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)).
When does child support end in Florida?
All child support orders and income deduction orders entered on or after 1 October 2010 must provide for child support to terminate on the child’s 18th birthday (Fla. Stat. § 61.13(1)(a)1.a). Florida removes the disability of nonage at 18 (§ 743.07(1)).
Can support continue after 18?
Yes, in three cases:
- High school. The court finds, or found earlier, that the child is dependent in fact, between 18 and 19, still in high school and performing in good faith with a reasonable expectation of graduation before turning 19 (§ 61.13(1)(a)1.a; § 743.07(2)). The guidelines apply to that child in the same way (§ 61.30(1)(a)).
- Agreement. The parents agree to continued support (§ 61.13(1)(a)1.a).
- Incapacity. A court may require support beyond 18 for a dependent person whose dependency comes from a mental or physical incapacity that began before reaching majority (§ 743.07(2)).
Does it cover college?
Not under these sections: the extension for school covers high school, until 19 at the latest. Parents can agree to more.
What happens when one of several children turns 18?
The order already says. Every order entered since 1 October 2010 must state the monthly amount for all the children, the amount owed for the remaining children after one or more stop being entitled, and the month, day and year each reduction or end takes effect (§ 61.13(1)(a)1.b and c). With the same incomes, the guideline for one child against two:
| Other parent's income a month | 1 child | 2 children |
|---|---|---|
| $4,000 | $584.53 | $905.71 |
| $6,000 | $768.37 | $1,192.96 |
| $8,000 | $912.57 | $1,412.45 |
Does the amount change as children grow up?
The schedule does not change with a child’s age, only with the number of children. The age of the child, taking into account the greater needs of older children, is one of the reasons a court may deviate (§ 61.30(11)(a)5).
What this guide does not cover
Support for an adult child with a disability in detail, agreements to pay college costs, and arrears that remain after support ends. The figures are estimates, not legal advice.
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; 0 overnights a year with the other parent. The guideline amount is $1,192.96 a month. Change any number in the calculator and every step of the formula updates.
Open this family in the Florida calculatorQuestions
What age does child support end in Florida?
On the child's 18th birthday, or up to 19 for a child still in high school who is expected in good faith to graduate before 19. Parents can also agree to continue support (§ 61.13(1)(a)1.a).
Does child support continue through college in Florida?
Not under § 61.13 or § 743.07. The extension covers a child still in high school, until 19 at the latest, unless the parents agree to more.
What happens to support when the oldest child turns 18?
The order itself must say: it lists the amount owed for the remaining children after one or more stop being entitled, and the date the reduction takes effect (§ 61.13(1)(a)1.b and c).
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 61.13(1)(a), Support of children; parenting and time-sharing; powers of court (2026 Florida Statutes)
- Fla. Stat. § 743.07, Rights, privileges, and obligations of persons 18 years of age or older (2026 Florida Statutes)
- Fla. Stat. § 61.30(1)(a), the guidelines apply to a child 18 to 19 still in high school (2026 Florida Statutes)
- 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
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In the same hub
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)).
- 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.
The same topic in other states
- How long child support lasts in Alabama (2026)Child support in Alabama runs until the child turns 19, the age of majority set by Code of Alabama § 26-1-1. Since the Alabama Supreme Court's decision in Ex parte Christopher in 2013, a court cannot order a parent to pay educational support for a child over 19.
- How long child support lasts in Georgia (2026)Child support in Georgia lasts until the child reaches the age of majority, 18, or marries, becomes emancipated or dies, whichever comes first (O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15(e)). A court may order support for a child who has turned 18 but is still enrolled in and attending secondary school, and has not married or become emancipated, but not past the age of 20.
- How long child support lasts in New York (2026)In New York, parents must support a child until the child turns 21, not 18 (Family Court Act § 413(1)(a)). Support can end earlier if the child is emancipated, for example by marrying, joining the military, or being 18 or older and working full time. For an adult with a developmental disability who lives with and depends on a parent, support can be ordered until 26.
- How long child support lasts in Texas (2026)Texas child support usually lasts until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later (Texas Family Code § 154.001). Support past 18 requires the child to be enrolled in high school and meeting attendance requirements (§ 154.002). It ends earlier if the child marries, is emancipated by court order, dies or starts active military service, and it can continue indefinitely for a child with a disability (§§ 154.006 and 154.302).
- When child support ends in Virginia (2026)Virginia child support generally ends when the child turns 18. It continues past 18 for a child who is a full time high school student, not self supporting, and living in the home of the parent receiving support, until the child turns 19 or graduates from high school, whichever comes first (Code of Virginia § 20-124.2 C). A court can also order support for an adult child with a severe and permanent disability that began before 18, and parents can agree to extend support.
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.