Illinois law requires parents to financially contribute to their child’s upbringing. In the case of unmarried or divorced parents, this most often involves child support payments. Typically, child support payments are terminated when a child reaches eighteen years of age and is therefore legally an adult. The now-adult child is expected to start taking responsibility for himself or herself and make his or her own money. However, if the child suffers from a disability, he or she may be unable to do so. In situations like these, child support payments may be extended past the typical time period.

Disabilities That Qualify for Extended Child Support

Both mental and physical disabilities can qualify a person for child support after he is an adult. Section 513.5 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5) states that when an individual’s mental or physical impairment “substantially limits a major life activity,” he or she is considered to be disabled. These impairments may include psychiatric conditions, developmental disorders, intellectual disabilities, and physical handicaps. Any impairment that directly affects the child’s ability to perform daily living tasks may qualify the child for extended child support.

Factors Considered by Illinois Courts

In order for a child to remain eligible for child support as an adult, the disability must have been diagnosed by a medical professional or otherwise discovered while the child was eligible for regular child support. The court may determine that one or both parents are obligated to continue financially supporting the disabled adult. Decisions about child support for a disabled adult are made with consideration to:

For many divorced and unmarried parents, money is tight. If you are a single parent, you probably have many financial obligations including housing costs, childcare expenses, school-related expenditures, and more. If you receive child support from your child’s other parent, you may depend upon these payments heavily. If something were to happen and you no longer received child support, you would be in serious trouble. These are the concerns that many parents have when they learn that their child’s other parent has been incarcerated.

Parents Are Still Expected to Pay Child Support Even While Incarcerated

If your child’s other parent has been arrested and charged with a crime, he or she may be spending time in jail or prison. However, this does not mean that he or she is automatically relieved of child support obligations. When a person is incarcerated, the court still expects him or her to continue paying child support. However, the incarcerated parent does have the option to petition the court for a temporary child support modification. The court may grant this modification if the parent can prove that he or she genuinely needs it. For example, if the incarcerated parent cannot participate in a work release program and has no income, the court may allow him or her to temporarily stop making child support payments. Once the parent is released from jail, he or she must pay the past due amount.

Other Sources of Income During Incarceration

When an incarcerated parent is not making money from traditional work, this does not mean that he or she has no means to pay child support. The court may require an incarcerated parent to pay child support through other means. Child support payments may be taken from:

Many parents do not realize the amount of money it actually takes to raise a child. When child support payments become a part of your monthly expenses, you may find yourself in a financial predicament. Child support is designed to help a child with unmarried or divorced unmarried parents to enjoy the same quality of life that he or she would have with married parents. In Illinois, child support amounts are determined by analyzing each parent’s income, employment, health, and other factors. If you cannot afford your court-ordered child support, read on to learn about what your next steps should be.

Never Stop Child Support Payments Without Notification

Illinois takes child support nonpayment very seriously. If you cannot afford your child support, never simply stop payments. Missing payments or paying only partial amounts can result in significant negative consequences. Parents who fail to pay their support payments in Illinois can have their wages or bank accounts garnished, tax returns intercepted, a lien placed against their property, and their driver’s license suspended or revoked. In severe cases of child support nonpayment, parents can face passport denial and even criminal prosecution. Parents who own $5000 or more in past-due support can also have their name and photograph posted on the “Illinois Deadbeat Parent” website.

File a Request for a Child Support Modification

If you are a parent who cannot afford your current support obligation, your first step should be to notify the person who receives your support. Next, file a “Petition to Modify Support,” with the county court. Modifications to child support obligations are only granted if there is a good reason for the court to change the order.

If your child’s other parent has been convicted of a crime and is in jail or prison, you may have dozens of concerns, including worries regarding child support. When an individual is incarcerated, their financial obligations are usually still considered valid. This includes child support payments. Read on to learn about how incarceration can affect child support payments as well as what to do if you are not receiving court-ordered child support.

Parents in Jail Are Still Responsible for Child Support

When a judge orders a parent to pay their child’s other parent child support, that requirement is generally intended to last until the child is an adult. A child’s financial needs do not stop just because a parent is incarcerated. If your child’s other parent in in jail, he or she is still responsible for his or her court-ordered child support payments. However, the parent may be able to petition the court for a temporary modification of their child support obligation.

Courts only grant a child support modification if the parent can prove that he or she has had a major change in his or her financial circumstances. Some incarcerated parents are able to participate in a work release program which provides them with the funds needed to pay child support, but others will have no income. In situations in which an incarcerated parent cannot pay child support, the total amount of past due support payments will be due at the time of their release.

Child support payments can be a great way for unmarried or divorced parents to share the costs of raising a child. Child support in Illinois is calculated by the courts using the “income shares” model. This means that both parents’ income, property, and financial circumstances are taken into account in order to arrive at a child support amount which is fair and reasonable for both parties. Of course, life can sometimes be less than predictable, and situations can arise when a parent needs to change the amount of child support he or she is paying or receiving. If you are struggling to pay your court-ordered child support in Illinois, you may be able to reduce your payment by requesting a child support order modification.

When Can Child Support Be Modified?

There are only certain circumstances which warrant a child support modification. One way to change your child support payment amount is through a mutual agreement with your child’s other parent. If you and the other parent are able to agree on a new payment amount, you can draft your own written agreement, sign it, and submit it to the court for approval. If the court approves the new child support arrangement, the terms in your signed agreement are legally binding. If your child’s other parent does not agree to a modification, you will need to petition the court for a child support modification. The court will only grant a modification if there is a substantial circumstantial change. Circumstances that may lead to a modification request being approved include but are not limited to:

• An increase or decrease in either parent’s financial stability;
• The children’s needs have significantly changed;
• You have experienced a significant increase in cost of living;
• A parent has remarried;
• There is a change in custody or parenting time; and
• The child becoming emancipated.

Never Simply Stop Child Support Payments

If you are seeking a modification because you cannot afford your current child support payment amount, it is critical that you notify the court as well as your child’s other parent. Simply stopping payment can result in serious consequences. You could have your paychecks or bank account garnished, a lien placed on your property, or even be charged with a criminal offense. It is possible for a parent to be convicted of a Class A misdemeanor for not paying child support for six months or owing over $5,000 in back payments. If the parent owes more than $20,000 in child support, they could face a Class 4 felony and be incarcerated for one to three years.