Extracurricular Activities In A Florida Divorce

Who pays for extracurricular activities in a Florida divorce? After a Florida divorce or paternity action, extracurricular activities are generally separate from child support calculations. Parents often ask who will pay for their children’s extracurricular activities and if they are included in child support calculations. Florida law does not contemplate extracurricular activities as a standard child support deduction. Moreover, there is no one formula family law courts provide for deciding which parent pays a certain percentage of the cost. Do you have questions about extracurricular activities in your divorce or paternity action? Call the Jacobs Law Firm to speak with a family lawyer Orlando, 407-335-8113.

Who Pays For Extracurricular Activities In A Florida Divorce?

Generally, parents choose to pay 50% per parent toward extracurricular activities for their children. Who pays for extracurricular activities in a divorce if the case is contested or the parents have a disparity in income? In this scenario, sometimes parents rely on the percentage (pro rata share) of responsibility for child support and pay for the children’s extracurricular activities and related uniforms and equipment according to that percentage (65%-35% for example).

In some heavily litigated cases, one parent wants their child to participate in an activity the other parent strongly disagrees with. This may lead to an agreement whereby the parent choosing the extracurricular activity will pay for the children’s activity and uniforms and equipment in its/their entirety. This may cause the issue to be litigated through motions for clarification, contempt, and/or enforcement, but renewed/continued family litigation is not prohibited or prohibitive. Perhaps the parties truly believe they require clarification and guidance from the court.

Some extracurricular activities in a divorce include travel sports (soccer, hockey, lacrosse, football, baseball, volleyball), dance (ballet or ballroom or modern), debate club (or some other partially school-sponsored activity), and martial arts (karate, jiu jitsu, and tae kwon do are popular). One can envision disagreements about these activities as some may be physically and emotionally taxing and many parents are cautious about enrolling their children.

Call the Jacobs Law Firm to speak with a family lawyer Orlando, 407-335-8113. Attorney Jacobs litigates family law matters in divorce and paternity cases involving minor children. If your parenting plan is ambiguous or silent on the matter of who pays for extracurricular activities in a divorce, you may need to seek legal counsel to identify the correct course of action and determine whether your issues are appropriate for court intervention.