Spousal Support Lawyer Chicago

What is spousal support/alimony?

Spousal support/alimony is referred to as “maintenance” in Illinois pursuant to the statute. In determining whether a spouse is a candidate for maintenance, the court shall consider the following factors:

The income and property of each party, including marital property apportioned and non-marital property assigned to the party seeking maintenance, as well as all financial obligations imposed on the parties as a result of the dissolution of marriage;
The needs of each party;
The realistic present and future earning capacity of each party;
Any impairment of the present and future earning capacity of the party seeking maintenance due to that party devoting time to domestic duties or having forgone or delayed education, training, employment or career opportunities due to the marriage;
Any impairment of the realistic present or future earning capacity of the party against whom maintenance is sought;
The time necessary to enable the party seeking maintenance to acquire appropriate education, training and employment, and whether that party is able to support himself or herself through appropriate employment or any parental responsibility arrangements and its effect on the party seeking employment;
The standard of living established during the marriage;
The duration of the marriage;
The age, health, station, occupation, amount and sources of income, vocational skills, employability, estate, liabilities and the needs of each of the parties;
All sources of public and private income including, without limitation, disability and retirement income;
The tax consequences of the property division upon the respective economic circumstances of the parties;
Contribution and services by the party seeking maintenance to the education, training, career or career potential, or license of the other spouse;
Any valid agreement of the parties; and
Any other factor that the Court expressly finds to be just and equitable.

Why would a Chicago spousal support attorney be needed to help determine alimony?

First, it needs to be determined if a party is eligible to become a recipient of maintenance (alimony). Second, it would need to be determined whether or not the spousal support case falls within the “guidelines” and whether the guideline formula should be applied as to amount and duration. Next, if the guidelines do not apply, it needs to be determined what an appropriate amount and duration of a maintenance award would be. In addition, there are different types of maintenance – non-modifiable, reviewable, or permanent – and the different benefits and issues with each type of award. To understand your eligibility or payment obligations our Chicago spousal support lawyers would be highly valuable in providing guidance and recommendations in determining an appropriate maintenance award – whether the party is paying or receiving maintenance.

Most importantly, Spousal support payments have historically been deductible to the payor and includable to the payee. With the changes to the Internal Revenue Code that were enacted by the federal government in 2017 and effective with Judgments of Dissolution of Marriages being entered in 2019 and beyond, maintenance is no longer deductible to the payor or includable to the payee. No matter which side of the spousal support argument you are on, our Chicago spousal support attorneys will provide the proper guidance regarding maintenance calculations while ensuring your rights are protected with the ever-changing laws.

How is spousal support determined in Illinois?

Effective in 2015, Illinois implemented maintenance “guidelines”. First, it must be determined whether a spouse is a maintenance “candidate”, which is to say whether the spouse is entitled to maintenance. Second, it needs to be determined if the “guidelines” apply to the case at hand. Next, a determination as to the amount and duration of maintenance is calculated based on the specific facts of each spousal support case.

How long will someone receive spousal support?

Included in the maintenance statute are guidelines regarding the length of spousal support. Term is based upon the length of the marriage. However, the guidelines are only applicable to cases where the parties combined gross income is less than $500,000 per year. In addition, there may be reasons for the court to deviate from the guidelines even if the case may otherwise fall under the guidelines.

If either party gets remarried, does this affect the terms of alimony?

Yes, pursuant to the statute, if the party receiving maintenance gets remarried (or cohabitates), maintenance terminates.

If a person is receiving child support from one ex-spouse, does it affect whether they can receive alimony from another ex-spouse?

No. However, it will be required to be disclosed as part of the divorce proceedings and the Court may take that into account when determining a maintenance award to that spouse, with the understanding that the child support is support for another child not of the marriage.

Can you give an example of someone you helped with an alimony matter?

Our spousal support lawyers in Chicago have represented many spouses over several decades, giving our firm a focused approach to providing solutions for our clients. In one case, we represented a former spouse who was seeking to review her maintenance. After trial, her maintenance was extended for additional time (subject to a further review) and the monthly amount was increased.

Our experienced Chicago spousal support lawyers represent clients on a daily basis whose cases involve setting initial maintenance awards, both on behalf of the recipients and payors of maintenance.

At Katz & Stefani, LLC, our family law attorney in Chicago, IL focuses on the following practice areas:

Why should someone choose your Chicago spousal support attorney to help them with their alimony case?

At Katz & Stefani, our Chicago spousal support attorneys have significant experience in handling all types of alimony (maintenance) cases. Our Chicago family law firm frequently represents payors and recipients of maintenance in pre-decree cases. We also frequently represent parties in modification and appeals of the same, and often represents parties in cases that are “above guidelines” where their combined gross income in excess of $500,000 per year. No matter the type of spousal support case, our Chicago spousal support lawyers have the experience and strategic foresight to produce results.