Tag Archives: child support
How Long Will I Need to Pay Child Support?
If you are divorced parent who has been ordered to make child support payments, you probably realize that your contributions are intended to help the other parent cover your child’s basic needs. Your child support order may also include considerations for you son or daughter’s education, medical care, and other expenses. As you make your payments each month—or see them deducted from your paycheck—you may beContinue reading
Calculating Your Income for Child Support Purposes
When you are the parent who is responsible for making child support payments, the existing Illinois system for calculating your obligation is based on your net income. According to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA), you will be expected to pay a certain percentage of your income depending on how many children are being supported, beginning with 20 percent for one child upContinue reading
New Child Support Guidelines Coming Next Summer
For many years, the laws regarding the payment of child support in Illinois have been heavily criticized as being very outdated. While few parents would argue about the importance of providing financial support for their children, how such payments are calculated has changed very little over the last several decades. Next summer, however, a new law goes into effect that will change the way that support ordersContinue reading
Child Support Enforcement: The Deadbeats Don’t Drive Law
Parents who do not pay their Illinois child support face having their driver’s license suspended under the Deadbeats Don’t Drive law. Action may be taken against the parent when they are a minimum of 90 days behind in their child support payments. There are two Illinois systems which can order a parent’s license suspended for failing to pay. The first system is the family courts and theContinue reading
Divorced Parents and College Expenses, Part 1: Will You Have to Pay?
With the current school year now in full swing, many high school seniors are starting to look ahead to next year and their plans to attend college. To those who have never experienced it, planning almost a year in advance may seem unnecessary, but the college admissions process can sometimes take longer than people realize. In addition, it is never too early to start figuringContinue reading
Child Support for a Pageant Participant
There is an elite group of individuals who go on to become pageant queens and kings. However, they all must start somewhere. Many times, the desire to hold these titles begins with a nudge from one or both parents during the school-aged years. Participation includes effort of appearance in addition to positive personality traits and a high financial cost. If the parents are divorced, changesContinue reading
Paying Support for a Child Who Is Not Yours
When an unmarried couple finds out that they are expecting a baby—and especially if it is a surprise—men are generally expected to “do the right thing” and to provide for the mother and the child. This is often the case even if the man and woman are not involved in a committed relationship. For many people, “doing the right thing” means voluntarily acknowledging paternity andContinue reading
Non-Minor Support for an Adult Child With a Disability
Parents of a child with a disability or special needs often face tremendous pressures and difficulties. The emotional strain of raising a disabled child can, in many cases, even lead a couple to divorce. During the divorce process, determining the child’s best interests and allocating parental responsibilities can be extremely complicated. Depending upon the level of your child’s disability, such complications can continue even afterContinue reading
Temporary Spousal Maintenance and Child Support Orders
When you start the divorce process, there is no way of knowing for sure how long it will take to reach a resolution. In the meantime, it can be very difficult to move forward in your life as you wait for the allocation of marital property and other inherent concerns. Financial obligations are often cause for concern in divorce as well, with issues of spousal maintenanceandContinue reading
Calculating Your Child Support Obligations
Over the last year or so, posts on this blog, along with countless others around the internet, have extensively covered the upcoming—now currently enacted—changes to the family law statutes in Illinois. These changes brought reform on an unprecedented scale to the state’s approach to divorce and child custody. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the existing laws that govern child support were largely left untouched. While efforts are currently underwayContinue reading