Child support can be one of the most contentious issues between parents who choose to live separately or divorce. It can also have a significant impact on the financial well-being of everyone involved. For this reason, if you are involved in a dispute regarding child support or believe that the issue will come up in the near future, you should contact an experienced child support lawyer in St. Augustine immediately.
Florida law requires courts to use certain guidelines in order to determine the amount of child support that one parent will pay to the other. The goal of child support is to provide children with the level of care that they would have enjoyed had their parents not separated. The guidelines consider:
Importantly, the guidelines only provide a presumptive amount, and courts have the discretion to order more or less child support if they see fit. For example, child support amounts can vary from the guidelines if a child has significant financial needs or one or both parents have a particularly high income. For this reason, it’s highly advisable for anyone involved in a child support dispute to retain a lawyer as soon as possible.
If you are involved in a dispute related to child support, it’s in your best interest to retain an experienced attorney as soon as possible. At Naples & Spence, Attorneys at Law, we’re committed to helping parents protect their rights with respect to child support and other matters. Contact us online or call 904.657.7117 today to schedule your case evaluation.