On July 1, 2017, a major change for calculating child support obligations takes effect. Last year, Public Act 99-764 was enacted. The legislation amended the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to replace the percentage guideline formula with the income shares model for calculating child support.
The new income shares model takes into account the incomes of BOTH parents. It also calculates the actual cost of child rearing using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The calculation generally is:
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- The net income of each party is calculated and added together to arrive at the Basic Combined Net Income (net meaning the deduction of taxes, alimony/maintenance and previous child support orders)
- A determination of what percentage each parent contributes to the Combined Net Income
- The child rearing costs listed on a table from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is determined based on the Combined Net Income and the number of children.
Using the percentages of #2 above and the child-rearing costs of #3, child support is calculated.
It may sound complicated but it is a much fairer way to calculate child support and we are happy to assist you in understanding it better.