LEGAL OVERVIEW
Effective July 1, 2017, Illinois reformed its child support laws. Under the former law, the amount that an obligor parent was required to pay in child support was based simply on the obligor’s income and the number of children involved.
Under the “income shares” model for calculating Illinois child support that went into effect in 2017, the total amount of child support for which the parents are jointly responsible is calculated based on the combined net income of both parents. Once this number is determined, each parent’s share of the responsibility for providing that amount of child support is calculated based on the net incomes of the parents relative to one another.
This means that, unlike the previous law, the new child support law takes the income of the recipient of the child support into account when determining the amount of the obligor parent’s child support obligation.
In shared physical care situations, defined as a parenting situation in which each parent has the child for at least 146 overnights per year, the total child support obligation is multiplied by a factor of 1.5 and the time spent with the child is factored into the calculation. The more time the obligor parent spends with the child, the less the obligor parent’s obligation will be.
WHY US?
Our attorneys have the knowledge and expertise in resolving various challenges that arise in the context of child support. We have an established track record in achieving stellar results in unique and difficult circumstances, including the following:
• The income of one parent may not reflect their income potential.
• The income of one parent may be disputed or incredible, which is common to people who are self-employed, paid in cash or have fluctuating incomes, to name just a few of the circumstances.
• The court may determine that guideline support is inappropriate after considering relevant factors and evidence, requiring that there be an upward or downward deviation in child support