Fort Lauderdale Child Support Lawyer
As a parent, you want to be sure your child is provided with adequate financial support. This applies regardless of whether you will have primary responsibility for raising your children, or whether you will be the one ordered to pay child support. The state of Florida provides guidelines about an appropriate amount of child support in divorce, but this amount can be changed based on factors such as the needs of the child and the financial resources of the parents. If you are having trouble agreeing on the appropriate amount of support, or if you think the other parent is intentionally hiding or misreporting income, the Fort Lauderdale child support lawyers at Edward J. Jennings, P.A. will fight to make sure you and your children are treated fairly in the child support determination. Learn more about how child support in Florida works, and contact our office for a consultation regarding the payment of child support in your divorce.
Florida Child Support Laws
Florida has child support guidelines which use a statutory formula to come up with a monthly amount of child support to be paid to the parent with the bulk of parenting responsibility. The formula is based on both parents’ combined incomes, the number of children to be supported, and the percentage of time each parent is allotted timesharing (physical custody). This sounds deceptively simple, but the formula gets very complicated very quickly when all the many possible variations come in. The Florida child support guidelines show a payment schedule that looks straightforward, but the bulk of the statute actually focuses on the myriad adjustments and deviations that can be made.
The guideline amount determined by the statutory formula is only a presumptive amount; the judge can deviate from the guideline amount up or down by five percent or more after considering all relevant factors, such as the needs of the child, the age of the child, the family’s station in life and standard of living, and the financial status and ability of each parent.
How Our Fort Lauderdale Family Law Attorneys can Help
Whether you are the parent who will be paying or receiving child support, you want to be sure that the court arrives at a fair amount that adequately supports your children. If you are arguing for or against a deviation from the guideline, you will need to prepare your case and present it in a compelling, convincing way that persuades the judge that your position is in the best interests of the children to be supported. Our experienced courtroom litigators can provide that level of representation that you need. We also have the skills and experience from decades of divorce litigation to make sure that your spouse is properly reporting all sources of income to ensure that the child support award is properly calculated.
Skilled Legal Representation in Broward County Divorce
For skilled legal representation dedicated to achieving a child support award that works for you and your children, call Edward J. Jennings, P.A. in Fort Lauderdale to speak with one of our experienced and successful Fort Lauderdale child support lawyers.
