By Child-Support.com Staff – Last updated
The Florida child support calculator is a worksheet used by the Florida courts to make a determination as to how much child support is to be paid by a parent in the event of divorce or separation. In order to calculate the amount you may owe, you will need to have your income and costs available. The amount you calculate will only be an estimate. An actual child support order may be different based upon individual circumstances.
How to Calculate
Step 1: Download the family law financial affidavit.
Step 2: Enter present monthly gross income including the following:
- Monthly gross salary or wages
- Monthly bonuses, commissions, allowances, overtime, tips, and similar payments
- Monthly business income from sources such as self-employment, partnerships, close corporations, and/or independent contracts (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce income) (Attach sheet itemizing such income and expenses.)
- Monthly disability benefits/SSI
- Monthly Workers’ Compensation
- Monthly Unemployment Compensation
- Monthly pension, retirement, or annuity payments
- Monthly Social Security benefits
- Monthly alimony actually received (Add 9a and 9b)
9a. From this case: $ _______
9b. From other case(s): _______ - Monthly interest and dividends
- Monthly rental income (gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce income) (Attach sheet itemizing such income and expense items.)
- Monthly income from royalties, trusts, or estates
- Monthly reimbursed expenses and in-kind payments to the extent that they reduce personal living expenses
- Monthly gains derived from dealing in property (not including nonrecurring gains)
- Any other income of a recurring nature (list source)
Step 3: Add these amounts to get a total gross monthly income
Step 4: Enter monthly deduction amounts including the following:
- Monthly federal, state, and local income tax (corrected for filing status and allowable dependents and income tax liabilities)
a. Filing Status
b. Number of dependents claimed - Monthly FICA or self-employment taxes
- Monthly Medicare payments
- Monthly mandatory union dues
- Monthly mandatory retirement payments
- Monthly health insurance payments (including dental insurance), excluding portion paid for any minor children of this relationship
- Monthly court-ordered child support actually paid for children from another relationship
- Monthly court-ordered alimony actually paid (Add)
- from this case: $ _______
- from other case(s):$ _______
Step 5: Add the allowed deductions and subtract from gross monthly income to get present net monthly income.
Step 6: Download the child support guidelines worksheet
Step 7: On the first line, enter present net monthly income calculated from Step 5.
Step 8: Look up the basic monthly obligation based on the number of children from this chart and enter it on line 2:
Step 9: Enter the following information as instructed:
- Percent of Financial Responsibility
- Share of Basic Monthly Obligation
- Monthly Child Care Costs
- Total Monthly Child(ren)’s Health Insurance Cost
- Total Monthly Child(ren)’s Noncovered Medical, Dental and Prescription Medication Costs
- Total Monthly Child Care & Health Costs
- Monthly child care payments actually made
- Monthly health insurance payments actually made
- Other payments/credits actually made for any noncovered medical, dental and prescription medication expenses of the child(ren) not ordered to be separately paid on a percentage basis.
Step 10: Calculate the minimum support obligation for each parent as follows: Basic Monthly Obligation + Additional Support Payments – Total Payments Actually Made – Minimum Support Obligation
Step 11: This amount may be further adjusted if the children spend over 20% of the time with the non-custodial parent.
