Joliet, IL Child Support Lawyers

Dedicated Attorneys Addressing Child Support Obligations in Joliet, Illinois Family Law Matters

When parents are involved in family law cases, their ability to provide for their children's financial needs is likely to be a central concern. Child support is meant to ensure that both parents will contribute to the expenses involved in raising children. It can help a family maintain stability while meeting essential needs. To address issues related to child support, a parent can work with a family law attorney who can provide legal guidance and representation.

At Jordan Steele & Associates, LLC, our attorneys work with parents who are separating, divorcing, or are involved in other types of child custody disputes. We help our clients understand their financial obligations, making sure the proper steps are taken to calculate child support and address unique needs or concerns that may affect a family. By ensuring that our clients can put the proper agreements in place, we help them address the needs of their children while protecting their financial interests.

The Purpose of Child Support

Children should be able to benefit from the financial resources provided by both of their parents, regardless of the parents' living arrangements. When parents separate or divorce, child support orders will ensure that both parents will continue to contribute toward their children's ongoing needs. This can help children maintain a stable and consistent standard of living.

Basic Child Support Obligations

When determining how much child support each parent will be required to pay, the first step will be to calculate an amount known as the basic child support obligation. This amount is meant to serve as an estimate of what parents in Illinois would have paid toward child-related expenses if they were living together. The specific amount is based on the combined income of the parents.

This obligation is meant to address the total amount needed to address the regular, ongoing expenses involved in raising children, including housing, utilities, food, and clothing. Each parent will be responsible for a percentage of this amount. The specific percentages will be based on each parent's share of their combined income.

Additional Child-Related Expenses

Courts may also require parents to share costs for other expenses involved in raising their children. These may include:

• Healthcare Costs: Parents will need to make sure their children have health insurance coverage. If children are included in one parent's health insurance plan, the parents will usually split the costs of monthly premiums. Parents may also divide other out-of-pocket medical, dental, or vision expenses that are not covered by insurance.
• Educational Expenses: Various costs related to children's education may be divided between parents. These may include private school tuition, school fees, school supplies, tutoring, or any other related costs.
• Child Care Costs: Daycare, after-school programs, or babysitting may be necessary to ensure that children will have the proper care and supervision while one or both parents are working. Parents will usually be required to split the costs of employment-related child care.
• Extraordinary Expenses: Other costs related to children's special needs, sports, cultural activities, or travel may need to be addressed. Parents may agree on how these expenses will be divided and how much each parent may be required to contribute.

How Our Lawyers Can Help Address Concerns Related to Child Support

Establishing or modifying child support arrangements will require accurate calculations of each parent's income. Our attorneys can help families make sure all factors will be considered correctly as they address child support issues. We will make sure the state's guidelines are followed when calculating child support obligations, and we will make sure the orders put in place by a court will be legally enforceable.

We can also help parents determine whether modifications may be made to child support orders because of changes in either parent's income, adjustments to parenting time schedules, or other new circumstances affecting a family. We will work to resolve disputes over the expenses that parents may need to address. Regardless of the situation, we will help ensure that child support arrangements will provide for the best interests of children while protecting our clients' financial interests.

Contact Our Joliet, Illinois Child Support Attorneys

At Jordan Steele & Associates, LLC, we work with parents to establish or modify child support arrangements, ensuring that they will be able to address the financial needs of their children. Contact our Joliet child support lawyers at 872-314-0080 to set up a free consultation.