Florida Statutes 61.29 – Child support guidelines; principles; applicability
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(1) The following principles establish the public policy of the State of Florida in the creation of the child support guidelines:
(a) Each parent has a fundamental obligation to support his or her minor or legally dependent child.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 61.29
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Income: means any form of payment to an individual, regardless of source, including, but not limited to: wages, salary, commissions and bonuses, compensation as an independent contractor, worker's compensation, disability benefits, annuity and retirement benefits, pensions, dividends, interest, royalties, trusts, and any other payments, made by any person, private entity, federal or state government, or any unit of local government. See Florida Statutes 61.046
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
- minor: includes any person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
(b) The guidelines schedule is based on the parent’s combined net income estimated to have been allocated to the child as if the parents and children were living in an intact household.
(c) The guidelines encourage fair and efficient settlement of support issues between parents and minimizes the need for litigation.