Illinois uses an income-shares model for child support. Maintenance involves a threshold decision about whether an award is appropriate, followed—when applicable—by statutory guidance for amount and duration. Both areas can become complex when income is variable, self-employment is involved, compensation is deferred, or the tax return does not tell the full story.
A complete support analysis also considers health insurance, childcare, uninsured medical expenses, extracurricular activities, educational costs, tax consequences, and the exact terms for review, modification, enforcement, or termination.
Scope of representation
Support questions that require more than a calculator
- Salary, bonuses, commissions, equity compensation, business income, and recurring non-wage benefits
- Statutory deductions, prior support obligations, and shared-parenting calculations
- Childcare, insurance, medical, extracurricular, school, and college expenses
- Eligibility, amount, duration, review, modification, and termination of maintenance
- Temporary support and allocation of household expenses during the case
- Income changes, unemployment, underemployment, enforcement, and arrearages
How we approach the work
Define the inputs before debating the output
A useful calculation identifies the source and period for every income figure. One pay stub or one unusually strong or weak business year may distort the analysis. Variable income may require averaging, normalization, or a true-up mechanism.
Judgment language should say who pays which added expenses, how reimbursement requests are documented, when payment is due, and what happens when insurance or employment changes. Clear administration terms reduce avoidable future disputes.
Illinois family-law insights
Read before your next decision.
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to the first questions.
Does equal parenting time eliminate child support?
Not necessarily. Illinois has a shared-parenting calculation for qualifying schedules, but both parents' incomes and the statutory formula still matter.
Is maintenance automatic in Illinois?
No. A court first considers statutory factors to decide whether maintenance is appropriate. Only then does it determine amount and duration under the applicable framework.
Can support change when income changes?
Potentially, but support ordinarily does not self-adjust merely because income changed. Review the judgment and seek an agreed or court-ordered modification; delay can affect the available effective date.
Can bonuses or business income count?
They may. Illinois income definitions are broad, although statutory exclusions and fact-specific adjustments can apply. The analysis should examine regularity, control, business expenses, and the period represented by the records.