Child Support Calculation in Illinois

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Illinois family law attorney

If you are going through a divorce and have children, and decide that one parent will be custodial and the other non-custodial, the non-custodial parent will be obligated to pay child support. If you are the custodial parent, ensuring that you and your child will be financially taken care of after the divorce is essential to starting your new life on the right track. The most important assurance that you can get regarding child support will come from working with a family law attorney. Only with the assistance of a qualified lawyer will you be able to sort the complicated legalese of child support agreement that will be held up in a court of law.

In Illinois State Law, child support falls under the same regulation as alimony, or spousal support. Calculating how much child support will be due is a task in and of itself. In Illinois, according to the governor’s Child Support Services, child support is factored as a percentage of the non-custodial parent’s net income. The more children that the non-custodial parent has, the higher the percentage of his or her income will be allocated for child support. There are some instances in which the following chart would not apply, including the financial needs or resources of either the child or custodial parent, the standard of living the children would have enjoyed had the divorce not occurred, the physical and emotional well-being of the child or custodial parent, and educational resources. Regardless, the basic statutory guidelines for child support in the state of Illinois are as follows:

Number of Children             Percent of Non-Custodial Income

1                                              20%

2                                              28%

3                                              32%

4                                              40%

5                                              45%

6 or more                               50%

Once the court order has been made, the non-custodial parent must pay the child support disbursements through the State Disbursement Unit. It can be either be done by mailing a physical check, or through electronic payments. In either case it should include the case docket number and all other identifying information about the specific order.

If you or someone you know is going through divorce and has questions about child support or any other aspect, the most important step is to seek legal counsel. Do not go through it alone. Contact an experienced Aurora family law attorney today.