When parents decide to end their relationship, including through divorce, legal separation, or the breakup of an unmarried couple, they will want to make sure their children will have everything they need to grow up successfully. In addition to addressing issues related to child custody and making sure both parents can maintain close relationships with their children, parents will also need to address matters related to child support. This form of financial support ensures that both parents will regularly contribute to meeting their children’s needs. Parents will need to understand how their financial obligations toward their children are determined and what types of child-related expenses will need to be addressed.
Calculating Child Support Payments
Since 2017, the state of Illinois has used an “income-sharing” calculation for child support obligations. The state’s laws provide guidelines for how child support payments are calculated. These calculations begin by determining a “basic child support obligation” using a table that specifies the amount that a married couple at the same income level as the parents in question would usually pay on a monthly basis to provide for their children’s basic needs. This table will provide the appropriate amount of support based on a couple’s combined income and number of children.
Each parent will be required to pay a certain percentage of the basic child support obligation based on the percentage of the combined income they earn. For example, if both parents earn the same amount annually, the basic child support obligation would be divided equally between them. If children will be living with one parent the majority of the time, this parent will be presumed to use their income directly to provide for their children’s needs. The other parent will make regular child support payments to the custodial parent. In cases where children live with each parent for equal or near-equal amounts of time, Illinois law provides additional guidelines to calculate the amount of each parent’s obligation based on their percentage of parenting time.
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