Some of the most popular questions we receive from divorcing parents are “how much will I pay in child support?” and “how much will I receive in child support?” The person who pays child support is known as the “obligor” and the person who receives the child support is known as the “obligee”. The Illinois legislature has set forth statutory guidelines for calculating child support. Obligors pay a certain percentage of their net monthly income, which is outlined in the table below.
Number of Children Percentage of Net Monthly Income to be Paid as Child Support
1 = 20%
2 = 28%
3 = 32%
4 = 40%
5 = 45%
6 or more = 50%
It should be noted that this is a minimum amount of child support. A court may deviate from the minimum by ordering more child support or less child support if there is a good reason for doing so. For example, if an obligor earns a substantial income and a strict percentage calculation would result in the child receiving far more than his or her reasonable needs, then the court may order a child support amount that is less than statutory guidelines.