Child Support Attorney Evanston, IL
Whether you are getting a divorce or legal separation or have recently established paternity, if you have children and you are not living with your child’s other parent, a child support order is no doubt something that you will soon become familiar with. The Evanston child support lawyers at Gordon & Perlut, LLC can help you to understand the purpose of a child support order, who has to pay child support, how an order amount is determined, when you can modify a child support order, and more. Please reach out to us for guidance and support with your Evanston child support case today.
What Is Child Support?
Child support refers to court-ordered payments that are paid by a non-custodial parent to a custodial parent. The payments are intended to pay for a child’s basic needs, such as clothing, food, and shelter, as well as things like extracurricular activities, food supplies, and other basic expenditures. As a note, courts leave how child support money is spent to the discretion of the support-receiving parent, so long as the child’s needs are being met.
Who Pays Child Support?
All parents have a duty to provide for their children financially, whether the child is in their physical care as not. The courts in Cook County and northeast Illinois assume that a custodial parent is meeting this obligation by virtue of having custody of the child; therefore, it is the duty of the non-custodial parent to make child support payments to the custodial parent.
Determining the Value of a Child Support Order
Child support in Illinois is determined based on the income shares model, which is used by over 40 states in the nation to determine child support amounts. The income shares model considers both parents’ income and the number of children that the income must provide for. Then, each parent will be responsible for the corresponding support amount, based on the schedule of support, proportion to their income.
For example: Consider a situation where the custodial parent makes a net income of $3,000 per month, and the non-custodial parent makes a net income of $5,000 per month. Parents who make a combined adjusted net income of $8,000 and who have one child are responsible for providing a combined total of $1,261 in child support on a monthly basis. Because the non-custodial parent contributes 62.5 percent of the total net income ($5,000/$8,000), they will be responsible for 62.5 percent of the child support award, or just over $788.
How Can an Evanston Child Support Lawyer Help Me?
Courts don’t always stick to the guidelines exactly. If you have special circumstances, or if you believe that more or less support is reasonable, a lawyer from our firm can help you to present your case to the court. We can assist you in modifying a support order at a later date, and taking action if you have not been receiving court-ordered support, or are unable to make a child support payment.
You can call our Evanston child support lawyers today for a consultation, or send us a message to get started. We know how sensitive family law matters can be, and will give your case the attention it deserves.