According to Florida case law, if bonus income is regular and continuous then it should be included in making alimony and child support awards:
In addition to the equitable distribution concerns, Ingrid has raised some support-related issues, most notably the trial court’s failure to consider Tim’s bonus income. Section 61.08(2)(g) requires a court to consider all sources of a party’s income when computing alimony, and section 61.30(2) requires a court to include bonuses when calculating child support. The trial court excluded the bonuses because it found that the payments and amounts were contingent and outside of Tim’s control. True enough, but it was undisputed that Tim has received a sizable bonus in every year of his HMA employment. Where, as here, bonuses are regular and continuous, it is an abuse of discretion to exclude them from consideration when making support awards. See Shrove v. Shrove, 724 So.2d 679, 682 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999).
The trial court’s failure to give consideration to the bonus income did not affect the alimony determination. The court awarded permanent periodic alimony in an amount that was consistent with its findings regarding the marital standard of living and Ingrid’s capacity for self-support, both of which were supported by the evidence. But the guidelines child support awarded by the court for the parties’ three children was necessarily affected by the exclusion of the bonus income. Therefore, we reverse the child support determination and remand for recalculation under the guidelines with this income factored in.
See: Parry v. Parry, 933 So. 2d 9 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2006)
Related:
- Calculating Child Support in Florida and Receiving the Support Your Child Needs
- How an Experienced Child Support Lawyer Can Help Your Family
_______________
Do you have questions or comments? Then please feel free to send us an email or call him now at (954) 880-1302.
If you found this information helpful, please share this article and bookmark it for your future reference.