It’s one of the most common points of confusion for parents going through a divorce or paternity case in Florida. You spend weeks working out a parenting plan, and then you learn child support isn’t in it. That’s by design. In Florida, the parenting plan and child support are handled in separate documents.
Understanding how the two fit together makes the process easier to follow and helps you avoid surprises, especially if you have more than one child.
What Goes Into a Florida Parenting Plan?
A Florida parenting plan lays out how parents will share time and responsibility for their children, including the time-sharing schedule. There is a Florida Supreme Court form for parenting plans, but parents are not required to use it. What matters is that the minimum provisions contained in the form are included in the document the parents draft.
That flexibility is useful. Parents can write a plan that fits their family, and the parenting plan can even be included in their marital settlement agreement instead of standing on its own.
Where Florida Child Support Is Calculated
The parenting plan does not include the parents’ child support obligation. Instead, a Child Support Worksheet is completed and filed with the Court, and that worksheet shows the parents’ child support obligation.
The worksheet is where both parents’ incomes, the number of children, and the time-sharing schedule come together into an actual number. So while the parenting plan and the worksheet are separate documents, the schedule you agree to in one can affect the number in the other. Understand that the child support obligation must be included in the final judgment or order entered by the Court. It is not enough that it appears in a Child Support Worksheet that was filed with the Court.
Why Families With More Than One Child Need Multiple Worksheets
Florida requires multiple Child Support Worksheets when there is more than one child. A Child Support Worksheet is required to calculate the child support obligation every time a child emancipates.
For example, if you have three children, you will need three Child Support Worksheets: one calculating the obligation while there are three minor children, one for when there are two minor children, and one for when there is one remaining minor child. This way, the support amount for each stage is laid out ahead of time.
What If the Time-Sharing Schedule Changes Later?
Because the worksheet uses the time-sharing schedule, a real change in how the schedule works in practice can affect child support. In Florida, if a parent fails to regularly exercise the time-sharing schedule set out in the parenting plan, child support can be modified, and that modification is retroactive to the date the parent first stopped regularly exercising their time-sharing.
For other changes, such as a shift in income, a modification is generally calculated from the date the petition for modification is filed, so it’s worth acting promptly once circumstances change.
How Florida Differs From Tennessee
Parents who have lived in both states can be surprised by the difference. In Tennessee, the parenting plan includes the child support obligation of the parents, and the Tennessee parenting plan form includes language requiring parents to exchange income information every year and recalculate support if needed. In Florida, child support is shown on the worksheet filed with the Court, not in the parenting plan itself.
Building Your Parenting Plan in Divorce Mediation
Because Florida doesn’t require the Supreme Court form, divorce mediation is a practical place to build a parenting plan that fits your family. Parents can work through the time-sharing schedule with a neutral mediator, fold the plan into their marital settlement agreement, and prepare the Child Support Worksheets that go with it. The Court still reviews the final documents, but much of the hard work can happen outside the courtroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Florida parenting plan include child support?
No. In Florida, the parenting plan does not include child support. The obligation is shown on a Child Support Worksheet that is completed and filed with the Court.
Do we have to use the Florida Supreme Court parenting plan form?
No. Parents are not required to use the form, as long as the minimum provisions contained in the form are included in the parenting plan they draft.
Can our parenting plan be part of our marital settlement agreement?
Yes. In Florida, the parenting plan can be included in the parents’ marital settlement agreement.
How many Child Support Worksheets do we need?
You need a worksheet for each stage as your children emancipate. With three children, that means three worksheets: one for three minor children, one for two, and one for the last remaining minor child.
Next Step
Getting the Parenting Plan and the Child Support Worksheets right from the start saves time and conflict later, especially when there are several children and several worksheets involved. At The Eaton Family Law Firm, Catherine Eaton has spent more than 20 years helping Florida and Tennessee parents put together parenting plans that work, often through mediation instead of litigation. If you’re in West Palm Beach or elsewhere in Florida, she can walk you through your options.