Health insurance and child care in Florida child support (2026)

How is child care handled in Florida child support?

Child care costs incurred because of either parent’s employment, job search, or education meant to lead to employment or to raise income from current employment are added to the basic obligation (Fla. Stat. § 61.30(7)). Then:

• any amount a parent has prepaid for the children’s child care comes off that parent’s support obligation;
• child care may not exceed the level required to provide quality care from a licensed source.

Until 31 December 2010, child care was reduced by 25 percent before it was added. Chapter 2010-199 removed that reduction from 1 January 2011, so the full monthly cost now counts.

How is health insurance handled?

Every support order must provide for the children’s health insurance when it is reasonable in cost and accessible to the child (§ 61.13(1)(b)). It is presumed reasonable if the extra cost of adding the children is no more than 5 percent of the gross income of the parent who provides it. The cost of that coverage is added to the basic obligation, and what a parent prepays for the children’s health costs comes off that parent’s share (§ 61.30(8)). Form 12.902(e) counts only what is actually paid to insure the children.

How do these costs change the amount?

Child care paid by the parent the children live with, insurance by the other parent

In Florida: 2 children; the parent the children live with earns $4,000 a month and the other parent $6,000, before tax; 0 overnights a year with the other parent; child care of $400 a month, paid by the parent the children live with; health insurance for the children of $200 a month, paid by the other parent.

1. 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%

2. 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.

   $2,082.00

3. Work out the other parent's share§ 61.30(6)(a), (7), (8), (10) and (11)(b), child care, health insurance and substantial time-sharing

   ($2,082 + child care $400 + health insurance $200) × 57.3% = $1,536.76 − $200.00 the other parent already pays = $1,336.76.

   $1,336.76 a month

The other parent owes their income share of the schedule amount plus their income share of child care and insurance, less what they already pay.

What about substantial time-sharing?

The costs are kept out of the time-sharing formula. Each parent’s share of the schedule amount is multiplied by 1.5 and weighted by overnights without them; then each parent’s net share of child care and health insurance, their income share less what they pay, is credited or debited (§ 61.30(11)(b)5 and 6).

Overnights a year with the other parent	Formula	Support a month	Paid by
0 overnights	Sole time-sharing	$1,336.76	the other parent
73 overnights	Substantial time-sharing	$1,308.63	the other parent
146 overnights	Substantial time-sharing	$684.03	the other parent
182 overnights	Substantial time-sharing	$376.01	the other parent

What about uninsured medical costs?

Noncovered medical, dental and prescription medication expenses of the child are added to the basic obligation unless they have been ordered paid separately on a percentage basis (§ 61.30(8)), and a court may order them paid directly to the parent receiving support on a percentage basis (§ 61.13(1)(b)). The calculator does not add them.

What this guide does not cover

Extraordinary medical, psychological, educational or dental expenses, which are deviation factors (§ 61.30(11)(a)1), and how a family premium is split between the children and other people it covers. The engine also leaves out:

• 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)).