Child Support in Orange County, Florida

Orange County hears child support cases at the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando. The Ninth Judicial Circuit assigns a dedicated child support hearing officer to Office 540 there. Most new cases start with the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program, not a courthouse filing.

The Ninth Circuit's hearing officers handle the full range of Title IV-D matters DOR refers to them: voluntary paternity, setting a support amount, enforcement, modification, and interstate cases under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. A parent applies to DOR by phone or online. If a hearing becomes necessary, it takes place at Office 540 in the Orange County Courthouse, not in a general civil courtroom.

Parents whose support question is part of their own divorce or paternity petition, rather than a case DOR opened, generally go before one of the circuit's family law magistrates instead. Both paths use the same calculation: the statewide guidelines worksheet and financial affidavit.

To modify an existing order, file a Supplemental Petition to Modify, Form 12.905(b), and show the court a substantial change in circumstances. Once an order is in place, the Florida State Disbursement Unit collects and disburses payments, not the Orange County Clerk.

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 Orange 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 Orange County, FL

Child support in Orange County, FL is handled through the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Orange 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 Orange County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Orange County, FL

The Orange County Clerk runs a Self Help Center that offers something most nearby counties don't: low-cost attorney consultations alongside form help and notarization. It's available at both the main Orange County Courthouse and the Winter Park Courthouse, Monday through Friday until 4:00 p.m. For same-day filing, arrive by 3:00 p.m.

The child support hearing officer's office is identified by room number, Office 540, not a separate building. So most Orange County child support hearings happen inside the same downtown Orlando courthouse where divorce and other family law matters are filed, at 425 N. Orange Avenue.

DOR's phone line, 850-488-KIDS (5437), and its eServices portal serve Orange County the same way they serve the rest of the state outside Miami-Dade. A parent applying for services anywhere in the Orlando metro area uses these same statewide contact points; there's no separate Orange County DOR office.

Official child support resources in Orange County, FL

Orange County Courthouse handles child-support filings, located at 425 N. Orange Ave., Suite 320, Orlando 32801. Phone: 407.836.2287.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. E-filing is mandatory for attorneys under Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.525. Self-represented parents may file in person at the Orange County Courthouse, Rooms 320/340, or e-file through the portal.

Orange County Clerk Self Help Center (https://www.myorangeclerk.com/Divisions/Self-Help-Center/Self-Help-Center) can help with procedure and paperwork. Low-cost family law assistance including attorney consultations, form completion help, and notarization at the Orange County Courthouse and Winter Park Courthouse locations, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the main courthouse; arrive by 3:00 p.m. for same-day filing.

• Ninth Circuit Child Support
• Orange County Clerk Self Help Center
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Florida Child Support Program Payments
• Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet

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

Orange County, FL Child Support FAQs