Child Support in Lake County, Florida

File Lake County child support cases through the Fifth Judicial Circuit at the Lake County Judicial Center, 550 West Main Street in Tavares. This includes new support cases, modifications to existing orders, and enforcement actions, whether filed as a circuit court lawsuit or opened administratively by the state.

If the parents were never married and no case is open yet, they can start with the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program, which establishes paternity and a support order administratively. Once a Lake County case exists, later changes go through the same file as a Supplemental Petition for Modification of Child Support, Form 12.905(b).

The support amount comes from the statewide Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, Form 12.902(e), which applies Fla. Stat. 61.30 to both parents' net income, overnights, health insurance costs, and child care expenses. A judge can deviate from that guideline figure only for reasons the statute allows. Most Florida child support orders, this one included, also come with an Income Deduction Order under Fla. Stat. 61.1301, directing the paying parent's employer to withhold support straight from wages.

Lake County's Family Court Self-Help Office, on the fifth floor of the Judicial Center, takes walk-ins on weekday mornings and afternoons and helps with form checklists, including the Family Law Financial Affidavit (long form 12.902(b) for income of $50,000 or more, short form 12.902(c) below that). Staff cannot give legal advice.

How child support is calculated in Florida

Florida sets child support with a statewide income shares guideline (Fla. Stat. 61.30) that applies the same way in Lake County, FL as everywhere else. The guideline combines:

1. Both parents' net incomes, combined into one child support obligation.
2. The number of overnights each parent has with the child (the time-sharing schedule).

The guideline result is presumed correct, and the parties complete a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet along with a Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)) so the court can calculate the amount.

Where child support cases are handled in Lake County, FL

Child support in Lake County, FL is handled through the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Lake County, and, for enforcement and establishment cases that do not involve a private attorney, the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program, which can open a case at no cost to the parents. There are two common paths:

1. A parent requests support inside a dissolution, paternity, or existing family case by motion, with a Financial Affidavit.
2. The Department of Revenue Child Support Program opens an administrative or court case to establish, collect, and enforce support.

Because courthouse and local agency office details change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:

Find the Lake County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Lake County, FL

Lake County's Self-Help Office is truly walk-in, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. That's more flexible than the appointment-only setups in some neighboring Fifth Circuit counties, like Citrus and Hernando. Same-day form review is realistic if you can get to the Tavares Judicial Center during those hours.

Lake County's published dissolution filing fee, $397.50, is lower than the $408 figure common elsewhere in the circuit. That gap is one more reason to confirm the exact fee for a paternity, support, or modification filing directly with the Clerk rather than assume it matches a neighboring county.

As everywhere in Florida, the Department of Revenue doesn't run a walk-in office in Lake County for child support cases. DOR handles these matters through the statewide phone line, 850-488-KIDS, and the childsupport.floridarevenue.com portal, not an in-person counter in Tavares.

Official child support resources in Lake County, FL

Lake County Judicial Center handles child-support filings, located at 550 West Main Street, Tavares 32778.

The filing fee is $397.50. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide myflcourtaccess.com portal is mandatory for attorneys; self-represented parties may still file on paper at the Tavares Judicial Center.

Fifth Judicial Circuit Family Court Self-Help Office (https://www.circuit5.org/self-help-center/lake-county-self-help-center/) can help with procedure and paperwork. 5th Floor East Wing of the Lake County Judicial Center, Tavares. Walk-in Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Provides procedural information and form checklists; explicitly prohibited from giving legal advice.

• Lake County Family Court Self-Help Office
• Fifth Judicial Circuit Administrative Orders
• Florida Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (Form 12.902(e))
• Florida DOR Child Support Program
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Lake County, FL Child Support FAQs