Vivian C. Rodriguez P.A.

Florida Child Support – What Does It Pay For?

The Florida child support includes a basic support obligation, plus the cost of day care and health insurance coverage.

When calculating the support obligation, keep in mind that the amount of basic support helps to pay for the cost of “housing” a child; in other words, the everyday expenses for food, clothing, shelter, entertaining the children, normal costs of school supplies, etc. 

Parties in a divorce action with children (or sometimes in a paternity action) know what this basic child support will cover simply because (presumably) they all lived under one roof at some point.  They have personal experience with the cost of brining up their child.

If you have questions about what is paid for by child support, it may be better to consider what is not included. 

Some things that are NOT included in the basic support amount are:

• child care payments-these are added to the basic support payment);
•  
  the cost of health insurance-which is also added to the basic support obligation when available
• medical expenses and services necessary for the child and which are not covered by health insurance-includes the co-payments;

In disputes about child support, whether at the time of calculating the initial amount or later if you are seeking a modification, the courts will not generally require that the parent who receives the child support provide a list of how they spend that money.

© 2009 Vivian C. Rodriguez

Vivian C. Rodriguez is a divorce and paternity attorney in Florida. For articles about Florida family law, visit the Articles page at  FLDivorcePaternityLawyer.com.

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