Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Adherence to Florida's Child Support Guidelines Appears to Be Improving

Report 02-13, February 2002




Report Summary

  • Based on our sample of child enforcement cases, judges awarded child support obligations in accordance with the statutory guidelines in 91% of the cases administered by the Department of Revenue and in 52% of the private support orders issued in Florida. This represents an improvement since our examination in 1998 when only 63% of the cases administered by the Department of Revenue and 43% of the private support orders issued in Florida were in compliance with the statutory guidelines.
  • However, 12% of the case files administered by the Department of Revenue and 46% of the private case files lacked evidence that guideline amounts for child support had been calculated. In addition, 57% of the case files administered by the Department of Revenue and 90% of the private case files that deviated from Florida's guidelines did not have documentation describing the reasons for awarding a different child support award.
  • To continue to improve the level of adherence to Florida's child support guidelines and also facilitate future compliance monitoring, we recommend that the Legislature require that child support guideline calculation information and the judges' reasoning for significant deviations from the calculated amount be included in child support orders.


Related Reports
  1. Child Support Guidelines Schedule Should Reflect Current Economic Conditions
    Report 00-20 December 2000
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
government, government support, government operations, health and social services, child support, custody, enforcement, guideline, family court, federal funding, food stamps, license suspension, single parents, temporary assistance, welfare reform