During many family law cases, parents often face many financial stresses. This is particularly felt in child support issues. Illinois law requires that each parent must financially provide their child. State law also provides a complex calculation for determining child support amounts. In these cases, child support is either settled through out-of-court agreements or is decided by a judge using the statutory calculations. Either way, each parent’s income is essential to figuring child support obligations. In some cases, parents purposefully become unemployed or underemployed to avoid paying more in child support. If you are concerned that your child’s other parent should be making, and thus paying, more, read the information below. Then, contact an experienced family law attorney.

Because child support is largely calculated based on both parents’ incomes, among other factors, some parents try to pay less by manipulating their employment. Purposefully staying unemployed or underemployed to avoid paying child support is called “voluntary impoverishment.” A parent may be underemployed when he or she is not living up to their earning potential. Staying voluntarily unemployed means that parent refuses to find another job after being fired or laid off. Or, it could mean that the parent intentionally got fired or laid off in order to decrease their income.

Imputing Income and Modifying Orders