Vernon Hills Illinois Family Law Blog

Child support is often a major part of a divorced parent's income. Although losing the second salary in the home after divorce might make it challenging to juggle all of the expenses a couple was able to manage, child support helps ensure the children have what they need. The amount of child support that is awarded to a parent varies by location. Custodial parents in Illinois may have to budget more income for their children's expenses than those in Nevada or Washington.

Women have been in the workforce for decades but some states still don't include the mother's income when they compute the amount a father has to pay in child support. In states where this is the rule, fathers pay about $100 more per month on average. The others states consider the income of both parents but many don't align with the cost of living in the region.

Separating from a spouse may be a stressful process, but it does open up numerous opportunities for you. You no longer have to worry about living in the same house as your ex or organizing your entire schedule around them. You can get a new job that they may have held you back from acquiring in the first place. You don’t even have to live in the same state as them anymore if you want.

However, those opportunities become slightly complicated if there is a child involved. Illinois requires parents that are moving more than 25 miles from their current residence with their child to acquire the other parent’s approval in doing so. However, the other spouse could use this as an opportunity to acquire more custody time and try to convince the court to keep the child in the state. It is important to know how this process works and what advantages you may need if you want you and your kid to move out of the state.

When Illinois couples who own a home get a divorce, one may want to buy out the other. However, the person should first find out the answer to several important questions. One is how much equity is in the home. This can be determined in several different ways. A full appraisal is the most accurate, but it can be expensive and time-consuming, so some couples opt for quicker methods.

Next, it is necessary to determine how much one spouse owes the other for the house. Since Illinois is an equitable distribution state, it might not be 50 percent although if both spouses contributed equally to the mortgage and upkeep, it might be. People will also need to determine what kind of mortgage they will need. This can vary depending on whether there are other assets the person can put toward the buyout or if the person will take cash out from the property.

Filing the last of the divorce paperwork can be a big relief for couples in Illinois who are splitting up, but there is usually still more work to be done after the divorce. For example, a spouse may need to be removed from a health insurance policy, and one spouse may need to find another source for medical insurance.

Vehicles and other assets may need to be retitled. It might be necessary to refinance a mortgage if one spouse gets the home. Joint accounts, including bank and credit card accounts, may need to be closed and individual accounts opened in their place. Some people may want to make a name change. If there is a non-IRA retirement account that the couple is dividing in the divorce, a document called a qualified domestic relations order may need to be approved by the plan's custodian. Assets from retirement accounts that are split during divorce may need to be rolled into a new IRA.