Filing for Divorce in Florida With a Child

Can you divorce amicably with children?

Yes. Florida doesn't force parents into a contested fight — an uncontested divorce is fully available when you have children, as long as you both agree on the parenting schedule, decision-making, and support. The one thing you can't do is use the shortest simplified dissolution: that route is closed to couples with minor or dependent children. Instead you file a regular dissolution with dependent or minor children (Form 12.901(b)(1)) — still uncontested, still no trial, just a few more documents.

What's different when you have kids

Divorcing with children adds exactly three requirements on top of an ordinary uncontested divorce:

Everything else — the residency rule, the no-fault grounds, the 20-day waiting period — works exactly the same as any Florida divorce. Let's take the three additions one at a time.

The parenting plan (time-sharing)

Florida doesn't use the word "custody." Instead, every case with children needs a parenting plan (Form 12.995(a)) that spells out time-sharing — the schedule of when the children are with each parent — plus how you'll make major decisions about school, health, and activities. Florida's default approach is shared parental responsibility, meaning both parents stay involved in decisions unless that would harm the child. If you've already agreed on a schedule — weekdays, weekends, holidays, summers — the parenting plan simply writes it down in the format the court expects.

Child support

Child support in Florida isn't negotiable in the way property is — it's set by a guidelines calculation based on both parents' net incomes, the number of overnights, and costs like health insurance and daycare. You document it on the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet (Form 12.902(e)), which is filed with your case. Even when you agree on a number, the court checks it against the guidelines, so the worksheet has to be right. For the full cost picture of a divorce, see how much a Florida divorce costs.

The mandatory parenting course

Florida requires every parent in a divorce with minor children to complete a state-approved Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course before the judge will finalize. It's a short course (commonly four hours, available online for roughly $15–$45 per parent), and the petitioner is generally expected to finish it within 45 days of filing. It's easy to overlook — and because the divorce can't be finalized until both parents complete it, forgetting it is a common, avoidable delay.

The forms you'll need

A with-children uncontested divorce uses this core set of Florida Supreme Court–approved forms:

• Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with Dependent or Minor Child(ren) — Form 12.901(b)(1)
• UCCJEA Affidavit (declares where the children have lived) — Form 12.902(d)
• Family Law Financial Affidavit — Form 12.902(b) or (c)
• Child Support Guidelines Worksheet — Form 12.902(e)
• Parenting Plan — Form 12.995(a)
• Marital Settlement Agreement with Children (if you've agreed) — Form 12.902(f)(1)
• Notice of Social Security Number — Form 12.902(j)
• Final Judgment… with Children — Form 12.990(b)(1)

For how these fit with every other Florida divorce document, see our Florida divorce forms guide.

How filing works, step by step

The order matters in one way: start the parenting course early. It's the step most likely to be sitting unfinished when everything else is ready, and the judge can't sign the final judgment until it's done.

Cost and timeline with children

The costs are nearly the same as any Florida divorce — the ~$408 filing fee plus document preparation — with one small addition: the parenting course, typically $15–$45 per parent. On timeline, a with-children case usually runs a little longer than a childless one, mostly because of the course and the extra paperwork, but an agreed case is still commonly finalized within a couple of months after the 20-day waiting period. See our Florida divorce timeline guide for the week-by-week view.

Divorce with children, done for you — flat $99

The paperwork for a with-children divorce is where self-filers most often get tripped up — the parenting plan, the support worksheet, and the UCCJEA affidavit all have to be right. Amicably prepares the entire packet from your answers, including every child-related document, for a flat $99.

Frequently asked questions