Florida child support calculator
Florida child support splits the cost of raising your children between both parents by what each of you earns. It's a set formula, so you can see an estimate before you talk to a lawyer or go to court. Put in both parents' net income and your overnights with the children, and we'll apply the Florida child support guidelines the way the court's worksheet does, apart from medical bills insurance doesn't cover.
$0.00 a month
Put in both parents' net income and your overnights with the children to see an estimate.
Tell us about your situation and where you are. We'll follow up about the next step.
Florida uses net income and has no official tax tables, so the estimate is only as close as the incomes you put in. The schedule goes up in $50 steps of combined income. Between two steps we use a figure part way between them, and a court may not, so its figure can be slightly different.
How child support is calculated in Florida
Florida looks at both parents. Your net incomes are added together, and that combined figure and the number of children give a monthly amount from the schedule in section 61.30. Each of you owes the same share of it as your share of the combined income, and the parent with fewer overnights pays their share to the other.
| Children | At $5,000 combined | At $10,000 combined | Plus, of income over $10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 | $1,437 | 5% |
| 2 | $1,551 | $2,228 | 7.5% |
| 3 | $1,939 | $2,795 | 9.5% |
| 4 | $2,188 | $3,148 | 11% |
| 5 | $2,387 | $3,432 | 12% |
| 6 | $2,551 | $3,666 | 12.5% |
The schedule runs from $800 to $10,000 of combined net income a month. Past $10,000, a set share of the extra income is added, with no cap. Child care and the children's health insurance are added on top and split by the same income shares, and whoever already pays them gets credit. When each of you has the children at least 73 overnights a year (20%), the schedule amount goes up by 50% and each parent's share is weighed by the other parent's overnights.
Medical, dental and prescription bills that insurance doesn't cover are added the same way unless a judge orders them split by percentage, and we leave them out. We also leave out income a judge assigns to a parent who isn't working by choice, more than 6 children, children who live with different parents or on different schedules, support for past months, unpaid support already owed, and Social Security benefits paid to a child.
When a judge can order more or less support
A judge starts from the guideline amount and can order up to 5% more or less after weighing the children's needs and each parent's finances. Going further takes a written finding that the guideline amount would be unjust or inappropriate. Some of the reasons a judge weighs, none of them in the estimate:
- Time with each parent. A child who spends a lot of time with a parent, but fewer than 73 overnights a year (20%).
- The children's needs. Extraordinary medical, psychological, educational or dental costs, age, or special needs.
- The children's own income. Money a child receives in their own right.
- Seasonal income. Pay or expenses that rise and fall through the year.
- Assets. What each parent and the children own.
- Debts. Reasonable existing debts, such as debt you took on together while married.
- A heavy share of income. Support that would take more than 55% of the paying parent's gross income.
Questions parents ask about Florida child support
How much is child support in Florida?
It depends on both parents' net income and how many children you have. Say your net income is $3,000 a month, the other parent's is $2,000 and your child lives mostly with them. At a combined $5,000, the schedule amount for one child is $1,000. You earn 60% of the combined income, so you'd pay $600 a month, before child care, insurance or any time-sharing adjustment.
What are the Florida child support guidelines?
They're the rules in section 61.30 of the Florida Statutes: a schedule of monthly support by both parents' combined net income and number of children, child care and the children's health insurance added on top, and a formula for parents who each have at least 73 overnights a year. The schedule has applied since January 1, 2011. A judge starts from the guideline amount and can move from it only as the law allows.
Does 50/50 custody change child support in Florida?
Yes. Once each parent has the children at least 73 overnights a year (20%), Florida raises the schedule amount by 50%, weighs each parent's share by the other parent's overnights, and the parent who owes more pays the difference. With equal time and similar incomes the amounts mostly cancel out, though child care and insurance can still leave one parent paying.
What if the paying parent earns very little?
Florida sets no fixed minimum, but when the paying parent's net income is under $800 a month, below the schedule, the law says they should still be ordered to pay something. A judge sets that amount case by case, so we don't estimate it. The same goes when both parents together earn under $800.
Can you modify child support in Florida?
Yes. Either parent can ask the court to change the order when circumstances have changed substantially. If the guideline amount now differs from the current order by at least 15% or $50 a month, whichever is greater, that difference can count as the change. In cases the Florida Department of Revenue handles, it reviews orders and asks the court to change one that's off by at least 10% and at least $25 a month, without proof of a change. And if a parent, on their own, stops regularly using the time-sharing that lowered support, that alone counts as a substantial change.
Where the numbers come from
- Section 61.30, Florida Statutes (2026), the child support guidelines and schedule
- Florida Family Law Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet courts use
- The Florida Department of Revenue on child support amounts, which has no official calculator of its own
Checked September 29, 2026. Florida's schedule has applied since January 1, 2011.
Talk it through with a Florida family law attorney
A family law attorney can tell you what a judge is likely to order in your situation, and whether any of these adjustments apply to you.
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