West Palm Beach Child Support Lawyer
Whether you are the parent who will be paying support or the one who will be receiving it, the number a Palm Beach County judge orders will follow you for years, often until your youngest child turns eighteen. Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a boutique firm that practices exclusively in divorce and family law, and as a West Palm Beach child support lawyer team we represent parents throughout Palm Beach and Broward County, from first-time orders to disputes over changing an existing one.
Florida does not leave child support to a judge’s instincts. The guideline amount under section 61.30 is presumed to be the correct figure, and the court must order it unless a party gives the court a reason to depart. That makes the inputs everything: whose income counts, which deductions apply, how many overnights each parent actually has, and which add-ons such as health insurance and childcare get layered on top.
Most of the real work in a support case happens before anyone sees a judge. It happens in the financial affidavit, in the pay stubs and tax returns that do or do not tell the whole story, and in the parenting schedule that quietly drives the math.
How the Guideline Number Gets Built
The calculation starts with each parent’s gross income. Allowable deductions come off, and what remains is each parent’s net income. The two net figures are added together to produce a combined monthly net income, and the guidelines schedule assigns a support amount based on that combined figure and the number of children.
For families whose combined net income runs past the top of the schedule, the court does not stop at a ceiling. Support is the schedule’s maximum amount plus a percentage of the income above it: 5.0% for one child, 7.5% for two, 9.5% for three, 11.0% for four, 12.0% for five, and 12.5% for six. In a county with a large population of business owners, executives, and professionals, this is a common scenario, and the arguments tend to be about what counts as income rather than about the formula itself.
Overnights matter as well. When a parent exercises at least 20 percent of overnights, roughly 73 nights a year, the statute calls for a time-sharing adjustment that reduces the support figure. Since Florida now presumes equal time-sharing is in a child’s best interests, the parenting plan and the support order are tied together more tightly than many parents expect. A schedule negotiated casually can carry a dollar value no one calculated.
If a parent wants a figure that differs from the guideline, the court must make written findings to justify a departure of more than five percent. We build those arguments with documents, not adjectives.
Why Choose Williams & Varsegi, LLC for Child Support Cases
Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a boutique firm with over twenty years of experience that handles only divorce and family law. We represent clients across Palm Beach County and Broward County, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Coral Springs, and Parkland, and our cases range from high-net worth, high-conflict disputes to uncontested and simplified matters. That mix matters in support work, because a straightforward wage-earner calculation and a case involving a closely held business call for very different preparation.
Our attorneys include Emerald Williams, Lawyer, and Katie, and clients work directly with experienced attorneys who know their case rather than being passed along. Clients describe the team as responsive and knowledgeable. One client said Emerald Williams kept every promise made at the first consultation, and another said Katie made a process that lasted more than three years smoother and less anxious. The firm carries a 5-Star Rating from client reviews.
When a support case turns on hidden or unclear income, we work with forensic accountants, business valuators, and other experts. We are skilled negotiators and experienced litigators with extensive courtroom experience, which means we can settle a support figure when settlement serves you and try the issue when it does not.
Situations That Shape a Child Support Case
- Initial Orders in a Divorce: Support is usually set alongside the parenting plan and time-sharing schedule, so the two documents should be negotiated together rather than one after the other.
- Parents Who Were Never Married: Support can be established through a paternity action in the family division, and the same section 61.30 guidelines apply.
- Self-Employed and Business-Owner Parents: Income may be buried in retained earnings, expense accounts, or distributions, and our work with forensic accountants helps surface what a parent really earns.
- Bonus, Stock, and Variable Compensation: Executives and sales professionals often receive restricted stock, bonuses, or commissions that must be addressed in how income is measured and paid.
- Modification After Changed Circumstances: A job loss, a raise, or a new schedule can justify recalculating support, and the law presumes a substantial change when a fresh guideline calculation differs enough from the current order.
- Department of Revenue Cases: When an order is reviewed by the Department of Revenue, it can seek modification without proof of changed circumstances if the order differs from the guideline by at least 10 percent and at least $25.
- Relocation: A move of 50 miles or more lasting at least 60 consecutive days can reshape time-sharing and, with it, the support math.
- Divorces Involving Physicians, Federal Employees, and Police and Fire Personnel: Pensions, benefits, and irregular schedules add layers that a generic calculation misses.
What to Do Now if Support Is on the Table
Start by gathering documents before anyone asks for them. That means recent pay stubs, the last few years of tax returns, business financial statements if you own a company, health insurance premium costs for the children, and any childcare or after-school bills. Florida requires complete financial disclosure, and the party who arrives organized sets the tone of the case.
