Does the Amount of Parenting Time You Have Determine Child Support?

 Posted on March 17, 2023 in Child Custody

Parenting time, sometimes called visitation in casual conversation, is the time that a parent supervises a child and meets his or her everyday needs. In Illinois, the amount of parenting time a parent has is described in the parenting plan. Divorced and never-married parents may be able to negotiate the terms of their parenting plan or, if they cannot agree, the court will issue a parenting plan.

Many people have questions about how parenting time affects child support. Do you pay less in child support if you have the children more often? Can a parent reduce his or her child support obligation by taking on a greater amount of parenting time?  

Child Support Laws in Illinois

In 2023, Illinois uses a child support calculation methodology called “Income Shares.” Each parent’s net income and the number of children shared between the parents determine the overall amount of financial support paid by the parents. The parent with the majority of the parenting time receives child support payments from the parent with a lesser amount of parenting time. Since he or she has the child most of the time, the parent with the majority of the parenting time provides his or her financial support by paying for child-related expenses directly.

Parenting Time Only Influences Child Support in Shared Parenting Arrangements.

In most cases, the amount of child support an obligor (the parent who pays child support) pays is not related to the parenting time schedule. A parent would pay the same whether he or she has the child two days a week or two days a month. However, there is one situation in which the parenting time schedule can affect child support. If each parent has 40 percent or more of the parenting time, their parenting time responsibilities are relatively equal. This is referred to as “shared parenting.” In a shared parenting situation, the child support obligation is still paid by the parent with less parenting time, but the amount he or she pays is adjusted to account for the relatively equal amount of parenting time between the parents.  

Contact our Joliet Child Support Lawyers

The amount of parenting time that a parent pays is based on the parents’ net incomes and the number of children requiring support. The child support obligation is adjusted if the parents have shared parenting.

If you need help establishing a child support order, changing a child support obligation, or enforcing an order because a parent stopped paying, contact The Foray Firm. Our Will County child support attorneys can help you take the legal action needed to accomplish your goals. Call 312-702-1293 for a confidential case assessment to get started.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/075000050k505.htm