Child Support Lawyers
Family Law Practice Areas
Practice Areas
Adoption
Alimony & Maintenance
Annulment
Child Custody
Child Support
Divorce
Family Law
Fathers’ Rights
Grandparents’ Rights
Gay & Lesbian Divorce
High Net Worth Divorce
Legal Separation
Mediation
Order of Protection
Paternity
Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements
Property Division
Visitation
Chicago Child Support Lawyers
Helping Those in Chicago with Divorce Cases for 50+ Years
Child support is money paid from one parent to the other for a child’s basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and lodging. Child support can be ordered in a divorce or paternity proceeding. On January 1, 2019, Illinois law was changed to follow an “income shares” model, which means that the income of both parents is factored in the child support formula. Other factors also affect the amount of child support, such as each party’s other children, if a party is paying or receiving maintenance, and the needs of the child. In addition to child support, the court can also order each parent to contribute to the child’s educational, extracurricular, and medical expenses.
Who can file for child support?
A child support case can be filed directly by a parent, or initiated by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (“HFS”). The same law and formula applies in any child support case, and the amount is the same regardless of HFS involvement. If your case was initiated by HFS, you still have a right to hire one of our family law attorneys. You are entitled to file a case for child support even if the other parent does not have visitation with your child.
Consult our highly experienced child support lawyers at (312) 372-1639 or email us at info@abmfamilylaw.com.
Enforcing or modifying child support
If an order for child support has been entered, but is not being paid, a petition may be filed to enforce the order and hold the non-paying party in contempt of court. Being held in contempt can result in significant penalties, including paying the other party’s attorney’s fees or being held in jail as a result of a body attachment. If you are no longer able to pay your child support obligation due to a change in income, or if you are seeking to increase the support you are receiving, it is important that you retain one of our child support attorneys to file a motion to modify child support as soon as possible.
Let’s Work Together
Contact Abramovitch Blalock & McKinnon, LLC today