Income determined correctly, or challenged
Child Support Lawyers in Chicago, IL
A guideline number is only as good as the income it is built on.
Chicago · Cook County · All of Illinois
I.The Matter
Illinois calculates child support under an income-shares model that looks straightforward until a parent owns a business, works on commission, or under-reports what they actually earn. Arami Law represents parents on both sides of that calculation, argues the income determinations other firms accept at face value, and enforces or modifies orders when the facts change.
The Income-Shares Model Under 750 ILCS 5/505
Illinois calculates support by combining both parents’ net incomes, applying a statutory schedule to determine the total support obligation, and dividing that obligation between the parents in proportion to their incomes and parenting time. The number a support calculator produces is only correct if the income and parenting time entered into it are correct, and that is where most disputes actually live.
Determining Income When a Parent Owns a Business
Self-employed and business-owner parents rarely have a single, clean W-2 figure. Courts look past the tax return to actual cash flow: perquisites run through the business, retained earnings used to depress reported income, and the difference between what an owner pays themselves and what the business could support. We built much of this practice on business valuation, and we bring that same scrutiny to a parent’s claimed income.
Extraordinary Expenses, College Costs & Add-Ons
Guideline support does not cover everything. Courts can allocate extracurricular activities, uninsured medical expenses, and childcare costs on top of the base obligation, and can order contribution toward a child’s college expenses under 750 ILCS 5/513 well past the age of majority. Each of these is argued and allocated separately, not assumed.
Modifying an Existing Support Order
Support can be modified on a substantial change in circumstances: a job loss, a new child, a material change in parenting time, or income that finally reflects reality instead of a stale affidavit. Modification runs forward from the filing date, not backward, so the timing of the petition matters as much as its merits.
Enforcing an Unpaid Support Order
An order that is not enforced is not really an order. Illinois allows income withholding, contempt proceedings, and license suspension against a parent who falls behind, and arrears continue to accrue interest until paid. We pursue enforcement as aggressively as we defend against overreaching claims, because the obligation runs both directions.
Support Is Rarely the Only Issue in the Case
Support disputes rarely arrive alone. They surface inside custody litigation, inside a father’s rights case fighting for equal parenting time, or inside a high-asset divorce where the same income figures drive maintenance too. We handle the calculation as part of the larger matter, not as an isolated administrative task.
Legally reviewed byKourosh Arami, Esq.Founding Attorney · Chicago-Kent College of Law · 21 years of Illinois family law practiceEditorial Policy
Retained by
- Business-owner and self-employed parents disputing income determination
- Parents seeking an upward or downward modification
- Parents pursuing enforcement of unpaid support
- Parents negotiating college and extraordinary-expense contribution
From the Library
Arami Law serves clients across Chicago, Cook County, and the collar counties, including the North Shore communities of Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Evanston, and Lake Forest.
II.The Approach
Prepared as if it will be tried.
Prove the real income
Tax returns are a starting point, not an answer. We reconstruct actual cash flow for self-employed and business-owner parents before any number gets proposed.
Calculate it correctly
Every input to the income-shares formula — net income, parenting time, add-on expenses — is verified before it is accepted, on either side of the case.
Enforce or modify
Arrears, contempt, and income withholding when an order is ignored; a clean modification petition when the facts have genuinely changed.
Fold it into the bigger case
Support is calculated alongside custody, maintenance, or property division, not as an afterthought handled by whoever drafts the paperwork last.
III.Questions
Child support in Illinois, answered.
IV.The Inquiry
Submit your matter for confidential review.
The firm accepts a limited number of matters each year. Kourosh personally reviews every inquiry, in confidence.
Prefer to speak directly? (312) 212-1399
Serving Chicago, Cook County, and all of Illinois.