Posts Categorized: Child Support

Can’t Afford Child Support OR a Lawyer?

In a recently issued opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “deadbeat” parents facing jail time for failure to pay child support aren’t automatically entitled to an attorney.  In the case, Turner v. Rogers, the father claimed he couldn’t afford either his child support payments or an attorney to defend himself in the case against him. Despite his claims, Mr. Turner was sentenced to a year in jail for “civil contempt”. This was an interesting, but common, situation.  Th...   Read more ...  

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Illinois Child Support Calculations Set to Change Next Year

Starting July 1, 2017, Illinois courts will follow new guidelines in determining child support. The new rules will take the income of both parents into consideration, joining 38 other states that use the “Income Shares” model. Legislators introduced the bill in February 2015, and Gov. Bruce Rauner signed it into law in August of this year. Prior to this adjustment, Illinois had not altered its child support policies since the 1980s, according to Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park), who spo...   Read more ...  

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Do I Have to Pay Child Support when My Spouse Has Temporary Custody?

During a divorce – for those couples who have children – it is a priority to minimize the impact of the separation on their kid’s daily lives. Making arrangements for children can be taxing and emotional, but it is very important.   In Illinois, courts utilize parenting plans to determine the division of parenting time and responsibility between the two divorcing parties.   A parenting plan is a document that determines who will have custody of their children, and also who will m...   Read more ...  

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Checking In with Children after Divorce

Children During Divorce Summer is a common time to tell children about a decision to split from a spouse or start divorce proceedings. It makes sense since kids have the entire summer to process the information without it getting in the way of completing schoolwork or clouding social interactions. However, now that kids have headed back to school it may be time to check in and see how they are doing.   Going back to school may reopen some of the wounds the summer helped to heal when it com...   Read more ...  

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Major Change to Child Support Calculation in Illinois?

Child Support Illinois is currently considering a major overhaul to the way child support is calculated in the state. The concept of child support is relatively straightforward to divorce attorneys and their clients : if parents are not jointly caring for the child, one parent is the custodial parent, and the other (noncustodial) must help financially support the child’s upbringing. It’s much less straightforward to figure out how much is fair to make the noncustodial parent pay. &...   Read more ...  

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Child Support and Medical Expenses

Regardless of whether you are the payor or recipient of child support in Illinois, there are certain expenses that you expect to incur. Food, lodging, education, utilities, and extracurricular activities just scratch the surface when it comes to raising a child, so it is obvious that a large portion of support payments will be dedicated to these and related costs. However, medical expenses are sometimes overlooked when addressing child support in a divorce case or after establishing paternity. R...   Read more ...  

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