St. Charles Child Support Payments Lawyers

St. Charles Child Support Attorneys Explain Payment Options for Families

Paying child support can seriously strain a parent's finances, particularly if you experience a sharp drop in pay or increase in personal expenses, whether voluntary or involuntary. Illinois law is very clear and strict about its expectations for both parents to provide physical and financial support for a child and the penalties for failure to do so. Make sure you fully understand your obligations, and be proactive in communicating changes in your situation to your co-parent, the court, and other involved parties.

At Weiler & Associates, Inc., we understand that your financial circumstances can change dramatically within a matter of days. When that happens, you will appreciate our commitment to responding quickly to all client calls. If you are the payor (obligor), we can advise you about your legal options if you are accused of late or missing child support payments and help you obtain a modification in child support when appropriate. If you are the recipient (obligee), we can assist with legal enforcement of child support payments.

Options for Making Child Support Payments in Kane County

If you are the parent who must make child support payments to your child's co-parent, the amount you must pay each month will be shown on the court order. The state of Illinois provides several options to ensure that child support payments are made as required and to minimize disputes between parents.

Income Withholding. If you receive regular paychecks from an employer, the best way to keep up with your child support payments is to use paycheck withholding, which works as follows:

• You, the obligor, fill out the Income Withholding for Support form and give it to your employer.
• Your employer will update their payroll system to withhold the specified amount from each of your paychecks.
• Your employer or their payroll service provider will electronically transfer your child support payments to the Illinois State Disbursement Unit (ISDU) through the ExpertPay website or through the banking network's Automated Clearing House (ACH).
• ISDU will disburse the funds to the recipient (obligee) via direct deposit, debit card, or check.

The benefit of this method is that the state has a record of all monies received and disbursed, which helps to avoid disputes between parents over whether payments have been made. Your child support court order may require this method.

Other Options. If you are self-employed, work a series of temporary jobs, or if income withholding was not required in your child support order, the state offers these options:

• ExpertPay.Com lets you set up automated payments from your checking account and only charges a small one-time registration fee. By transmitting the money through this system, rather than directly from you to the obligee, you are protected from payment disputes with your child's co-parent.
• E-ChildsPay.com lets you make payments via a credit card, but a rather steep fee is charged to you for using this system.

These methods can also be used when you need to pay a co-parent for a child's unanticipated expenses not covered by regular child support payments or to make catch-up payments.

What to Do If You Cannot Make a Child Support Payment in Kane County

If you lose your job, suffer a medical emergency, or for some other reason are unable to make a child support payment on time, the first thing you should do it contact your co-parent. Explain the situation and try to negotiate a way to catch up on your payments. If your short-term cash shortage looks like it is going to be a long-term issue that qualifies as a substantial change in circumstances, Weiler & Associates, Inc. can work with you to petition the court to modify your child support order.

Child Support Attorneys in St. Charles, Illinois

If you find yourself in a dispute over late child support payments, unanticipated expenses outside the scope of your child support order, or modification of the amount of child support, call on the divorce and family law firm Weiler & Associates, Inc. Contact us in our St. Charles office at 630-331-9110. We serve clients in Kane County including the communities of Batavia, Elgin, Geneva, Pingree Grove, and St. Charles.