In this article, our Saint Charles child support attorneys discuss recent changes to Illinois child support laws that took effect on July 1, 2017. We explain the new way in which child support amounts are calculated. Illinois will now follow many other states in converting to the “income shares model” in order to calculate child support. Under this model, child support will be calculated using both parents’ income and cost of living. The number of children involved is also taken into account in child support calculations.
Current Illinois child support law awards child support based on only the non-custodial parents income. The new law will now consider both parent's incomes in an "income shares" model, which may cause some parents' child support amounts to increase, while others' amounts will decrease.