Being a parent is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with many responsibilities, including ensuring that children’s needs are met. When parents are married or living together, they will usually work together and combine their finances to provide for their children’s needs. When parents get divorced or are separated or unmarried, they will both still have an obligation to financially support their children.
In family law cases involving child support, it is important to work with an experienced attorney who can ensure that parents’ financial obligations are calculated correctly. At SBK Law Group, we understand the complex legal, financial, and emotional issues involved in divorce and family law cases, and we can help you understand your rights and address your concerns throughout the legal process. With more than 25 years of combined experience, we can make sure the decisions made about child support will meet your children’s needs.
Under Illinois law, both of a child’s parents are required to provide the child with financial support. For parents who are divorced, separated, or unmarried, the amount of child support that each parent is obligated to provide is determined using the following method:
If children will be primarily residing with one parent, this parent will typically receive child support payments from the other parent. The receiving parent is presumed to spend his or her portion of the basic child support obligation directly on meeting children’s needs. The paying parent will pay his or her portion of the basic child support obligation to the receiving parent. However, if children will stay overnight with each parent for at least 146 nights every year, additional calculations will be performed to factor in the percentage of overnight parenting time that children will spend in each parent’s home.
The basic child support obligation is intended to address children’s basic daily needs: food and drink, the home where they will live, and clothing. However, there may be other expenses that parents will be required to share. In addition to the basic child support obligation, each parent may be required to contribute to the costs of medical insurance or other healthcare-related expenses, childcare that is necessary while parents are at work, school supplies and other educational expenses, and the costs involved in children’s extracurricular activities. As with the basic child support obligation, these expenses will be divided based on each parent’s percentage share of the combined net income.
There are a variety of complex factors that can play a role in child support calculations. During your divorce or child custody case, you will want to work with an attorney who has an understanding of the divorce laws in Illinois and the legal and financial issues that can affect child support. SBK Law Group can assist in these matters, and we will help ensure that your children will have the financial resources they need in the years to come. Contact our Downers Grove child support attorneys here or call 630-427-4407. We represent clients in family law cases in DuPage County, Kane County, Kendall County, Will County, and Cook County.