Child Support Lawyer
Your Representatives in Cook County, DuPage County & Surrounding Areas
Child support is an issue that must be resolved to finalize your divorce. It can also arise as an issue for unmarried parents and may need to be modified through the courts for any parents when the current order has become unfeasible. Regardless of the circumstances, this is one of the less subjective issues in family law because it is based on a formula under the Illinois child support guidelines. The formula must be applied to determining support payments although the court may allow “deviations” from the amount calculated based on certain issues.
When facing this issue as part of your divorce, modification, or as a result of a paternity action, you can secure trusted and proven legal help from the team at Kazmar Feely. With decades of experience as a family law firm dating back to 2004, we are known for our hands-on approach, our personalized attorney-client interaction, and our legal proficiency. We work with you side by side throughout all phases of your case with the goal of achieving an optimal outcome.
Arrange for a complimentary consultation with a child support attorney at Kazmar Feely to discuss your case. Send us an email or call (630) 206-9550 today.
"Luke did a wonderful job in getting me generous support and reimbursements from my ex-husband for heavy gambling losses and other wasteful spending."JoAnne
It is important to remember that child support is a right of the child. It ensures that children have the financial resources to meet the needs of daily living and their upbringing. While most parents want to provide for their children, conflict can often arise over this issue and it can also become difficult when taking into consideration parenting time splits, complicated income sources, and more. At Kazmar Feely, we can help you through all issues related to child support.
Effective July 1, 2017, Illinois reformed its child support laws. Under the former law, the amount that an obligor parent (the paying parent) was required to pay was based simply on his or her income and the number of children involved.
Under the new “income shares” model for calculating Illinois child support effective 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 child support recipient parent into account when determining the amount of the obligor parent must pay.
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 his or her obligation will be.
Departures from the amount calculated may be allowed by the court based on certain factors, such as the financial resources of each parent, special needs of a child with ongoing medical care, a disabled child, extracurricular needs of a child, and other considerations. Child support generally continues until a child turns 18 or graduates from high school.
Why Choose Us for Your Child Support Case
Though subject to a mathematical formula, the calculation of child support can be complicated. Because of our many years of representing parents in this issue, our team has become adept at helping parents achieve fair and reasonable results. We seek an outcome that takes into account the best interests of the child as well as parental resources. Our firm represents parents both seeking and contesting child support payment calculations as well as those seeking modifications of earlier child support court orders.