Florida child support: the guidelines from start to finish (2026)
Florida uses an income shares guideline on net income, Fla. Stat. § 61.30. Each parent's net income, gross income less taxes and other allowed deductions, is added; the schedule gives the minimum child support need for that income and number of children, and each parent's share is split by income. Child care and the children's health insurance are added in full, and when each parent has at least 73 overnights a year, the substantial time-sharing formula applies.
How is child support calculated in Florida?
Fla. Stat. § 61.30 sets the order, and Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, follows it:
- Gross income. Each parent’s monthly income from all sources: wages, bonuses, business income, benefits, spousal support received, interest, rent and more (§ 61.30(2)(a)).
- Net income. Gross income less income tax for the parent’s actual filing status and dependents, Social Security and Medicare (or self-employment tax), mandatory union dues and retirement payments, the parent’s own health insurance, court-ordered support for other children actually paid, and court-ordered spousal support paid (§ 61.30(3) and (4)).
- Income shares. The two net incomes are added, and each parent’s share is their net income over the total (§ 61.30(5) and (9)).
- The schedule. The guidelines schedule gives the “minimum child support need” for the combined net income and the number of children (§ 61.30(6)).
- Child care and health insurance. They are added to the schedule amount, and what a parent already pays comes off that parent’s share (§ 61.30(7) and (8)).
- Time-sharing. When each parent has at least 20 percent of the overnights, the court shall adjust the amount by the formula in § 61.30(11)(b).
- Low income. A paying parent whose own net income is below the schedule’s lowest row is covered by § 61.30(6)(a).
Two children, 100 overnights with the other parent, with child care
In Florida: 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 100 overnights a year with the other parent; child care of $400 a month, paid by the parent the children live with.
Take off taxes, then add the incomes§ 61.30(3) and (4), deductions and net income
Net income a month: the other parent $6,000 − $584.17 federal income tax (single) − $459.00 Social Security and Medicare = $4,956.83; the parent the children live with $4,000 − $0.00 federal income tax (head of household, 2 children claimed) − $306.00 Social Security and Medicare = $3,694.00. $3,694 + $4,956.83 = $8,650.83 a month. The other parent's share is $4,956.83 ÷ $8,650.83 = 57.3%.
57.3%Look up the schedule§ 61.30(6), guidelines schedule
$8,650.83 of combined income uses the row below, $8,650: the schedule's amount for 2 children.
$2,082.00Multiply the schedule by 1.5 and split it by income§ 61.30(6)(a), (7), (8), (10) and (11)(b), child care, health insurance and substantial time-sharing
100 overnights a year with the other parent and 265 with the parent the children live with: each has at least 73, so substantial time-sharing applies. $2,082 × 1.5 = $3,123.00; the other parent 57.3%, $1,789.44; the parent the children live with 42.7%, $1,333.56.
$3,123.00Weigh each share by the other parent's overnights§ 61.30(6)(a), (7), (8), (10) and (11)(b), child care, health insurance and substantial time-sharing
the other parent $1,789.44 × 265/365 = $1,299.18; the parent the children live with $1,333.56 × 100/365 = $365.36. Each parent's net share of child care and health insurance (child care $400), less what they pay: the other parent $229.20, the parent the children live with $0.00. The other parent owes $1,528.38 and the parent the children live with $365.36, so the other parent pays the difference.
$1,163.02 a month
The schedule moves in rows of $50. Section 61.30(6) and Form 12.902(e) do not say which row applies to an income between two rows; the calculator uses the row below and marks the result as not confirmed. Calculators used in practice can differ by a few dollars.
What are the Florida child support worksheet and chart?
The worksheet is Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. The chart is the guidelines schedule printed in § 61.30(6), which the form reproduces.
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Financial affidavit (Form 12.902(c), long form) | Each parent’s present net monthly income, which the worksheet’s first line takes |
| Worksheet, first part | Sole time-sharing: the schedule amount, child care and health insurance, shared by net income, less what each parent already pays |
| Worksheet, second part | Substantial time-sharing: the schedule amount times 1.5, split by income and weighted by the other parent’s overnights |
| Chart (§ 61.30(6)) | Combined net monthly income from $800 to $10,000, in rows of $50, for 1 to 6 children |
The Florida calculator follows the worksheet in the same order and shows an excerpt of the chart.
How does the calculator work out net income?
