Previously, if a party subject to payment of child support failed to participate in a child support proceeding, the Court would impute minimum wage as the amount of income for that party. However, minimum wage was often lower than the payer’s actual income. This created an incentive for some parents to not participate in child support proceedings. Realizing this, Florida has since changed it’s laws.
Florida statutes now say that if information concerning a parent’s income is unavailable, a parent fails to participate in a child support proceeding, or a parent fails to supply adequate financial information in a child support proceeding, the Court shall impute income in an amount equivalent to the median income of a year-round, full-time worker as derived from current population reports published by the United State Bureau of Census. This amount is typically much higher than minimum wage.
The result of this change in Florida’s child support law means that a parent can no longer avoid paying an appropriate amount of child support simply by not participating. If you have questions about the amount of child support you should be paying or receiving, your best information will come from your experienced child support lawyer. If you are not represented and would like to schedule an initial consultation with Family Law Attorney Wade P. Luther, please contact Family Law of Orlando by email or by calling (407) 835-9900.