When an order for child support is needed, the Case Manager gathers all necessary information and provides it to the Attorney, who files an action for support. At the same time, the case is set for a case management conference for the parties to come in and determine what issues must be resolved and to give the parties an opportunity to settle their child support case. A copy of the initial court papers or pleading is served on the parent who is being sued for support. The case management conference is usually set about one month after the date of filing of the initial pleading. If no agreement is reached at the case management conference, the case is set for trial at that time.

Bring to case management conference and hearing: at least 3 current pay stubs and an updated Financial Affidavit. If your information has changed, witnesses to any facts about which there is a dispute.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILDREN TO COURT. THEY CANNOT TESTIFY WITHOUT SPECIFIC COURT PERMISSION AND MAY NOT BE IN THE COURT ROOM. WE DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN DURING THE HEARING.

Child Support Amounts

The amount of child support is governed by FS §61.30 . Child support guidelines are standards established by each state to figure out the amount of child support a parent should pay. Every state has guidelines, but they may be different in each state.

Child support guidelines consider:

• The income of both parents
• The child's health care and child care costs
• The standard needs for the child. A list of support amounts based on the child's age and net income of the parents is in the Florida law - standard needs table .

The court or agency establishing support must use these guidelines to decide the amount of child support that will go in a Florida support order. In special circumstances, support amounts can be higher or lower than the guideline amounts. For example, a judge may consider a child's high medical expenses as a reason to change the support amount. In most cases, judges have to give written reasons why support amounts are different from guideline amounts.

You can get an estimate of child support amounts by using the Florida Child Support Calculator. The calculator will take the information you put in and give you an estimate of your child's support amount. This estimate is for informational purposes only. A court or agency may look at factors that are not included in your estimate. Remember to convert all figures to monthly (2080 x hourly wage ÷ 12 = gross monthly income). Net income is determined by subtracting the amount of mandatory deductions, such as taxes and social security.