and offsets by the overnight split.
How time-sharing changes the number
Time-sharing matters a lot. Once each parent has at least 20% of the year’s overnights, Florida switches to the gross-up method, and more balanced schedules generally lower the amount that changes hands. Below 20% for one parent, that parent simply pays their income-share of the obligation.
Can child support be changed later?
Yes. A substantial change in circumstances (a real income change, a new time-sharing schedule, and so on) can support a modification. The guidelines can prove that change when the new amount differs from the current order by at least 15% or $50, whichever is greater (§61.30(1)(b)).
Frequently asked questions
How is child support calculated in Florida?
Florida uses a guidelines formula (Fla. Stat. §61.30). You combine both parents’ net monthly incomes, look up the basic obligation on the §61.30(6) schedule for the number of children, then split it by each parent’s share of income (§61.30(9)-(10)). When each parent has at least 20% of the year’s overnights, the time-sharing gross-up in §61.30(11)(b) applies. The result is presumptive; a court can vary it by ±5%, or more with written findings.
Does time-sharing affect child support in Florida?
Yes. When each parent has at least 20% of the year’s overnights (about 73 nights), the court uses the gross-up method in §61.30(11)(b): it multiplies each parent’s share of the obligation by 1.5 and offsets it by the overnight split. More balanced time-sharing usually lowers the amount transferred.
What income is used for child support?
Net income. That’s gross income (wages, most benefits, self-employment, and more) minus allowable deductions such as taxes, FICA, mandatory union dues and retirement, and health insurance for the parent (Fla. Stat. §61.30(2)-(3)).
Do child care and health insurance change the amount?
Yes. Work-related child care and the child’s health insurance are added to the basic obligation and shared between the parents (§61.30(7)-(8)). That’s why the estimator lets you enter them.
Can child support be changed later?
Yes, on a substantial change in circumstances. The guidelines can show that change if the new amount differs from the current order by at least 15% or $50, whichever is greater (Fla. Stat. §61.30(1)(b)).
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This estimate is a starting point, not a prediction of what a judge will order in your case. If you want to understand where you stand, we’re here to help.
This page is legal information, not legal advice, and doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship. Please talk to a qualified Florida family law attorney about your situation.