Child support obligations, on the one hand, and the failure to fulfill them, on the other, are among the biggest sources of conflict and resentment among divorced couples. Florida has laws to protect the rights of the parent ordered to pay child support and the one who receives child support payments on behalf of the…
Continue reading ›The statistic that half of Americans could not come up with $400 in an emergency without borrowing is certainly alarming, but it is hardly surprising. Debt and financial hardship are huge problems in the United States. For many Americans, every paycheck means picking and choosing which bills to pay on time this pay period. It…
Continue reading ›Child support is supposed to cover a child’s basic needs, such as food and shelter. What about educational expenses, though? Education is hardly a luxury; school attendance has been mandatory for American children for well over a century. Providing for a child’s education is an important aspect of parenting. Thus, Florida parenting plans include provisions…
Continue reading ›When the phrase “imputed income” is mentioned, the first image that comes to many people’s minds is the media stereotype of the deadbeat dad. They picture a man who refuses to seek work or who only takes jobs that pay under the table. The stereotypical deadbeat dad is someone who cares more about avoiding paying…
Continue reading ›Florida’s tradition of family law acknowledges that there is more than one way to be a father. The child’s biological father is not necessarily the child’s legal father. In fact, when establishing paternity, the courts do not always order DNA paternity tests. Sometimes a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity is all you need. Things get more…
Continue reading ›Supplemental security income or as more commonly known as a SSI benefits, are in fact included in your income when it comes time to calculating child support in Florida. Florida is, however, in the minority when it comes to utilizing SSI benefits for child support calculations. Most states exempt this type of income from an…
Continue reading ›The amount of child support paid has a direct correlation to the number of overnights that the child spends with each parent. Therefore, child support is not just based on the respective incomes of the parents, but must also include the number of overnights that the child spends with each of the parents. When you…
Continue reading ›Child support, under Florida law, is initially established by applying the Florida child support guidelines. The child support guidelines are applied to not only a final hearing in a dissolution of marriage action, but are also applicable in temporary support proceedings Florida Statute 61.30(1)(a) specifically states that the child support guideline amount is utilized to…
Continue reading ›Bonus income can be paid on a regular and routine basis, or it could be paid for an isolated event. The law is clear however, that in order to include bonus income in a child support calculation, there must be evidence that the bonus is regular and continuous before it can be included in a…
Continue reading ›An adoption subsidy paid by the State of Florida to the parents of special needs children may not be considered as a credit against the spouse’s child support obligation. The Legislature has made adoption assistance, including financial aid, available to prospective adoptive parents who adopt a child with special needs through the state’s foster care…
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