Florida Child Support Calculator (2026)

How is Florida child support calculated under Fla. Stat. § 61.30?

Florida uses an income-shares guideline, not a percentage-of-income rule. The schedule, the definitions of gross and net income, and the overnight adjustment all live in Fla. Stat. § 61.30; the court’s authority to order support is § 61.13(1)(a).

Is the § 61.30 guideline amount binding on the judge?

“The child support guideline amount as determined by this section presumptively establishes the amount the trier of fact must order as child support for a minor child” — Fla. Stat. § 61.30(1)(a)

It is presumptive, not absolute. The same paragraph allows a variance of “plus or minus 5 percent” after considering the child’s needs, age, station in life, standard of living and each parent’s financial status; a larger deviation requires “a written finding explaining why ordering payment of such guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate.”

What is the 20% overnight rule in § 61.30(11)(b)8.?

“‘substantial amount of time’ means that a parent exercises time-sharing at least 20 percent of the overnights of the year” — Fla. Stat. § 61.30(11)(b)8.

That is 73 overnights in a 365-night year. Crossing it triggers the § 61.30(11)(b) gross-up: subparagraph 1. directs the court to compute each parent’s share without day care and health insurance and “multiply the amount by 1.5,” then allocate by the percentage of overnights each parent exercises. Below 73 overnights, the standard guideline applies with no gross-up. This is the single biggest lever in the calculator — count overnights precisely with the Florida parenting time calculator.

How does § 61.13(1)(b) treat health insurance for the child?

Every support order “shall contain a provision for health insurance for the minor child when health insurance is reasonable in cost and accessible to the child.” § 61.13(1)(b) presumes cost is reasonable if the incremental premium for the child does not exceed 5 percent of the responsible parent’s gross income as defined in § 61.30, and directs the court to add that cost to the basic obligation computed under § 61.30(6).

How does the time-sharing schedule interact with support?

“there is a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing of a minor child is in the best interests of the minor child” — Fla. Stat. § 61.13(2)(c)1.

The equal time-sharing presumption took effect 1 July 2023. It changes the overnight count, which changes the § 61.30(11)(b) calculation. But § 61.13(5) is explicit that “An order for equal time-sharing for a minor child does not preclude the court from entering an order for child support of the child.” 50/50 does not mean $0.

When does support end, and how is it changed?

§ 61.13(1)(a)1.a. requires orders to terminate support on the child’s 18th birthday unless the child is still in high school with a reasonable expectation of graduating before 19, and § 61.13(1)(a)1.b. requires a step-down schedule for multi-child orders. Modification runs through § 61.14 on a substantial change in circumstances. Support for a child born outside marriage is established under chapter 742 once paternity is determined.

Where does child support sit among the other Florida statutes?

A Florida dissolution of marriage is governed by a small set of statutes, and each one has its own pinpoint rule. Residency is Fla. Stat. § 61.021 (one party must have resided in Florida 6 months before filing); the ground is § 61.052 (irretrievable breakdown — no fault required); property is § 61.075; alimony is § 61.08; time-sharing is § 61.13; child support is § 61.30; attorney’s fees are § 61.16 (see Rosen v. Rosen, 696 So. 2d 697 (Fla. 1997)); post-judgment changes are § 61.14; and § 61.19 bars entry of a final judgment until at least 20 days after the petition is filed, absent a showing of injustice.

Primary sources: Fla. Stat. § 61.30 · Fla. Stat. § 61.13 · Florida Courts — Family Law Forms