When it comes to divorce cases, some of the most contentious issues that can arise are those pertaining to a couple’s children. Before you are able to conclude your divorce, the court will want you and your soon-to-be ex to submit a mutually-agreed-upon, written parenting plan. This parenting plan should contain information about parenting time schedules, who has what decision-making rights, dealing with the child’s school holidays, and other issues pertaining to the child. If both parents cannot come to an agreement on a parenting plan, the court will make the parenting plan decisions for the parents.

Determining Factors

Illinois family law courts start out with the presumption that each parent is a fit parent and that no restrictions should be placed on his or her parenting time, unless it is found that the parenting time would endanger the child’s physical, mental, moral, or emotional health. All decisions pertaining to the child need to be based on the child’s best interests. A number of factors are considered when determining parenting time, including:

Sometimes, even the so-called “simplest” divorces, where the parties have no children, can be stressful and tedious. But if you add children-related issues in a divorce, you have an entirely different set of issues which must be addressed before you can finalize your divorce. One of those issues is child support, which is a very important subject for many divorcing couples, especially if one parent has the children more often than the other. Child support is the financial obligation that both parents have to their children, and it is important that each parent pays his or her fair share.

Calculating the Basic Child Support Obligation

First, each parent’s monthly net income is calculated. Then, both of the parents’ net incomes are added together. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS) is the governing body that deals with child support calculations, and they periodically publish guidelines for calculating child support based on parents’ combined income. The IDHFS’s basic child support obligation table lists a child support obligation amount that corresponds with parents’ combined income and the number of children they have. This number is what the state of Illinois considers to be the total amount that parents at that income level are expected to provide for their children.

Divorces can sometimes be messy, long, and complicated. As a result, prenuptial agreements have become increasingly popular for many couples, since they can help avoid some of the issues that can make divorces more difficult. Contrary to what movies or television shows might have us believe, prenuptial agreements can be utilized by more than just the uber-wealthy. These agreements can be helpful for any couple, because they allow spouses to make decisions about how certain matters will be handled in the event of a divorce. 

While a prenuptial agreement can be beneficial for you and your spouse, it must follow specific legal rules about its content and format. If you do not follow these rules, your prenuptial agreement may not hold up in court. Here are a few reasons why your agreement may be found to be invalid in court:

There are many reasons why a person would want to move after they have completed a divorce. Getting a new job, starting a new relationship, moving closer to family, or just getting a fresh start are all common reasons why people choose to relocate to a new home. However, when you add children into the picture, relocation could become more complicated. You cannot just pick up and move with your child if you have an existing parenting plan in place. You must first request permission to relocate from the child’s other parent. Then you must request permission to modify your parenting plan from the courts. Taking the correct steps when you are moving is the key to a successful relocation.

Notifying the Other Parent

If you have been allocated a majority of the parenting time or an equal amount of parenting time as your child’s other parent, you can request to relocate with your child. To do so, you must first provide a written notice of the relocation to your child’s other parent, and provide a copy of the notice to the clerk of the circuit court where you were divorced. The notice should be given at least 60 days in advance of the intended relocation, and it should include the date of the intended relocation, the address of your new residence, and the length of time the relocation will last (if it is not permanent).

2019 will bring a significant change to post-divorce life for many Americans, due to the 2017 federal tax reform legislation that will reverse a provision that dates back seven decades. For divorces which are completed on January 1, 2019 and afterwards, individuals who pay spousal maintenance (alimony) to a former spouse will no longer be able to deduct that amount from their taxes, a deduction which has been allowed since the 1940s. Also, individuals who receive spousal maintenance will no longer be required to declare those payments as taxable income.

This modification is expected to add a substantial amount to the U.S. Treasury’s bottom line each year. In 2010, approximately 600,000 Americans claimed the alimony tax deduction, which added up to more than $10 billion.