What Does Child Support Pay for in Illinois?

 Posted on July 07, 2020 in Child Support

Child support payments are required whenever two parents are no longer together, whether it is through divorce or separation. Unlike parental responsibilities, a parent cannot relinquish their financial obligation towards their child while the child is still a minor – and sometimes into adulthood if a parent is ordered to help pay for college. Typically, the parent with a greater share of parenting time will receive child support payments from the other parent because the court assumes that they will be the person in charge of child-related expenses. What can and should child support payments be used for?

How Child Support Should Be Spent

The total child support amount that you and your co-parent are responsible for is how much Illinois estimates it should cost to care for your children, based on the number of children you have and the standard of living you can afford on your incomes. The total is meant to cover basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. You can add other expenses to your total in order to cover healthcare, childcare, and school and extracurricular expenses. It is not a requirement that all of a child support payment be spent directly on the children because there are some expenses that are indirectly tied to the children. For instance, paying rent or a mortgage is related to the children because having children determined the size of the home you are living in.

Are There Any Restrictions on How Someone Uses Child Support?

It would go against the intention of Illinois’ child support law if a parent spent child support money on things that are unrelated to the children, such as:

• Purchasing luxury items and experiences that benefit only the parent
• Using the money to fund an addiction
• Spending the money on a new significant other

However, it is difficult to prove that your co-parent is misusing child support if they are also meeting all of your children’s financial needs. You would need to scrutinize all of your co-parent’s income sources, assets, and expenditures, which you may have the chance to do if your co-parent requests to increase your monthly child support payments.

Contact a Naperville, Illinois, Divorce Lawyer

It is common for co-parents to modify their child support payments because their circumstances and their children’s needs are bound to change over time. A DuPage County divorce attorney at Calabrese Associates, P.C., will make sure that your child support payments are sufficient to pay for child expenses while not asking for an unfair amount. To schedule a consultation, call 630-393-3111.

Source:

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