Geneva, IL Child Support Attorney

Attorney Helping Divorced and Unmarried Parents With Child Support Orders in Kane County

When a child's parents are not married, a child support order serves a crucial purpose to ensure that both parents continue to provide financially for the child's needs. However, establishing a child support order can be a confusing and stressful experience for parents, who may be concerned about being able to secure the support their child needs or to fulfill their payment obligation within their financial means. As with any family law matter, it is important to prepare for child support proceedings and make sure you understand how they are handled in Illinois.

Fortunately, parents can seek help from a knowledgeable family law attorney when they are unsure of how to handle child support matters on their own. At Loire Krajniak Law, LLC, we have 10 years of experience representing divorced and unmarried parents in their efforts to establish a fair child support order that meets their children's needs, and to modify or enforce that order as their circumstances change.

The Details of an Illinois Child Support Order

In Illinois, child support is intended to provide for the needs of minor children of unmarried parents until they reach the age of 18 or finish high school. Generally, a child support order will require one parent to make regular payments to the other, but Illinois has recently updated its method for calculating child support to better account for the abilities of both parents to contribute to their child's needs.

Under the Illinois income shares model, courts ask parents to provide detailed financial information to determine each parent's monthly net income. The two parents' incomes are then added together to approximate a "household income" and determine the amount that a household with that income level would typically spend on basic child-related expenses. This basic child support obligation is then allocated between the two parents in proportion to their individual incomes. The parent with the larger portion of the obligation—usually the parent with the larger income—will be the one to make payments.

However, a number of other factors can influence child support calculations as well. For example, courts will consider the number of children for whom support is necessary, the amount of parenting time that each parent has been allocated, and any other child support or spousal support obligations that a parent may have. The court will also often order child support beyond the basic obligation to account for child-related costs including:

• Health insurance premiums
• Extraordinary medical expenses
• Special developmental needs
• Additional educational and extracurricular expenses
• Childcare expenses

When deciding whether to deviate from the basic obligation for these extraordinary expenses, the court will consider each parent's financial resources in addition to the child's needs. We can help you ensure that the court has all of the necessary information so that your child support order is fair to you and accounts for all of the costs of providing your child with a good life.

Modifying and Enforcing Child Support

A child support order may last for many years, and you may find that you need to revisit it as time goes on and your situation changes. For example, if your child's needs have changed, or if there has been a change in your income or that of the other parent, you may need to petition the court for a modification of the order that adjusts the amount of each payment. You may also need to take legal action to enforce the child support order if the other parent repeatedly misses payments. We can represent you in these matters to resolve any disputes with the other parent and ensure that your children continue to be well provided for.

Contact a Yorkville Child Support Attorney

For legal matters that affect you and your children, it helps to have an experienced and compassionate attorney on your side. Contact us today at 630-448-2406 to schedule a free consultation. We serve clients throughout Kane County and the surrounding areas, including Yorkville, Geneva, Sugar Grove, Big Rock, Bristol, Plano, and Aurora.