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Calculating child support has changed a lot in the last 10 years. In the old days, dads were traditionally given alternating weekends, and calculating child support was straightforward.
The calculations were based on the net income of the parents, the cost of medical insurance, and the cost of daycare. The numbers were plugged into a chart and your payment was easily calculated.
But it’s not so easy anymore because of the way that the court system now views the rights of fathers.
Child Support is Now Calculated Differently
For Fathers in Florida
Within the last few years, the courts have been much more open to granting fathers substantial time with their children.
This has had an impact on child support because the more overnights a father has with his children, the less that father is required to pay in child-support. This is because the more time a father spends with his child(ren), the more he will spend on them directly.
With the new way of calculating child support, when a father has at least 70 overnights with the child per year, the amount of child support that the father is to pay is dramatically less than if he had fewer overnights.
With the new way of calculating child support, when a father has at least 70 overnights with the child per year, the amount of child support that the father is to pay is dramatically less than if he had fewer overnights.
These new guidelines do present obvious financial challenges for mothers, as well as some not so obvious issues for fathers
How The Current Child Support Laws
Affect Mothers in Florida
One consequence of the new guidelines is that parents tend to argue about overnights for reasons that were non-existent in the past.
For example, an extra “overnight” could translate into significant financial loss for a mom if the father reaches the 70 overnights per year threshold.
We’ve seen cases where previously uninvolved fathers suddenly begin demanding more time with their kids to avoid paying more child support.
In other cases, mothers were happy to allow fathers to have more time with their children, but were later shocked to find out that the support they would receive would be greatly reduced.
Whether you’re a mom or a dad, before filing for a divorce, it’s helpful to know what you can expect to pay or receive in the form of child support.
And when you understand the factors that influence how child support is calculated, you’ll be in a stronger position to negotiate your interests and the interests of your children.
If you need legal representation related to any aspect of child support - from paternity cases, to timesharing (visitation)… And you need help right now...
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Child Support and Time Sharing (visitation) Can be Worked Out to Everyone’s Benefit
Without Costly Litigation
That’s Why The Medina Law Firm Offers 2
Alternatives to Divorce Litigation…
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