How Does Child Support Work if One Parent Has No Job?

Are you and your child’s other parent fighting over child support? Florida courts generally base their child support calculations on the Florida Child Support Guidelines. These guidelines take numerous factors into account, one of the most important being each parent’s income (other relevant factors include childcare costs, health insurance costs, and how time is split between the parents). But what happens when one parent isn’t currently receiving an income?

In Florida, when one parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, the court will impute income based on their employment potential and their probable earning capacity. Some of the factors that the court will consider when making this determination include:

• The parent’s qualifications
• Their work history
• The current job market
• Salaries in that community

Notably, the court cannot impute an income amount that’s higher than what the parent previously earned. If there’s no information available about the parent’s previous income, then the court may base its calculations on what they would make working full time at minimum wage.

Meet With a Child Support Lawyer

If you’re in the Tampa Bay area and you’d like to discuss your case with an experienced child support attorney, turn to the professionals at the Law Offices of Audrey A. Jefferis, P.A. We regularly handle child support cases, and once we’ve learned about your situation, we’ll be able to provide you with customized advice. Contact us today to set up a consultation at our main office in New Port Richey or our satellite office in Palm Harbor.