Parents in Florida and throughout the country may share legal and physical custody of their children after a divorce. If parents share physical custody of their children, it may influence the terms of a child support order. This is because child support orders are typically based on how much time a child spends at a parent’s home. Support orders are also partially based on how much money a parent makes as well as other factors that may be relevant.
State and federal law can be used to determine how much money a parent may need to contribute to help raise a son or daughter. It is not uncommon for a parent’s support obligation to be proportional to the amount of time a child is in his or her care. For example, if an individual were ordered to pay $300 a month in child support, that could be reduced by 50% if a child spent half of his or her time with that parent.
In some cases, parents may be allowed to create their own child support arrangements. These agreements may stipulate that there are times when a parent doesn’t need to make formal support payments. Regardless of how a child support agreement is crafted, it should provide a child with the same financial security that he or she had before the divorce.
Those who are hoping to learn more about child support, custody and visitation issues may want to speak with an attorney. He or she may be able to talk more about how having custody of a child influences a support order. If parents are willing to work together, a legal representative may help them craft a custom child support order or parenting plan.