Next, keep an honest record of the overnights. If you already have a schedule in practice, write down how it really works, because the 20 percent threshold turns on actual time, not on what anyone intends.
Family cases in Palm Beach County are heard by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit’s family court. Clerk offices are open Monday through Friday during business hours. If your case involves Broward County, family matters are handled by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit instead.
A few mistakes come up repeatedly. Parents stop paying or reduce payments informally without a court order, and the unpaid amount keeps accruing. Others agree to a time-sharing split without checking what it does to the support number. Some hide or understate income, which can bring serious penalties. And some assume a modification is automatic after a pay cut, when only a court order changes what is owed. Talk with an attorney before you change anything.
Changing an Existing Support Order
An order is not frozen. Florida allows modification when circumstances have substantially changed, and a recalculation under the current guidelines that lands far enough from the existing figure creates a presumption that the threshold is met. The change must be significant and lasting, and the request has to be filed in court; informal side agreements between parents do not alter the order.
Increases and decreases follow the same logic. A parent who lost income through no fault of their own needs documentation of the loss and of a genuine job search. A parent seeking more support needs proof that the other parent’s income, or the children’s needs, have moved. Time-sharing changes feed into this as well, and modifying a parenting plan requires its own showing of a substantial and material change.
Support also interacts with other obligations. A premarital agreement cannot reduce a child’s right to support, and alimony and support are calculated separately, though both draw on the same income. We look at the whole financial picture so one order does not undercut another.
West Palm Beach Child Support Questions Parents Ask
How does a Florida court decide how much child support to order?
The court runs the section 61.30 guidelines, which combine both parents’ net incomes, factor in the number of children, and add health insurance and childcare costs. The result is presumed correct unless a party shows it would be unjust or inappropriate.
Does my income include bonuses and side work?
Generally, yes. Gross income reaches well beyond a base salary and can include bonuses, commissions, self-employment earnings, and other regular sources. The fight is usually over how to measure variable income, not whether it counts.
What happens if our combined income is very high?
Once combined net income exceeds the top of the guidelines schedule, support equals the schedule’s top amount plus a set percentage of the excess, which rises with the number of children. The court retains room to consider the children’s actual needs in these cases.
How many overnights do I need to get a reduction in support?
The time-sharing adjustment applies when a parent has at least 20 percent of overnights, about 73 per year. Below that level the adjustment does not apply.
Can we agree on a different amount than the guidelines?
Parents can negotiate, but a departure of more than five percent from the guideline figure requires the court to make written findings. The agreement has to be approved by the judge, and it cannot be one that shortchanges the child.
Can child support be changed after the judgment?
Yes. You must show a substantial change, and the law presumes one when a new guideline calculation differs enough from the current order. The order stays in force until the court modifies it, so the change has to be requested formally.
Is a lawyer worth it if my case seems simple?
Often, yes. A figure that looks routine can hide a mistake in income, deductions, or overnights that compounds over many years. A review before you sign costs far less than undoing an order later.
What if the other parent is hiding income?
Discovery in a Florida case includes financial affidavits, tax returns, and document requests, and complete disclosure is mandatory. When numbers do not add up, forensic accountants can trace income, and concealment can bring penalties.
Does the Department of Revenue ever adjust support on its own?
For orders it reviews, the department can seek modification without proof of changed circumstances if the existing award differs from the current guideline amount by at least 10 percent and at least $25.
If I move away with the children, does that affect support?
It can. A relocation of at least 50 miles lasting 60 days or more requires court approval or agreement when a parenting plan is in place, and a changed time-sharing schedule can change the support calculation. An objection to a relocation petition must be filed in writing within 20 days of service.
Do child support and alimony get decided together?
They are separate determinations with separate rules, but both depend on the same income evidence and are usually resolved in the same case. Alimony now includes only bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational forms, and we plan the two with each other in mind.
Serving Child Support Clients Across Palm Beach and Broward County
Our work begins in West Palm Beach, where the main family courthouse sits, and extends through Palm Beach County: Palm Springs, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, and Riviera Beach. We also represent parents in Belle Glade and the western communities of the county.
Into Broward County, we serve families in Coral Springs, Parkland, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, and Hollywood. Wherever you live in South Florida, our support work is built around your actual finances and your children’s schedule.
Speak With a West Palm Beach Child Support Attorney
If you are setting up support, defending against a request, or asking a court to change an order, a conversation with a West Palm Beach child support attorney at Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a practical place to start. We will look at the income, the overnights, and the existing orders, and tell you plainly what the numbers support. Call us to schedule a consultation.