The examples on this site start from monthly gross wages. The calculator takes off federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and any union dues. Section 61.30(3)(a) uses each parent’s actual filing status and dependents; the calculator assumes the parent the children live with files as head of household and claims the children, and the other parent files as single. A different arrangement changes both net incomes, so the result can differ from a court’s worksheet built on the parents’ financial affidavits.
| Deduction (§ 61.30(3)) | In the calculator |
|---|---|
| (a) Income tax, for actual filing status and dependents | Federal income tax: head of household with the children’s child tax credit, or single |
| (b) Social Security and Medicare, or self-employment tax | Social Security and Medicare on wages |
| (c) Mandatory union dues | Yes, for the other parent |
| (d) Mandatory retirement payments | No |
| (e) The parent’s own health insurance | No |
| (f) Court-ordered support for other children, actually paid | No |
| (g) Court-ordered spousal support paid | Yes |
How much is child support in Florida by income?
With the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month in gross wages and fewer than 73 overnights with the other parent:
| Other parent's income a month | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $343.52 | $532.87 | $666.58 |
| $4,000 | $584.53 | $905.71 | $1,135.14 |
| $6,000 | $768.37 | $1,192.96 | $1,496.65 |
| $8,000 | $912.57 | $1,412.45 | $1,771.94 |
| $12,000 | $1,125.70 | $1,738.18 | $2,182.37 |
| $20,000 | $1,485.96 | $2,285.33 | $2,873.06 |
Child support by income in Florida has more incomes, and more than one child the effect of each extra child.
How does time-sharing change child support in Florida?
Below 20 percent of the overnights, time with each parent does not enter the formula; a court may deviate for a significant amount of time (§ 61.30(11)(a)10). From 73 overnights a year with each parent, each parent’s share of the schedule amount is multiplied by 1.5, then by the other parent’s percentage of the overnights, and the difference is paid, adjusted for child care and health insurance. See time-sharing and 50/50 custody.
| Overnights a year with the other parent | Formula | Support a month | Paid by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 overnights | Sole time-sharing | $1,422.16 | the other parent |
| 72 overnights | Sole time-sharing | $1,422.16 | the other parent |
| 73 overnights | Substantial time-sharing | $1,394.04 | the other parent |
| 100 overnights | Substantial time-sharing | $1,163.02 | the other parent |
| 146 overnights | Substantial time-sharing | $769.44 | the other parent |
| 182 overnights | Substantial time-sharing | $461.42 | the other parent |
How do health insurance and child care change the amount?
Work related child care and the children’s health insurance are added to the schedule amount in full, shared by net income, and the parent who pays each one is credited (§ 61.30(7) and (8)). Before 1 January 2011, child care was reduced by 25 percent first. See health insurance and child care.
Is there a minimum or maximum in Florida?
Section 61.30 sets no minimum amount. When the paying parent’s own net income is below the schedule’s lowest row, the court sets an amount case by case, within a cap tied to the federal poverty guideline (low incomes). There is no maximum either: above $10,000 of combined net income, a percentage of the income over it is added to the top row (high incomes).
How long does child support last in Florida?
Orders end on the child’s 18th birthday, unless the child is still in high school and is expected in good faith to graduate before turning 19, or the parents agree to continue (§ 61.13(1)(a)1). See how long child support lasts.
How is a Florida child support order changed?
A parent asks the court to modify the order on a substantial change in circumstances (§ 61.14(1)(a)). The guidelines can show that change when the new amount differs from the order by at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater (§ 61.30(1)(b)). See changing an order.
Is the Florida schedule about to change?
Not yet. The Legislature reviews the schedule at least every four years (§ 61.30(16)). The review delivered on 1 February 2026 found the schedule’s amounts unchanged since 1993 and recommends a new schedule. No change had been enacted when this guide was checked: the 2026 Florida Statutes carry the same schedule, and the calculator uses it.
What this guide does not cover
Enforcement, arrears, retroactive support (§ 61.30(17)) and the Department of Revenue’s own services are not covered here. The engine also leaves out these parts of Florida’s guidelines:
- Net income counts wages only, with federal income tax for a single or head-of-household filer after the child tax credit, Social Security and Medicare, and union dues. Not modeled: self-employment tax, married filing status, refundable credits (a court may weigh them as a deviation, § 61.30(11)(a)8), mandatory retirement, a parent's own health insurance, and support paid for other children (§ 61.30(3)(d) to (f)). A net income already worked out on a financial affidavit can be entered instead.
