Gray&Gray

Parentage / Paternity

Gray&Gray: Child Support & Related Financial Issues

Parents also need to address financial matters which involve the children, such as child support and payment of expenses. The court will look at the parties’ incomes and the parenting time allocated to each parent, among other things. Gray and Gray attorneys bring extensive knowledge and experience to each case, and we know how to determine a person’s income whether that person is a W-2 wage earner, self-employed, or an owner of a business trying to hide income. Income, for child support purposes, is income from all sources and we will help you find it.

As of July 1, 2017, Illinois follows the “Income Shares” method when calculating child support. Under this method, the incomes of the parents are combined and a determination is made as to what the parents would spend raising those children. Those costs are then allocated between the parents taking into count the amount of time the children spend with each parent. A determination must also be made as to how other expenses will be paid, such as expenses for education, health care, dental and optical care, extracurricular activities, child care, etc.).

In most cases, child support payments end when the child turns 18 or graduates from high school (whichever last occurs), but not beyond a child’s 19th birthday. However, special circumstances may dictate that payments continue such as a child’s disability or delayed graduation from high school.

Gray&Gray: Appeals

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your trial and the judge’s decisions, you can appeal your case. Regardless of how prepared and skilled your trial attorney was, you may still not like the result. A trial judge can make a mistake or commit an error.  Appeals can address all issues presented to the trial court during the trial, whether those issues involve your children, support, property division, etc.

 Timing is important, however, as you only have 30 days from the final judgment in which to start your appeal. Additionally, an appeal is limited to those issues presented at trial – meaning you do not get to add an issue to the appeal if that issue wasn’t raised in the underlying case. An appeal is not a second trial; rather, it is an opportunity for the appellate court to review the trial court’s decisions to determine whether errors were made which need to be corrected.

As a longtime member of the Appellate Lawyers Association, Attorney Paulette Gray is an experienced appellate attorney who can discuss your options with you.  Again, timing is of the essence when considering an appeal.