Q: Is there any law on how far back a court can order me to pay child support?
A: Pursuant to Section 61.30(17) of the Florida Statutes, "[i]n an initial determination of child support, whether in a paternity action, dissolution of marriage action, or petition for support during the marriage, the court has discretion to award child support retroactive to the date when the parents did not reside together in the same household with the child, not to exceed a period of 24 months preceding the filing of the petition, regardless of whether that date precedes the filing of the petition."
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