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 Pursuing Fair Child Support Arrangements 

       Child support cases can arise under a variety of family law circumstances, such as a divorce, paternity, State of Florida Department of Revenue actions, non-parental custody, relocation, and parenting plan modifications. In fact, family law courts are legally obligated to ensure that a suitable support plan is established if a child is involved in a family law case. This is to ensure that parents adequately support their own children rather than the state taxpayers.      Child support cases are often complex, requiring representation from a knowledgeable lawyer. We have  represented hundreds of clients in a wide variety of child support cases. Our firm can assist you with establishing a child support arrangement, modifying a preexisting child support order, and/or enforcing child support obligations.

     The amount of child support that the paying parent is required to provide is calculated with a statutory formula. In Florida, the primary factor for determining child support is both parents' net income. Determining net income is fairly simple in the case of W-2 wage earners with no additional sources of income. Determining net income can become significantly more complex when the party is unemployed, underemployed, a business owner, or receives an irregular income. To arrive at a fair child support resolution, you need a lawyer who will go to great lengths to obtain the necessary documents that accurately establish net income. We have achieved countless successful case outcomes for clients, even when net income was difficult to prove.

      Parents will also need to share the burden of "extraordinary expenses," which may  include expenses for the child that go beyond basic needs. Extraordinary expenses are not the same as "child support," but may refer to costs for education, extracurricular activities, travel, and other similar kinds of expenses. Each parent's responsibility for paying extraordinary expenses is determined by his or her proportional share of the net income between both parents.

If the paying parent fails to make child support payments or misses a deadline, the state or a private party can file an enforcement action. We understand the complexities involved in enforcement and contempt actions and can help you navigate the situation, whether you are pursuing the judgement or have been served one.

We have experience with administrative child support cases brought by the state as well as child support cases filed through the Department of Revenue.