Uncontested Divorce With One Child and an Agreed Zero Child Support Arrangement

The Situation

A married couple of about thirteen years, with one school-age child, had been living apart for several years and agreed to end the marriage. They lived in different parts of Florida, and neither lived in the county where the case was eventually filed. They owned no real estate and no vehicles, held no retirement accounts, and had no debts to divide. The child was covered by Florida Medicaid at no cost. The wife hired the firm, and the husband took part by signing the documents. Their main question was how to set up an agreed parenting schedule and what to do about child support when the parents had already settled it between themselves.

What They Agreed On

The parents share parental responsibility and make major decisions together. The child lives primarily with the mother. The father has alternating weekends from Friday evening through Monday morning, plus four consecutive summer weeks each year, which works out to roughly 115 overnights a year with him and about 250 with the mother. Holidays do not change that rotation. The mother keeps the child's Medicaid coverage in place and tells the father if anything changes, and she claims the child for tax purposes every year.

The firm calculated guideline child support on the standard worksheet. The parents then agreed that no periodic support would be exchanged, and the agreement states that figure and acknowledges that the court reviews child support terms against the statute. Both spouses waived alimony, and each keeps whatever is in their own name.

How the Case Moved

The firm drafted the full packet from the intake answers. The spouses reviewed it, asked for changes, and the documents were signed again before a remote online notary once those changes were made. The case was filed 34 days after the wife hired the firm, under a written venue agreement. The court entered the Final Judgment 2 days after filing, which is 36 days after hire. The judgment ratified both the settlement agreement and the parenting plan.

What Slowed It Down

The documents were revised after the first review: the parents refined the holiday language in the parenting plan, and the income figures on the child support worksheet were completed before signing. Because those changes came after an earlier version was prepared, the signing session had to be repeated on the updated documents, and filing waited until the notarized set was in hand.

What Other Couples Can Take From This

When parents agree on a child support figure that differs from the guideline calculation, the agreement can record both the calculation and the agreed amount so the court can see how they relate. Settling the schedule, the health coverage, and the tax treatment of the child before the documents are signed reduced the changes needed afterward.