I will be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Champaign Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, August 30th. Come at 8:30am for some breakfast and a meet and greet with my Illinois team. To RSVP, please email me directly at cari@rinckerlaw.com.
Depreciation of Farm Assets and Child Support in Illinois
Many times clients contact me on a child support matter who own farms and, accordingly, have expensive farm equipment. Farmers usually take deductions on the depreciation of expensive equipment on their tax returns. This MAY affect child support, as a trial court has discretion to include nonrecurring income in calculating net income for child support purposes. See In Re Marriage of …
Illinois Family Law: Relocation with Children
Various reasons prompt a parent to want to relocate with his or her child. Illinois, like most states, has strict procedures to follow when requesting a relocation since the relocation often times jeopardizes the relationship and time spent with the other parent. Relocation refers to three situations in Illinois, dependent on location: The parent moving more than 25 miles from …
Ask Cari: If a Parent Receives Money as a “Gift”, Does it Count as Income for Child Support Purposes?
Dear Cari, My parents give me money each month as I’m still a college student. Will this count as my “income” for child support purposes? I live in Urbana, Illinois. Thanks, Todd Dear Todd, Yes, the courts have the ability to consider that income. Consider these cases: In Re Marriage of Rogers, 213 Ill 2nd 129 (2004), which set forth …
Modifying Child Support in Illinois
Modifications to a child support order in Illinois can be granted based on a “substantial change in circumstances” since the last child support order was entered. In addition, a child support order can also be modified if the petitioner can show that the obligor’s child support obligations differ from the guidelines set forth in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution …
Illinois Family Law: Was Your Marriage Invalid?
When two people are going through a divorce, one of the first things courts consider is whether the marriage itself was VALID. Albeit rare, under Illinois law, parties can assert a ground for dissolution of the marriage alleging that the marriage itself was not valid. Here are a few of the possible reasons: a party lacked property capacity to consent to …
Illinois Family Law: Common Law Marriage
Interestingly, Illinois does not recognize common law marriage (i.e., when two people cohabitate and hold the other out as a spouse for a certain period of time); however, Illinois WILL recognize a common law marriage in other state if that couple then moves to Illinois and then wants a divorce. Importantly, this doesn’t affect child support if there are kidlets …