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Child Support

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Child Support Lawyer

Attorney for Divorced and Unmarried Parents

One of the most protected rights in Illinois and throughout the United States is a child’s right to financial support from both parents. When the parents are not married to each other or living together, this support is typically provided through court-ordered child support. In these cases, it is common for parents to face legal challenges related to establishing, enforcing, or modifying their child support orders.

At Reifman Law Offices, we know that your children are one of your most important priorities when you are going through a divorce or dealing with other family law issues. We bring almost 20 years of experience to our legal practice, and we will use our knowledge to help you ensure that your child support order protects your children’s best interests, as well as reflects your own financial resources and needs. We handle all manner of child support issues before, during, and after divorce, as well as outside of the divorce process entirely.

When is Child Support Ordered in Illinois?

One of the most common situations in which child support is ordered is when parents who share children under the age of 18 decide to get divorced. Child support may also be ordered for children age 18 or older who have not yet graduated from high school. Typically, one of the parents will be ordered to pay child support to the other until all children have reached the age of adulthood.

In some cases, child support may be ordered before a divorce is finalized. For example, if spouses pursue a judgment of legal separation, a child support order may be included in this judgment. A spouse with limited financial resources may also petition the court for temporary child support while a divorce is pending.

Child support orders are also often established between unmarried parents who share children. In these cases, child support can take effect soon after the child’s birth, once the father’s legal paternity has been established. This can happen through the parents’ voluntary acknowledgment of paternity or through an administrative or judicial paternity order supported by genetic test results.

How is Illinois Child Support Calculated?

The details of how child support is calculated in Illinois are a source of confusion for many parents, especially since Illinois overhauled its child support laws in 2017. The most important thing for parents to know is that the calculation now uses an “income shares model” that considers the incomes of both parents, rather than just the noncustodial or paying parent. The purpose of the change is to reflect the financial contributions that each parent makes to the basic expenses of their children’s upbringing, including food, clothing, shelter, health, and education.

In addition to each parent’s income, the Illinois child support calculation also takes into consideration a variety of other factors, including:

  • The number of children that the parents share
  • The children’s expected standard of living in a two-parent household
  • The distribution of parenting time between the two parents
  • Each parent’s obligations according to spousal support orders or other child support orders

A support order is also likely to account for other expenses, including health insurance, extraordinary medical and developmental needs, extracurricular activities, tutoring, private school tuition, and childcare for working parents.

It is important that your child support order reflects your family’s specific circumstances, both regarding the children’s needs and the parents’ abilities to contribute. We can help you understand the process of calculating child support and pursue a resolution that is fair to you and your children.

Contact a Palatine Child Support Lawyer

If you have questions about a child support order in your divorce or paternity case, or if you need to modify or enforce existing child support, contact us at 847-229-8433 and schedule a free consultation. We help families in Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Barrington, West Dundee, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, and the surrounding areas.

At Reifman Law Offices,

we will take the weight of dealing with family legal issues off of your shoulders.
Call Us 847-229-8433

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Arkady Reifman

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