Boca Raton Child Support Lawyer
Family Lawyers Handling Child Support Matters in Palm Beach Divorce Cases
Each parent is legally responsible for the financial support of their children. This is true while the parents are married, after they’ve divorced, or even if they were never married in the first place. The Boca Raton child support lawyers at Wise Lieberman, PLLC can represent you in a Florida divorce or other proceeding regarding child support, including paternity proceedings undertaken to force an alleged father to pay support. Get answers below to your questions about Florida law on child support, and contact Wise Lieberman, PLLC for assistance with child support issues in Palm Beach or Broward County.
How is Child Support Determined in Florida?
Florida law includes guidelines regarding how child support is determined according to a complicated formula based on numerous worksheets, schedules, tables and forms that must be completed by each parent in a divorce or child support matter. The formula takes into account the combined incomes of both parents, the number of children in need of support, the percentage of time-sharing allotted to each parent, costs of child healthcare, expenses for day care or after-school care, and any special needs the child may have. Once applied, the formula arrives at a presumptive amount of child support to be paid from one parent to the other.
Completing the required paperwork under the Florida child support guidelines is a complicated task. You’ll need to convert your wages or income to a monthly amount regardless of how often you are paid, and you need to be sure to include all income in your calculations. This includes wages, government benefits, alimony, rental income, retirement and pension benefits, and much more. The Boca divorce lawyers at Wise Lieberman, PLLC can help make sure that both you and your spouse are providing complete, accurate information to the court for a fair determination of child support. Spouses have been known to underreport or hide income, or even be voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, to gain an unfair advantage in the child support determination. With skilled and knowledgeable attorneys on your side, you can rest assured that your spouse’s tactics will not prevent a fair decision on child support.
The Child Support Guidelines are Only Guidelines
All the work that goes into the child support formula provides the court with a presumptive amount of what child support should be. However, the judge can deviate up or down from the guidelines amount by as much as 5% based on a consideration of the following factors:
- The child’s needs
- The age of the child
- The child’s station in life and standard of living
- The financial status of each parent
- Each parent’s financial ability
In addition, the judge can even deviate more than five percent based on a showing that the guidelines amount is inappropriate or unjust. Make sure you have skilled and effective child support lawyers on your side who can marshal the evidence and persuade the judge that a deviation is or is not appropriate in your particular case.
Our Boca Raton Child Support Lawyers Can Help in Your Florida Divorce
For strategic legal advice and effective representation regarding child support in your Florida divorce, contact the Boca Raton family law attorneys at Wise Lieberman, PLLC at 561-4898-7788.