Child Support Attorney in Lake County, IL Ensuring Fair Support Agreements in Bannockburn, Cook County, DuPage County, Will County, and Throughout Northeastern Illinois
As a parent of minor children, child support is likely one of your biggest concerns in your divorce. If you’re the custodial parent, you need these funds to care for your children. If you’re the one paying, you’re seeing your hard-earned money transferred out of your earnings, potentially for years. In either case, an unfair or unfavorable child support requirement could lead to serious, long-lasting financial disadvantages. A Bannockburn child support lawyer at the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm can help you seek a favorable resolution to child support disputes and other issues involved in a divorce.
From figuring out how to calculate child support in the first place to addressing nonpayment, changes in circumstances, and other matters after the divorce is finalized, our attorneys are prepared to assist you with our full breadth of experience handling child support matters. For a confidential initial consultation, contact us today.
Understanding the Basics of Child Support in Bannockburn, Illinois
In Illinois, the parent with whom the minor child primarily resides typically receives child support payments from the parent with whom the child does not live. The parent paying child support is known as the obligor, and the parent in receipt of these payments is the oblige.
The state provides guidelines, based on both parents’ net income, as to the amount of child support the parent may have to pay. However, various factors can pose reasons for deviations from state guidelines. That’s one of the reasons it’s beneficial for each party involved in the child support dispute or negotiations to have a knowledgeable Bannockburn child support lawyer on their side. Your attorney will look at all guidelines and factors that can lead to possible deviations, advocating for your best interests.
At the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm, we aid our clients who receive child support in seeking higher payment amounts that better provide for their children. For our clients who are required to pay child support, we ensure that their net income fully reflects the deductions that reduce their assets and that deviations from statutory guidelines don’t impose unreasonable financial impacts on the obligor.
Calculating Child Support in Illinois
In the past, statutory guidelines determined child support payments based on the number of children and a percentage of the obligor’s income only. The current process on which Illinois guidelines are based instead considers the income of both parents.
The aim, per statute 750 ILCS 5/505 of Illinois law, is to estimate, based on the parents' combined net income, the amount that would have been allocated for the support of the child if the family was still living together in an intact household. Generally, this calculation is accomplished by adding both parents’ monthly net incomes together and calculating each parents’ share of the obligation to financially support the child.
The custodial parent’s portion of the financial obligation to the child is presumed to be spent directly on the child, so they aren’t expected to make payments to the other parent. The parent with whom the child does not primarily live pays their portion of this financial responsibility to the parent with whom the child resides.
In addition to these guidelines, factors like the child’s needs and the physical care arrangements may affect the actual amount of child support awarded.
Figuring out how child support calculations apply to your situation may be more complicated than it initially sounds, especially when it comes to calculating your net income, what dedications are recognized under state law, and whether any other factors apply to your situation. That’s where the assistance of a Bannockburn child support lawyer can prove invaluable.
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224-422-2694What Does Child Support Cover?
The purpose of child support paid to the custodial parent is always, and only, to financially support the child. The goal of child support payments is to provide the child with a safe home and meet their needs (and, in some cases, reasonable wants, such as the opportunity to play a sport or be involved in extracurricular activities).
Any child support payments not used for current expenses for the benefit of the child should be saved for the child’s future.
Examples of expenses for which child support payments may appropriately be used include:
- Food
- Rent or mortgage payments
- Household utilities
- Reasonable home furnishings
- The child’s medical expenses, including medications, dental cleanings and treatments, and eyeglasses
- Clothing and toys for the child for whom the support payments are made
- School costs, including school supplies and books
- Costs of clubs, lessons, sports leagues, and other extracurricular activities for the child
Given the breadth of potential expenses child support payments could be used for, it’s no wonder that both parents are invested in seeking an outcome that’s favorable to them. Striking a balance of identifying an amount of child support that pays for the needs and benefits of the child without imposing an unreasonable burden on the obligor can require strong negotiation skills and extensive documentation of assets and expenses.
How the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm Can Help With Resolving Child Support Issues
The divorce lawyers at Katz, Goldstein & Warren routinely handle cases in which we help families calculate child support payments based on the statutory guidelines, as well as child support deviations from the guidelines. We also have experience addressing child support matters in post-decree proceedings, or proceedings that occur after the divorce is finalized.
You can count on us to assist with the following:
- Making sense of statutory guidelines for calculating child support payments
- Assisting you in calculating your net income, including identifying all deductions from your income recognized under state law
- Reviewing the other parents ’ stated income to ensure that it accounts for all of their financial resources and includes only valid deductions
- Assessing whether any factors that would lead to a deviation from Illinois statutory guidelines apply to your family’s unique situation, particularly looking for deviations that would be beneficial to your case
- Addressing post-divorce issues of failure to pay child support
- Revisiting child support negotiations in light of changes in circumstances, such as increases or decreases in income on the part of one or both parents
Financially, emotionally, and otherwise, the challenges involved in determining child support payments can put considerable strain on your family. Having a skilled child support attorney in Lake County, IL, can help ease this burden. The attorneys at the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm can use our full range of legal skills and knowledge to determine and push for the child support payment arrangement that is most favorable to you and handle all aspects of the legal process of sorting out child support disputes.
Why Choose the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm?
What can you expect from a child support attorney in Lake County, IL? At the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm, we offer a combination of experience, a results-oriented approach, and attention to your unique situation:
- Experience: Our team has practiced family law throughout Northeastern Illinois for more than 25 years, helping families reach resolutions and move forward with their lives.
- Commitment to results: Our aim is always to secure favorable outcomes for our clients. In matters of child support, that means helping obliges secure as high a child support payment as possible or ensuring that obligors aren’t required to pay more than their fair share.
- Personalized service: Accurately figuring out appropriate amounts of child support requires in-depth reviews of the financial resources, deductions, liabilities, and needs involved in an individual situation. Our attorneys approach all matters of family law by understanding the unique facts of your situation, so we’re well prepared to determine the amount of child support that should be awarded.
When you choose the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm as your Bannockburn child support lawyer, you’re taking steps toward a resolution that provides your desired results.
Contact a Bannockburn Child Support Lawyer Today at Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm for an Initial Consultation
Don’t wait to get help sorting out child support disputes and calculating payment amounts. Prompt legal counsel can provide both peace of mind and financial benefits.
For help from a child support attorney in Bannockburn, IL, contact the Katz, Goldstein & Warren Law Firm online or call us today.