Family Law Guide

Florida Child Support Forms

Whether you're establishing support for the first time, modifying an existing order, or making sure support actually gets paid, Florida requires specific court forms for each step. Here's which ones you need, in plain English, sourced from the Florida State Courts' own form library.

By Attorney Philip W. Graziano, Graziano Law Group, PLLC · Serving Broward, Miami-Dade & Palm Beach Counties · Published September 2026

The Forms You Need to Establish Child Support

Every Florida case that asks a court to set child support, whether it's part of a divorce, a paternity action, or a standalone Petition for Support Unconnected with Dissolution of Marriage, requires the same two supporting documents from both parents.

Form 12.902(e): Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

This is the form that actually calculates the number. It walks through each parent's net income, the number of children, child care and health insurance costs, and time-sharing overnights, and it must be filed with the court at or before any hearing where child support is requested. Our interactive child support calculator mirrors this worksheet's line numbers, so you can see roughly where you'll land before you fill out the official form. Get the form at flcourts.gov.

Form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c): Family Law Financial Affidavit

Both parents must also file a sworn Financial Affidavit disclosing income, expenses, assets, and debts. Which version you use depends on income: the short form, Form 12.902(b), is for individual gross income under $50,000 a year. The long form, Form 12.902(c), is for individual gross income of $50,000 a year or more. The figures on this form feed directly into the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, so accuracy here matters.

The Form You Need to Modify an Existing Order

An existing child support order doesn't update itself when income or time-sharing changes. To ask a court to revisit the amount, you file Form 12.905(b), the Supplemental Petition for Modification of Child Support. It must be paired with an updated Financial Affidavit and a new Form 12.902(e) worksheet reflecting the current numbers, and Florida generally requires a substantial, material, and unanticipated change in circumstances before a court will grant it. See our guide on modifying a Florida child support or time-sharing order for the legal standard courts apply.

The Form That Gets Support Actually Paid

Once a court orders child support, Florida law generally requires an Income Deduction Order, Form 12.996(a), to go along with it. Once signed by the judge, this order (together with the federal Income Withholding for Support form) is served on the paying parent's employer, who then withholds the support amount directly from each paycheck and forwards it through the State Disbursement Unit. This is the mechanism that keeps support payments from depending on one parent remembering to write a check.

Where to File These Forms

Family law forms are filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where your case is pending, whether that's Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, or elsewhere in Florida. If your case has never been through a court and you're working directly with the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program (a "IV-D" case), the process and paperwork differ; contact the Department of Revenue directly for those cases rather than filing in circuit court.

A Note on Accuracy

All of the forms and links above come from flcourts.gov, the Florida State Courts' own Family Law Forms library, and every form on this page is free. You should never need to pay a third party for a blank Florida family law form. That said, forms change and court requirements vary by county, so confirm you have the current version before filing, and consider having an attorney review your Financial Affidavit and worksheet numbers, especially if income, self-employment, or a time-sharing dispute complicates the calculation.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I file the short-form or long-form Financial Affidavit?

Use Form 12.902(b), the short form, if your individual gross income is under $50,000 a year. Use Form 12.902(c), the long form, if your individual gross income is $50,000 a year or more. Both parties must file one, regardless of which version each uses.

Do I need a lawyer to file Florida child support forms?

No, these are self-help forms and a person can file them without a lawyer. But the numbers you put on the Financial Affidavit and the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet directly determine what a judge orders, so many people have an attorney review their figures, especially in a modification or a case involving self-employment income, imputed income, or a time-sharing dispute.

Where can I get these forms for free?

Every form referenced on this page is available free from flcourts.gov, the Florida State Courts' official Family Law Forms library. You should never need to pay a third-party site for a blank Florida family law form.

What form do I use to modify Florida child support?

Form 12.905(b), the Supplemental Petition for Modification of Child Support, starts the case. You must also file an updated Family Law Financial Affidavit and a new Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (Form 12.902(e)) showing the changed numbers.

What happens after a judge signs the Income Deduction Order?

Form 12.996(a), along with the federal Income Withholding for Support form, is served on the paying parent's employer, which then withholds the ordered support amount directly from that parent's paycheck and forwards it through the State Disbursement Unit.

Need Help With Your Child Support Paperwork?

Getting the forms right the first time saves months of delay. Attorney Graziano can review your Financial Affidavit and worksheet numbers, or handle the filing for you, whether you're establishing, modifying, or enforcing a Florida child support order.

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