How is Child Support Calculated in Illinois?

 Posted on April 08, 2019 in Child Support

When going through a divorce with children, setting up child support payments are an important facet for most divorcing couples. This is often legally required to try and balance the parental responsibilities and expenses of both parents. There is no set algorithm used by judges, however, there are a variety of factors that consistently play a role in determining child support. 

What is Considered in Child Support Calculation?

The first part that is considered, aside from a parent’s finances, is the amount of time being spent with the child. Most parents share custody but do not equally divide their child’s time between one another. This can be too difficult on the child and the parents since a consistent schedule is important for a child’s success. As a result, judges have the parent who spends less time physically caring for the child to pay a set sum to compensate for the disparity.

After the amount of time spent with the child is set, the court will focus on each parent’s finances, including total income from their occupation. There are also certain circumstances that not every couple has but every judge will look at. Disability payments, unemployment benefits, and workers’ compensation are considered as they are a form of compensation. Social security benefits and veterans’ benefits also can affect child support payment amounts.

Other Child Support Factors

The amount of compensation a parent received is fairly easy for a judge to calculate, but there are other areas examined as well:

Quality of Living: It is important for the child to try and maintain a similar lifestyle after the divorce is finalized. If the standard of living was relatively high before the marriage’s end, the child support payments may be higher to try and continue this lifestyle.

The Needs of the Child: For children who have special needs or accommodations, more money may be required. This is especially true if the child needs expensive medical care or equipment. These payments will also be used to help compensate for the “additional work” the primary custodial parent has for taking care of the child on their own so frequently.

Custodial Parent’s Finances: Although child support payments are used to compensate for the amount of care provided to a child, the main purpose is the assist parents who cannot financially care for their child alone. If the primary custodial parent has a high income or other large sums of finances coming in, the child support payments will most likely be lower than they would have otherwise.

Contact a DuPage County Child Support Lawyer for Help

The calculation of child support payments can be stressful on all parties involved. For one parent, making the payments can be a financial burden, while for the other, payments can be the only thing keeping them afloat. If you have children and are considering divorce, it is important to have an experienced attorney on your side. Contact a Lombard, IL divorce attorney at 847-749-4182 for a consultation.

Sources: 

https://www.moneycrashers.com/child-support-payments-laws-guidelines/