Divorces and determining child support can be confusing for many parents. A new child support law is on the horizon in Illinois and will certainly lead to more questions about calculations and obligations. While the law does not go into effect until July 2017, it is important for divorced parents…
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Generally, child support payments stop when a child reaches the age of 18 and is considered an adult. However, Illinois allows a divorced parent to file for college expenses, asking their ex-spouse to help support their child through college. This is especially relevant if the child likely would have had…
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A recent study found that the average owner of a smartphone touches the device's display about 2,600 times per day, adding up to approximately a million swipes, wipes, taps and touches per year. The most used app? Facebook. With so many people are in nearly constant communication with social media,…
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Child support calculations are not arbitrary. They are calculated based on several factors like each parent's income, the needs of the child and the standard of living that would have been available if the parents were married. Then, after also taking into consideration Illinois child support guidelines, a judge will…
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The law is not static. Changes don't always happen quickly or easily in Illinois's legislature, but they happen. And the volume of measures that can be introduced in any given session means that bill tracking can be a challenge. In the end, it can be hard to know whether a…
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More than 150 years ago, Charles Dickens wrote about debtors' prison, letting his readers understand just how absurd a construct it is. When we read Dickens now, the thought of putting people in jail because they cannot pay their debts seems silly. And yet, the idea has resurfaced, though perhaps…
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We are talking about child support and the government's -- both state and federal -- attempts to collect past due support payments. The reforms passed by Congress in 1996 eliminated, for the most part, the problem of noncustodial parents skirting their obligations even if they had the money. These efforts,…
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Over the past couple of decades, family advocates have had their ups and downs. The good news is that, for the most part, the myth of the Welfare Mom has passed into history. Even the most heated presidential debates no longer rail at these single mothers who are addicted to…
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When a minor-aged child's parents divorce or split-up, steps must be taken to decide child custody and visitation. In most child custody cases, one parent is deemed to be the custodial parent or the parent with whom the child lives the majority of the time. In order to provide for…
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We've previously written on the topic of child support and the basics of how support is determined and awarded. Regardless of whether a child's parents were ever married or not, every child has the legal right to receive financial support from both parents. It's important, therefore, that custodial parents take…
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When parents choose to divorce or break-up, it's important to take legal steps to resolve issues related to child custody and visitation. Even in cases where parents are on good terms, having a formal child custody agreement helps provide clarity, legal protections and also affords the custodial parent the opportunity…
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Child support is determined with the use of a formula in Illinois. The amount of money a parent is ordered to provide for child support is directly tied to the parent's income and number of children. For example, a parent in Illinois would typically be ordered to pay 20 percent…
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When parents make the decision to divorce, emotions run high as factors related to child custody are decided. In most cases, the spouse who retains primary custody of a child is granted child support. Several states, including Illinois, calculate child support amounts based on a payee's income and the number…
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The holiday season is when parents’ budgets don’t seem to ever stretch far enough to make the experience memorable for children. This can be especially problematic for parents going through a divorce in Illinois, as well as for custodial parents who do not receive consistent child support payments from the…
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