Clermont Child Support Lawyers

Raising a child is one of life’s greatest responsibilities, and ensuring your child has the financial support they need is essential to their well-being. Whether you are navigating a divorce, establishing paternity, or seeking to adjust an existing support order, child support arrangements can quickly become complex and emotionally charged.

At The Law Offices of Justin Rickman, our legal team brings over 40 years of combined experience assisting families throughout Clermont, Lake County, and the Four Corners area. Our experienced child support lawyers work tirelessly to protect your legal rights, safeguard your child’s financial future, and achieve a fair, accurate resolution tailored to your family's circumstances.

Request a consultation with a Clermont child support attorney at our firm by calling (888) 835-5840 or connecting with us online. Hablamos español.

What is Child Support?

Child support is a continuous, court-ordered financial payment made by one parent to another to cover the cost of raising a shared child. Under Florida law, both parents have a biological and legal duty to provide financial support for their minor children.

Child support payments are intended to ensure that the child maintains a stable standard of living and that their day-to-day needs are fully met, regardless of whether their parents live together or apart. These payments generally assist with essential expenses, including:

• Basic living costs (housing, food, clothing, and utilities)
• Health insurance premiums and uncovered medical expenses
• Educational expenses, school fees, and supplies
• Childcare costs (daycare, after-school programs, or babysitting needed for work)
• Extracurricular activities, sports, and religious programs

Child support is considered the right of the child, not the parent. As a result, parents cannot waive child support obligations on their own without court approval.

Florida Child Support Laws

Florida child support obligations are governed by strict statutory guidelines set forth in Florida Statutes Section 61.30. The law follows the "Income Shares Model," which operates on the legal principle that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if their parents were living together in a single household.

Key aspects of Florida child support law include:

• Mandatory Guideline Use: Courts must calculate support using the statutory child support guidelines worksheet, which factors in net income, health insurance costs, and childcare expenses.
• Overnight Parenting Time (Overnights): The number of overnights each parent spends with the child significantly impacts the final calculation. Under Florida law, if a parent has the child for at least 20% of the overnights per year (73 or more overnights), a substantial time-sharing adjustment applies.
• Income Imputation: If a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed without a valid reason (such as a disability), the court has the authority to "impute" income to that parent based on their employment history, qualifications, and local prevailing wages.

Navigating Florida statutes requires precise financial documentation. Working with our Clermont child support attorney ensures your income and expenses are accurately reported to prevent unfair calculations.

How The Court Determines Child Support in Lake County

In Lake County courts, determining child support involves a structured legal process aimed at establishing a fair monthly figure. The court calculates support by taking the following steps:

• Calculating Gross Income: Both parents must submit a comprehensive Financial Affidavit detailing all sources of income. This includes wages, salaries, bonuses, commission, self-employment earnings, disability benefits, workers' compensation, pensions, and rental income.
• Determining Net Income: Allowable deductions (such as income taxes, mandatory union dues, health insurance premiums for the parent, and mandatory retirement contributions) are subtracted from gross income to arrive at each parent's net income.
• Combining Net Incomes: The net incomes of both parents are combined to find the total baseline support obligation established by Florida statutory charts.
• Factoring Additional Expenses: Childcare costs, health insurance premiums for the child, and non-covered medical expenses are factored into the total support obligation.
• Applying the Parenting Time Adjustment: The court calculates each parent's financial share proportional to their income and adjusts the figure based on the time-sharing schedule (number of overnights).

While the guidelines create a presumption of what the support amount should be, Lake County judges have the discretion to adjust the final figure up or down by up to 5% if strict application of the guidelines would be unjust or inappropriate. Deviations greater than 5% require written legal justification.