Child Support Variables That You Will Decide

 Posted on September 08, 2019 in Child Support

Divorcing parents in Illinois do not negotiate child support payments in the same way they may negotiate spousal maintenance. With spousal maintenance, you may need to decide whether payments are necessary and how long they should last. With child support, those issues are predetermined. Child support is mandatory and will last until all of your children have turned 18 or graduated from high school. The formula for calculating child support is also set because the income shares table will tell you the base child support obligation that you share. However, there are still factors regarding child support that you can control.

Establishing Your Income

When calculating child support payments, parents may disagree on their respective incomes. Your income level affects the total child support obligation between the two of you and how much of that obligation you will pay. You need to accurately report your income while making sure that your spouse is not underreporting their income. Your spouse may accuse you of misrepresenting your income. If you cannot agree on each other’s incomes, a divorce court will examine your case and decide for you.

Division of Parenting Time

The child support formula changes if you have what Illinois classifies as a shared parenting arrangement, which is each parent having at least 146 nights with the children. This is a 60-40 division of parenting time. The revised formula increases the overall child support obligation but expects both parents to pay for most of their own child-related expenses. As a result, the child support payments between parents are less than with parents who do not meet the requirements for a shared parenting arrangement.

Additional Expenses

The child support obligation that you calculate from the income shares table is the minimum amount that the state estimates you should pay towards raising your children. It does not include some variable expenses, such as:

• School and extracurricular expenses;
• Childcare expenses; and
• Extraordinary medical expenses.

Illinois allows you to add these expenses to your child support amount to more accurately reflect the cost of raising your children.

Contact a Kane County Divorce Attorney

Your top priority when calculating child support is making sure that the payments meet your children’s needs. You should not have to pay an unfair share of the child support expenses, but decreasing your child support obligation may be depriving your children of resources. A St. Charles, Illinois, divorce lawyer at Goostree Law Group can help you determine what is a reasonable amount for child support. Schedule a free consultation by calling 630-584-4800.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/075000050K505.htm