Child support for one child in Florida generally runs from about $190 to $1,437 per month, based on the parents’ combined monthly net income under the guidelines in Section 61.30 of the Florida Statutes. That base figure is then split between the parents in proportion to their incomes and adjusted for overnights, childcare, and health insurance. So the amount any one parent actually writes a check for depends on more than income alone, but the math is more predictable than most people expect.
The Guideline Amounts for One Child
Florida’s statute contains a table that matches combined monthly net income to a base support obligation. A few reference points for one child:
- $800 combined net income: $190 per month
- $2,000 combined net income: $442 per month
- $3,000 combined net income: $644 per month
- $5,000 combined net income: $1,000 per month
- $7,000 combined net income: $1,212 per month
- $10,000 combined net income: $1,437 per month
The schedule runs in $50 increments from $800 up to $10,000 of combined monthly net income.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines; Retroactive Child Support Above $10,000, the base obligation is $1,437 plus 5% of every dollar over $10,000.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines A couple with $15,000 in combined net income, for example, has a base of roughly $1,687 for one child.
These are starting numbers. The order a court actually signs can land higher or lower once the parenting schedule, childcare costs, insurance, and any deviation factors are figured in.
How the Number Is Built for Your Case
Gross Income Comes First
Each parent’s monthly gross income gets counted broadly. Wages, bonuses, commissions, overtime, tips, self-employment earnings, disability, workers’ compensation, unemployment, pensions, Social Security, alimony from a prior marriage, interest, dividends, rental income, royalties, and trust income all go in. Business income counts as gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary expenses.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
One detail trips people up: Social Security benefits paid to a child because of a parent’s retirement or disability count as that parent’s income. Public assistance benefits do not.
Then Deductions, to Get Net Income
Each parent subtracts allowable deductions from gross to arrive at net income. The allowed items are federal, state, and local income taxes based on actual filing status; FICA or self-employment tax; mandatory union dues; mandatory retirement contributions; health insurance premiums the parent pays for their own coverage; court-ordered child support for other children actually being paid; and court-ordered alimony from a prior marriage actually being paid.
Add the two parents’ net incomes together. That combined figure is what you look up on the schedule to find the base obligation.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
Split in Proportion to Income
The number on the schedule is not what one parent pays in full. Each parent is responsible for a share of it proportional to their contribution to the combined net income. Earn 60% of the combined total, cover 60% of the base.
Childcare costs necessary for employment or education and the child’s health insurance premiums get added to the base and split the same way. Whichever parent is already paying those expenses out of pocket receives a credit for them.
How Overnights Change the Amount
The parenting schedule matters, often significantly. Florida treats at least 73 overnights per year with a parent, roughly 20% of the year, as “substantial time-sharing.” When both parents cross that line, the calculation shifts to a formula that reflects what each parent is already spending directly while the child is in their care.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
Mechanically, the court multiplies each parent’s share of the base obligation by 1.5, cross-multiplies each result by the percentage of overnights the child spends with the other parent, and the difference between the two numbers is what transfers from one parent to the other. Childcare and insurance are credited separately on top.
The practical result: more overnights with the paying parent generally means a smaller monthly check. A parent with 45% of overnights pays considerably less than a parent with 25%, even on identical incomes. Below 73 overnights, the substantial time-sharing formula doesn’t apply, but a judge can still treat reduced expenses on the other side as a reason to deviate downward.
When the Court Can Deviate
The guideline amount is presumptive, not fixed. A court can adjust up or down by 5% after weighing the child’s needs, each parent’s financial situation, and the family’s standard of living. Deviations larger than 5% are allowed but the judge must put the reasons in writing.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
The statute lists specific grounds, including:
- Extraordinary medical, psychological, educational, or dental costs for the child
- The child’s own independent income, excluding Supplemental Security Income
- Seasonal variation in a parent’s earnings
- The child’s age, since older children tend to cost more
- Special needs the family has historically covered
- The total assets available to each parent and the child
- Tax effects of the dependency exemption, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and Earned Income Tax Credit
- A cap preventing a single order from requiring more than 55% of the paying parent’s gross income
- Time-sharing below the 73-night threshold where the child still spends meaningful time with the paying parent
- Reasonable debts the parents incurred together during the marriage, or any other factor needed for an equitable result
If a Parent Is Unemployed or Underemployed
A parent cannot shrink the payment by quitting a job or taking a lower-paying one without a good reason. If the court finds the unemployment or underemployment is voluntary, it assigns an income based on earning potential rather than the current paycheck.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
Judges look at recent work history, qualifications, and prevailing wages in the local community. If a parent won’t produce financial records or doesn’t appear, the court presumes they earn the median income of full-time workers reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. That presumption can be rebutted, but the parent has to show up and prove otherwise.
There are limits. Earnings records more than five years old can’t be used, and courts generally won’t impute income at a level the parent has never actually reached, unless a new degree, license, or certification now qualifies them for higher-paying work. Incarceration is not treated as voluntary unemployment. A parent who stays home to care for the child in the support case may also avoid imputation, though that is decided on the facts.
How Long Payments Continue
Child support in Florida runs until the child turns 18. If the child is still in high school at 18 and expected to graduate before 19, support continues through graduation.2Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.30 – Child Support Guidelines
Support can also continue indefinitely for a dependent adult child with a mental or physical disability. Those cases use different factors from the standard guidelines, including the adult child’s own income and assets, the care needs tied to the disability, and whether government programs apply. Courts are required to avoid ordering support that would disqualify the adult child from means-tested benefits, and can direct payments into a special needs trust to protect eligibility.3Online Sunshine. Florida Code 61.31 – Amount of Support for a Dependent Adult Child
Termination is not always automatic. Depending on how the original order was written, the paying parent may need to file a motion to end the obligation. Any arrears built up before the child aged out stay collectible.
Estimating Your Own Number
To get a reasonable estimate, add up each parent’s gross income from every source, subtract the allowed deductions to get net income, combine the two nets, and read the base obligation off the schedule. Figure each parent’s percentage of the combined net, apply that percentage to the base plus childcare and health insurance, and if the child spends at least 73 overnights with each parent, run the substantial time-sharing adjustment.
Online calculators built around the Florida formula can save time, but they are only as accurate as the numbers you feed them. Most self-calculated estimates go wrong on deductions or on how a particular income source should be characterized. The court works from detailed financial affidavits, and a judge who spots inconsistencies will push harder on the numbers.
The guideline figure is where any Florida child support calculation starts. The final number on the order reflects the specific facts of your case: both incomes, the parenting schedule, the add-ons, and any deviation the judge finds appropriate.