How Is Child Support Calculated When Parents Have Equal Parenting Time?

 Posted on May 06, 2021 in Child Support

In most family law cases involving children, child support is one of the most important issues that will need to be addressed. Typically, a child’s custodial parent (the parent who has the majority of the parenting time with the child) will receive child support from the other parent. However, parents may wonder how child support will be handled if they will be dividing parenting time equally. In these cases, additional calculations will usually be necessary to ensure that a child will receive the financial support they need.

Child Support and Shared Physical Care

The state of Illinois uses an “income sharing” method to calculate parents’ child support obligations. Basic child support obligations are determined using a “schedule” that defines an appropriate amount that parents should pay each month based on their combined incomes and the number of children they share. Each parent will be responsible for a percentage of this amount based on the amount they contribute toward the combined income. For example, if one parent earns 55% of the couple’s combined income, they will be responsible for paying 55% of the basic child support obligation. 

Cases where parents share equal or near-equal parenting time are known as “shared physical care,” and in these situations, additional calculations are necessary to determine each parent’s child support obligations. Rules for shared physical care apply in any situation where children spend at least 40% of the parenting time with each parent. This works out to 146 days per year in which children stay overnight at one parent’s home.

In shared physical care situations, the parents’ child support obligations are determined using the income sharing method. Each parent’s obligation will then be multiplied by 1.5 to address the duplication of some types of expenses at each parent’s home. For each parent, this amount will then be multiplied by the percentage of parenting time the children spend with the other parent. The parent who has the larger obligation will be responsible for paying the difference between the two amounts to the other parent.

As an example, consider a situation in which Parent A earns $2,000 per month, Parent B earns $1,500 per month, and the couple will be sharing equal parenting time with their two children. For a combined income of $3,500, the basic child support obligation for two children is $1138. Parent A earns 57% of the combined income, so their obligation would be $648.66. After multiplying this amount by 1.5 and then multiplying it by 50% (the other parent’s percentage of parenting time), the result is $486.50. Parent B earns 43% of the combined income, so their obligation would be $489.34. After multiplying this amount by 1.5 and then by 50%, the result is $367.00. After subtracting Parent B’s obligation from Parent A’s obligation, the total is $122.34, which is the amount that Parent A would pay to Parent B each month.

Contact Our DuPage County Child Support Attorneys

There are a variety of financial factors that will need to be considered when determining child support obligations, and these calculations can become very complex. The attorneys of Calabrese Associates, P.C. can ensure that child support will be addressed correctly during your divorce or child custody case, and we will help you reach an outcome that protects your financial interests while providing for your children’s needs. For experienced legal help and representation, contact our Naperville child support lawyers at 630-393-3111.

Sources:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=075000050K505

https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/SiteCollectionDocuments/TechnicalDocumentationIllinoisScheduleNetIncomeTable.pdf