Deerfield Child Support Lawyers

Experienced Illinois Child Support and Family Law Attorney Serving Clients in Deerfield

When you are thinking about filing for divorce and have children from the marriage, or if you are ending a long-term relationship with your child’s other parent, we know that you are likely to have many questions and concerns when it comes to child support. For Deerfield residents, it is important to know that Illinois child support laws (750 ILCS 5/505) changed very recently. Up until a short time ago, Illinois followed a child support model in which one parent became the “payor” or “obligor” parent and provided child support to the custodial parent. With other changes to family law in the state, and a focus on shared parenting, the methods for determining child support obligations have also changed.

If you have questions, an experienced child support lawyer in Deerfield can help. At the Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group, our attorneys are dedicated to helping women in Illinois with all child support matters.

Understanding the Income Shares Model for Child Support

The new child support model in Illinois is known as the “income shares” model. In effect, the income shares model is designed for both parents to contribute to raising the child. When the income shares model was developed, it was intended to provide the child with the same resources that she or he would have had but for the parents’ divorce. In order to accomplish this, the court typically considers how each parent would have provided for the child if the household had remained intact, and then it computes each parent’s support obligation.

To be clear, under an income shares model, there is no “payor” parent and “payee” parent. Indeed, the law even clarifies that, if one parent has a higher support obligation to the child than the other parent, “the receiving parent’s share is not payable to the other parent and is presumed to be spent directly on the child.”

How Will Child Support Obligations Be Calculated for Deerfield Residents?

The income shares model is very different from Illinois’s old model for calculating child support. How is the support obligation computed? The statute specifies that the court should take the following steps in determining each parent’s support obligation:

1. Determine each parent’s net monthly income;
2. Add the parents’ net monthly incomes together for a combined monthly net income;
3. Refer to the schedule for the appropriate amount of net income to be used for support of the child; and
4. Calculate each parent’s percentage of that child support obligation.

Contact a Deerfield Child Support Lawyer

For Illinois residents who are not familiar with the income shares model, it can seem confusing and complicated. In particular, many women who were stay-at-home moms during the marriage or earn less money than their spouses may be concerned about how these changes to the law will impact their ability to return to a professional work environment while also raising a child.

At the Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group, we know how difficult divorce, child custody, and child support matters can be for women and mothers. A Deerfield child support attorney can help with your case. Contact the Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group today for more information about how we can assist with your child support case.