The State of Illinois takes the payment of child support seriously. If your ex-spouse has stopped making child support payments, there are a variety of tools to encourage parents to comply with court orders so that children get the support they need. Child Support Wage Garnishment If the obligor of child support gets behind on…Read More
Issue of Modifications of Child Support
This month, I am tackling the issue of modifications of child support and recent rulings by the Illinois Appellate Courts regarding this. I am specifically speaking of In re Marriage of Salvatore, 2019 IL App (2d) 180425, In re Marriage of Wengielnik, 2020 IL App (3d) 180533, and In re Marriage of Connelly, 2020 IL…Read More
Illinois Parenting Plans for a Special Needs Child
Today family courts handle an increasing number child custody cases involving children with special needs, some of whom suffer from common neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit disorders, depressive disorders, and autistic spectrum disorders which present complex challenges to families and family law professionals trying to craft parenting plans and child support provisions…Read More
Life Insurance Benefits Protecting Child and Spousal Support
Child support is often awarded in a divorce to support minor children. If children are very young at the time of the divorce, a payor may be obligated to pay child support for many years to come, sometimes throughout their college years. Of course, a lot can happen over the course of 10 to 20…Read More
Expenses That Go Beyond Standard Child Support Calculation
Although the formula for basic child support is standard in Illinois, there are expenses that could go beyond the standard child support calculation that simply looks at income, parenting time, and the number of children. There may be children with special needs, and therefore extraordinary expenses, or it may be that one spouse has to…Read More
Co-Parenting Following a Divorce? There’s An App For That.
Raising children consumes so much of our time, energy and attention. Parents not only provide a home and sustenance, but also coordinate many educational and social activities in between. From helping kids get their homework done to scheduling and keeping play dates or doctors’ appointments, parenting is a full time job. When parents’ divorce, juggling home…Read More
Child Custody When a Parent is Facing Incarceration
The U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world and, unfortunately, millions of children may have parents that are in jail or prison at some time in their childhood. Because there are potentially negative consequences for a child of an incarcerated parent, considering a child’s best interest with regard to child custody…Read More
Job Loss – Child or Spousal Support Modification
If you are paying spousal maintenance or child support following a divorce, you may wonder what happens if you lose your job. You may be surprised that you could be obligated to pay whatever you were paying while employed, so it is important to discuss your circumstances with an attorney before you assume anything. There…Read More
Illinois Child Support Calculator
Many parents who decide to end their marriage have questions regarding child support because they want to provide for their children after a divorce. In Illinois, child support is determined by considering several factors such as parenting time arrangements, whether there are other children in the household or from previous relationships, the income of both…Read More
Past Due Child Support Relief
Unpaid child support in the U.S. has climbed into the billions and many states are struggling to collect it when parents have all but given up on paying when faced with accumulating child support debt. Not long ago, Maryland started a program to get so called ‘deadbeat parents’ back on track by offering a 10…Read More