- Not modeled: uninsured medical, dental and prescription costs (§ 61.30(8)), usually ordered split by percentage as they come up; imputed income; Social Security paid to the children; children on different time-sharing schedules; deviation factors, including time-sharing under 20% of overnights (§ 61.30(11)(a)).
The figures are estimates of the guideline amount, not legal advice. A court can order a different amount, and an existing order only changes when it is modified.
Orders over time
- How long child support lasts in Florida (2026)Florida orders entered since 1 October 2010 must end child support on the child's 18th birthday, unless the court finds the child, dependent in fact and between 18 and 19, is still in high school and performing in good faith with a reasonable expectation of graduating before 19, or the parents agree to continue support (Fla. Stat. § 61.13(1)(a)1). A court may also require support past 18 for a child whose dependency comes from a mental or physical incapacity that began before 18 (§ 743.07(2)).
- Changing a child support order in Florida (2026)Either parent can ask the court to increase or decrease child support when the circumstances or financial ability of either party change (Fla. Stat. § 61.14(1)(a)). The guidelines can show a substantial change on their own when the difference between the existing order and the guideline amount is at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater (§ 61.30(1)(b)). A modification can apply back to the date the petition was filed.
- Back child support (arrears) in Florida: interest, enforcement and crime (2026)In Florida, a support installment that is due and unpaid becomes a final judgment by operation of law once the parent who owes it has been given notice and time to contest, and the depository charges interest on support judgments at the judgment rate set under § 55.03, which is 7.87 percent a year for judgments obtained in the quarter from 1 October 2026 (Fla. Stat. § 61.14(6)). Arrears are collected through income deduction, driver's license and vehicle registration suspension, liens, bank levies, credit reporting and tax refund and passport programs. Willfully not paying support that a parent is able to pay is a crime under § 827.06, and arrears that accrued before a petition to modify cannot be reduced.
Income
- Child support at high incomes in Florida (2026)Florida's schedule runs to $10,000 of combined monthly net income. Above it, the obligation is the schedule's top amount plus a percentage of the income over $10,000: 5% for one child, rising to 12.5% for six (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(6)(b)). There is no cap: the amount keeps rising with income, and the court may deviate from it for the reasons in § 61.30(11)(a).
- Child support at low incomes in Florida (2026): § 61.30(6)(a)Florida's guidelines set no minimum order. When the paying parent's own net income is below the schedule's lowest row, $800 a month, the court should order an amount set case by case, to establish the principle of payment, and the payment is the lesser of that parent's share and 90% of their net income above the federal poverty guideline for one person (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(6)(a)). At these incomes that cap comes to zero, so the calculator shows zero and flags that the court sets the amount.
- Self-employment and imputed income for child support in Florida (2026)For a self-employed parent, Florida counts business income as gross receipts minus the ordinary and necessary expenses required to produce it (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(2)(a)3), and deducts income tax and self-employment tax to reach net income (§ 61.30(3)(a) and (b)). Income is imputed to a parent whose unemployment or underemployment the court finds voluntary, and automatically, at a presumed median income, when a parent's income is unknown or the parent does not take part (§ 61.30(2)(b)).
- How much is child support in Florida by income? (2026)In Florida the amount depends on both parents' net incomes, the number of children and the overnights with each parent. With the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month in gross wages, fewer than 73 overnights with the other parent and no extra costs, a parent earning $6,000 pays $768.37 for one child and $1,192.96 for two.
Children and costs
- Child support for more than one child in Florida (2026)Florida's schedule gives one figure for all the children in the case, for 1 to 6 children, and each extra child adds less than the one before. With gross wages of $4,000 and $6,000 and no substantial time-sharing, the other parent pays $768.37 for one child, $1,192.96 for two and $1,496.65 for three.
- Health insurance and child care in Florida child support (2026)Florida adds child care for a parent's work, job search or education, and the children's health insurance, to the schedule amount, divides the total by net income, and takes what each parent already pays off that parent's share (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(7) and (8)). Child care counts in full: the 25 percent reduction was repealed from 1 January 2011. Uninsured medical, dental and prescription costs are added too, unless the court orders them split by percentage.
