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Florida child support: section 61.30, time-sharing at 73 overnights, and a worked example

Florida's guidelines live in a single statute, section 61.30, and its schedule is written straight into the law. The amount is built from both parents' net incomes, and as soon as each parent has the child for at least 20% of overnights a year, a time-sharing formula must be used. Since 2023 the law also presumes that equal time-sharing is in a child's best interests, which makes that formula common.

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At a glance

ModelIncome shares on combined monthly net income, Fla. Stat. 61.30
ScheduleIn the statute, from $800 to $10,000 of combined net income; above $10,000 add 5% (one child) to 12.5% (six) of the excess
Time-sharingMandatory adjustment when each parent has at least 20% of overnights (73 a year): 1.5 times the basic support, cross-multiplied by overnights
Guideline rangeThe court may vary by up to 5% after considering the family's circumstances; more only with a written finding
Health insurancePresumed reasonable if adding the child costs no more than 5% of the providing parent's gross income
Support endsOn the 18th birthday, or later if the child is still in high school and expected to graduate before 19
ModificationThe guidelines must differ from the current order by at least 15% or $50, whichever is greater

Gross income, net income, and the schedule in 61.30(6)

Each parent files a financial affidavit showing monthly income and deductions. Gross income includes salary and wages, bonuses, commissions, allowances, overtime and tips, business and self-employment income after ordinary expenses, disability and workers' compensation benefits, reemployment assistance, pensions, Social Security (including benefits a child receives because of a parent's retirement or disability, counted as that parent's income), spousal support received, interest and dividends, net rental income, royalties and trust income, in-kind payments that reduce living expenses, and recurring gains. Public assistance is excluded.

Net income subtracts income taxes for the parent's actual filing status, FICA or self-employment tax, mandatory union dues and retirement payments, health insurance not covering the child, court-ordered support actually paid for other children, and court-ordered spousal support. The parents' net incomes are added and matched to the statutory schedule, which runs in $50 steps. Child care for work, a job search, or job-related education, and the child's health insurance and uncovered medical, dental and prescription costs, are added to that figure, and the total is split by each parent's share of combined net income.

Income is imputed to a parent found voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, based on work history, qualifications and local earnings. If a parent's income information is missing or the parent does not participate, the presumption is the Census Bureau median income of year-round full-time workers. Imputation cannot rely on income records more than five years old or on a level the parent has never earned, unless newly qualified, and incarceration is not voluntary unemployment.

Worked example: Florida

  1. Parent A's monthly net income is $6,000 and Parent B's is $4,000, for $10,000 combined, the last row of the schedule.
  2. Section 61.30(6) lists $2,228 for two children at $10,000. Above $10,000 the statute adds 7.5% of the extra income for two children.
  3. Parent A's share of combined net income is 60%, so Parent A's share of the need is $1,337 and Parent B's is $891.
  4. If Parent A has fewer than 73 overnights a year, Parent A pays $1,337 a month, about $16,044 a year, plus a share of child care and health costs.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Figures are rounded to the dollar and leave out the insurance, childcare, and other adjustments your case may have. Try your own numbers in CoreParent's calculator, then confirm with the state's official calculator.

The substantial time-sharing formula in 61.30(11)(b)

When a parenting plan or agreed arrangement gives each parent at least 20% of the year's overnights, the court must use this formula. Each parent's share of the basic obligation (without child care or health insurance) is multiplied by 1.5, then by the percentage of overnights the child spends with the other parent, and the difference between the two results is the transfer. Child care and insurance are then credited or debited separately. In the example, with 100 overnights a year Parent A pays about $1,090 instead of $1,337, and at exactly equal time about $334. The statute does not tie the result to a cap at the primary-custody amount.

The court can still deviate from the formula, for example for the receiving parent's low income or the likelihood that the schedule will not actually be followed. Below 20% of overnights, significant time with the child is one of the listed reasons to deviate. If a parent stops regularly exercising the time-sharing that lowered support, without the other parent causing it, that is a substantial change and the modification reaches back to when the time-sharing stopped.

Health insurance and medical costs

Every support order must provide for the child's health insurance when it is reasonable in cost and accessible. It is presumed reasonable if the added cost of covering the children is no more than 5% of the providing parent's gross income, and accessible if it can be used in the county where the child primarily lives. Premiums and uncovered medical, dental and prescription costs are added to the basic obligation, unless the court orders them paid separately by percentage, and a parent who pays them directly gets a credit.

Low incomes, deviations, and later children

When the paying parent's net income is below the schedule, support is set case by case to establish the principle of payment, and it can be no more than 90% of the gap between the parent's net income and the federal poverty guideline for one person. The listed deviation factors include extraordinary medical or educational costs, the child's own income, seasonal income, an older child's greater needs, a disabled child's special needs, total assets, tax credits and the dependency exemption, and a guideline amount that would take more than 55% of a parent's gross income. Children born or adopted after an order can be raised only against an upward modification, not to lower an existing award.

End date, modification, and retroactive support

Orders entered since October 1, 2010 must state that support ends on the child's 18th birthday, unless the child is still in high school, performing in good faith, and expected to graduate before 19, or the parents agree otherwise. Each order also has to list the amount owed for the remaining children as each child ages out, and the date each change takes effect.

To use the guidelines as proof of a substantial change, the new amount must differ from the current order by at least 15% or $50, whichever is greater. In orders the Department of Revenue reviews, a 10% difference of at least $25 is enough to seek a modification without proving a change. In a first order, support can reach back to when the parents stopped living together, up to 24 months before the petition. The Child Support Program of the Florida Department of Revenue establishes, modifies and enforces orders.

Documents you will need

Florida child support FAQ

How is child support calculated in Florida?

Add both parents' monthly net incomes, find the minimum need for the number of children in the schedule in section 61.30(6), add child care and health costs, and split by each parent's share of net income. If each parent has at least 73 overnights a year, the 1.5 time-sharing formula applies.

How many overnights change child support in Florida?

20% of the year, which is 73 overnights. From there the time-sharing formula is mandatory. In our example, 100 overnights lowers Parent A's payment from $1,337 to about $1,090 a month.

Is there child support with 50/50 time-sharing in Florida?

Usually, when incomes differ. With equal overnights, each parent's 1.5 share is multiplied by 50% and offset, so the higher earner pays the difference: about $334 a month in our 60/40 income example.

When does child support end in Florida?

On the child's 18th birthday, unless the child is still in high school, performing in good faith, and expected to graduate before turning 19. Orders must list the end date and the reduced amount for any remaining children.

How much of a change do you need to modify child support in Florida?

To rely on the guidelines, the new amount must be at least 15% or $50 different from the current order, whichever is greater. A parent who stops using the time-sharing that reduced support also creates a substantial change.

Next steps

Sources

Verified against these official sources in October 2026:

Child support in every other state

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This is general educational information, not legal advice, and official figures change. Last verified: October 2026. Consult a licensed family-law attorney in Florida.