Custody and time
Run your own numbers
This guide's example: in Florida, 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 100 overnights a year with the other parent; child care of $400 a month, paid by the parent the children live with. The guideline amount is $1,163.02 a month. Change any number in the calculator and every step of the formula updates.
Open this family in the Florida calculatorQuestions
How much is child support in Florida for two kids?
It depends on both net incomes and the overnights. With gross wages of $4,000 and $6,000 a month and fewer than 73 overnights with the other parent, the guideline for two children is $1,192.96 a month, before child care and health insurance.
Does Florida use gross or net income for child support?
Net income. Gross income from all sources is reduced by the deductions in § 61.30(3), mainly income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and the two net incomes are added (§ 61.30(4) and (5)).
How many overnights change child support in Florida?
At least 20 percent of the overnights of the year, 73 nights, for each parent. Then the court shall use the substantial time-sharing formula (§ 61.30(11)(b)).
When does child support end in Florida?
On the child's 18th birthday, unless the child is still in high school and expected in good faith to graduate before 19, or the parents agree otherwise (§ 61.13(1)(a)1).
How is a Florida child support order changed?
By a petition to modify showing a substantial change in circumstances (§ 61.14(1)(a)). The guidelines alone can show it when the new amount differs from the order by at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater (§ 61.30(1)(b)).
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 61.30, Child support guidelines; retroactive child support (2026 Florida Statutes)
- Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (06/25)
- Florida Family Law Form 12.902(c), Family Law Financial Affidavit (long form), lines 18 to 27
- Laws of Florida, chapter 2010-199 (CS/HB 907): child care reduction repealed, 20 percent time-sharing threshold, effective 1 January 2011
- Fla. Stat. § 61.13, Support of children; parenting and time-sharing (2026 Florida Statutes)
- Fla. Stat. § 61.14, Enforcement and modification of support (2026 Florida Statutes)
- Quadrennial Review of the Florida Child Support Guidelines, report to the Legislature (1 February 2026)
- Figures on this page are computed by the Coparent Math engine with Florida's rules in force on 3 Nov 2026 unless a table says otherwise, from:
- Fla. Stat. § 61.30, child support guidelines (2026 Florida Statutes), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (06/25), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Florida Family Law Form 12.902(c), Financial Affidavit, lines 18 to 27 (deductions and net income), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Quadrennial Review of the Florida Child Support Guidelines, report to the Legislature (Office of Economic and Demographic Research, 1 February 2026), checked 3 Nov 2026
- Texas OAG revised 2025 tax charts (standard deduction and brackets used), checked 31 Oct 2026
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments), checked 31 Oct 2026
- Social Security Administration: contribution and benefit base, and OASDI and HI tax rates, checked 31 Oct 2026
- HHS ASPE: 2026 poverty guidelines (one person, 48 contiguous states), checked 3 Nov 2026
Related guides
Other hubs
- Alabama child support: the Rule 32 guideline from start to finish (2026)Alabama uses an income shares guideline, Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration. Both parents' monthly gross incomes are added, the Rule 32 schedule gives the basic amount for that income and number of children, work related child care and the children's health insurance are added, and the other parent pays their income share of the total, less what they already pay. A self-support reserve protects a paying parent on a low income, and a court order for 50/50 custody uses a shared worksheet.
- Which state has higher child support? Texas, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia and Alabama (2026)No state is always higher: it depends on the family. Texas takes a percentage of the paying parent's net income, New York a percentage of both parents' combined income split by income share, and Virginia, Florida, Georgia and Alabama use income shares schedules, Florida on net income and the others on gross income. For two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month and no shared custody, the guideline is $1,239.21 in Texas, $1,385.25 in New York, $1,094.40 in Virginia, $1,192.96 in Florida, $1,143.60 in Georgia and $1,020.00 in Alabama.
- Georgia child support: the guideline from start to finish (2026)Georgia uses an income shares guideline, O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15. Both parents' monthly gross incomes are added, the Basic Child Support Obligation Table gives the amount for that income and number of children, and each parent's share is split by income. Since 1 January 2026, every day of court-ordered parenting time adjusts the other parent's share by formula, child care and health insurance are added, and a low-income table caps the amount for a paying parent on a low income.
- New York child support: how the guideline works (2026)New York sets child support with the Child Support Standards Act: a fixed percentage of both parents' combined income, after certain deductions, up to $193,000 a year, shared between the parents in proportion to their incomes. The other parent pays their share to the parent the children live with most, plus a share of child care and health costs, and a court may depart from that amount only for reasons the law lists.
- Texas child support guidelines (2026)Texas child support is a percentage of the paying parent's monthly net resources: 20% for one child, 25% for two, rising to 40% for five or more, applied to net resources up to $11,700 a month. Net resources are income after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and a few other deductions. Medical and dental support for the children is ordered on top.
- Virginia child support: the guideline from start to finish (2026)Virginia uses an income shares guideline. Both parents' monthly gross incomes are added, the schedule in Code of Virginia § 20-108.2 gives the basic amount for that income and number of children, the children's health insurance and work related child care are added, and the total is split by each parent's share of income. A shared custody formula applies above 90 days a year with each parent, and a court can order a different amount only with written findings.
Comparisons
- Florida vs Georgia child support: which state is higher? (2026)Neither is always higher. Without shared time the two are close at middle incomes: for two children with incomes of $4,000 and $6,000 a month, the guideline is $1,192.96 in Florida and $1,143.60 in Georgia. Time with the other parent makes the bigger difference: Georgia lowers support for every court-ordered day, while Florida changes nothing until 73 overnights a year and then drops faster. At low incomes Georgia's low-income table can bring support below Florida's.
- Florida vs Texas child support: which state is higher? (2026)It depends on the other parent's income and on time. Both states start from income after tax, but Texas takes a percentage of the paying parent's net resources only, while Florida adds both parents' net incomes, reads its schedule and splits it by income. For two children and a paying parent earning $6,000 a month, Texas is $1,239.21 whatever the other parent earns; Florida is $1,542.00 when the parent the children live with has no income and $1,192.96 when that parent earns $4,000. With 100 overnights a year with the other parent, Florida drops to $933.82; the Texas guideline does not change.
More about Florida
- Back child support (arrears) in Florida: interest, enforcement and crime (2026)In Florida, a support installment that is due and unpaid becomes a final judgment by operation of law once the parent who owes it has been given notice and time to contest, and the depository charges interest on support judgments at the judgment rate set under § 55.03, which is 7.87 percent a year for judgments obtained in the quarter from 1 October 2026 (Fla. Stat. § 61.14(6)). Arrears are collected through income deduction, driver's license and vehicle registration suspension, liens, bank levies, credit reporting and tax refund and passport programs. Willfully not paying support that a parent is able to pay is a crime under § 827.06, and arrears that accrued before a petition to modify cannot be reduced.
- Changing a child support order in Florida (2026)Either parent can ask the court to increase or decrease child support when the circumstances or financial ability of either party change (Fla. Stat. § 61.14(1)(a)). The guidelines can show a substantial change on their own when the difference between the existing order and the guideline amount is at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater (§ 61.30(1)(b)). A modification can apply back to the date the petition was filed.
- Does 50/50 custody mean no child support? Texas, New York and Virginia (2026)No. In Texas, New York and Virginia, equal time with each parent does not by itself end child support. Only Virginia's guideline uses the number of days: above 90 days a year with each parent, a shared custody formula lowers support, and with equal time the parent who earns more usually pays the difference. Texas and New York apply their usual formula; in Texas, parenting time is a factor a court may weigh to depart from it, and New York's statute has no shared custody formula, but with truly equal time its appellate courts make the parent with the larger income share the paying parent.
- Child support at high incomes in Florida (2026)Florida's schedule runs to $10,000 of combined monthly net income. Above it, the obligation is the schedule's top amount plus a percentage of the income over $10,000: 5% for one child, rising to 12.5% for six (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(6)(b)). There is no cap: the amount keeps rising with income, and the court may deviate from it for the reasons in § 61.30(11)(a).
- How much is child support in Florida by income? (2026)In Florida the amount depends on both parents' net incomes, the number of children and the overnights with each parent. With the parent the children live with earning $4,000 a month in gross wages, fewer than 73 overnights with the other parent and no extra costs, a parent earning $6,000 pays $768.37 for one child and $1,192.96 for two.
- Child support for more than one child in Florida (2026)Florida's schedule gives one figure for all the children in the case, for 1 to 6 children, and each extra child adds less than the one before. With gross wages of $4,000 and $6,000 and no substantial time-sharing, the other parent pays $768.37 for one child, $1,192.96 for two and $1,496.65 for three.