Child Support

Sec. 505.  Child support; contempt; penalties.

    (a)  In a proceeding for dissolution of marriage, legal  separation,

declaration  of  invalidity  of marriage, a proceeding for child support

following dissolution of the marriage by a court which  lacked  personal

jurisdiction  over the absent spouse, a proceeding for modification of a

previous order for child support under Section 510 of this Act,  or  any

proceeding  authorized  under  Section 501 or 601 of this Act, the court

may order either or both parents owing a duty of support to a  child  of

the  marriage to pay an amount reasonable and necessary for his support,

without regard to marital misconduct. The duty of  support   owed  to  a

minor  child  includes  the obligation to provide for the reasonable and

necessary physical, mental and emotional health needs of the child.

         (1)  The Court shall determine the minimum amount of support by

    using the following guidelines:

      Number of Children       Percent of Supporting Party's

                                         Net Income

              1                             20%

              2                             25%

              3                             32%

              4                             40%

              5                             45%

              6 or more                  50%

         (2)  The above guidelines shall be applied in each case  unless

    the  court  makes a finding that application of the guidelines would

    be inappropriate, after considering the best interests of the  child

    in light of evidence including but not limited to one or more of the

    following relevant factors:

              (a)  the financial resources and needs of the child;

              (b)  the  financial  resources  and needs of the custodial

         parent;

              (c)  the standard of living the child would  have  enjoyed

         had the marriage not been dissolved;

              (d)  the  physical  and  emotional condition of the child,

         and his educational needs; and

              (e)  the   financial   resources   and   needs   of    the

         non-custodial parent.

         If  the court deviates from the guidelines, the court's finding

    shall state the amount of support  that  would  have  been  required

    under  the guidelines, if determinable.  The court shall include the

    reason or reasons for the variance from the guidelines.

         (3)  "Net income" is defined as the total of  all  income  from

    all sources, minus the following deductions:

              (a)  Federal  income  tax (properly calculated withholding

         or estimated payments);

              (b)  State income tax (properly calculated withholding  or

         estimated payments);

              (c)  Social Security (FICA payments);

              (d)  Mandatory retirement contributions required by law or

         as a condition of employment;

              (e)  Union dues;

              (f)  Dependent   and   individual   health/hospitalization

         insurance premiums;

              (g)  Prior  obligations of support or maintenance actually

         paid pursuant to a court order;

              (h)  Expenditures for repayment of  debts  that  represent

         reasonable and necessary expenses for the production of income,

         medical  expenditures  necessary  to  preserve  life or health,

         reasonable expenditures for the benefit of the  child  and  the

         other  parent,  exclusive of gifts.  The court shall reduce net

         income in determining the  minimum  amount  of  support  to  be

         ordered  only  for  the  period  that such payments are due and

         shall  enter   an   order   containing   provisions   for   its

         self-executing  modification  upon  termination of such payment

         period.

         (4)  In   cases   where   the   court   order   provides    for

    health/hospitalization  insurance coverage pursuant to Section 505.2

    of this Act, the premiums for that insurance, or that portion of the

    premiums for which the supporting party is responsible in  the  case

    of  insurance  provided  through an employer's health insurance plan

    where the  employer  pays  a  portion  of  the  premiums,  shall  be

    subtracted  from  net  income  in  determining the minimum amount of

    support to be ordered.

         (4.5)  In a proceeding for child support following  dissolution

    of  the  marriage  by a court that lacked personal jurisdiction over

    the absent spouse, and in which the court is  requiring  payment  of

    support  for the period before the date an order for current support

    is entered, there is a rebuttable presumption  that  the  supporting

    party's  net  income for the prior period was the same as his or her

    net income at the time the order for current support is entered.

         (5)  If the net income cannot be determined because of  default

    or  any  other  reason,  the  court shall order support in an amount

    considered reasonable in the particular case.  The  final  order  in

    all  cases shall state the support level in dollar amounts. However,

    if the court finds that the child support amount cannot be expressed

    exclusively as a dollar amount because  all  or  a  portion  of  the

    payor's  net  income  is uncertain as to source, time of payment, or

    amount, the court may  order  a  percentage  amount  of  support  in

    addition  to a specific dollar amount and enter such other orders as

    may be necessary to determine and enforce, on a  timely  basis,  the

    applicable support ordered.

         (6)  If (i) the non-custodial parent was properly served with a

    request  for  discovery  of  financial  information  relating to the

    non-custodial parent's ability to provide child  support,  (ii)  the

    non-custodial  parent  failed  to  comply  with the request, despite

    having  been  ordered  to  do  so  by  the  court,  and  (iii)   the

    non-custodial  parent  is  not  present  at the hearing to determine

    support despite having received proper  notice,  then  any  relevant

    financial  information concerning the non-custodial parent's ability

    to provide child support that was obtained pursuant to subpoena  and

    proper  notice  shall  be admitted into evidence without the need to

    establish any further foundation for its admission.

    (a-5)  In an action to enforce an order for  support  based  on  the

respondent's  failure to make support payments as required by the order,

notice of proceedings to  hold  the  respondent  in  contempt  for  that

failure  may  be  served  on  the  respondent  by personal service or by

regular mail addressed to  the  respondent's  last  known  address.  The

respondent's  last  known  address may be determined from records of the

clerk of the court, from the Federal  Case  Registry  of  Child  Support

Orders, or by any other reasonable means.

    (b)  Failure of either parent to comply with an order to pay support

shall be punishable as in other cases of contempt.  In addition to other

penalties provided by law the Court may, after finding the parent guilty

of contempt, order that the parent be:

         (1)  placed  on  probation with such conditions of probation as

    the Court deems advisable;

         (2)  sentenced to periodic imprisonment for  a  period  not  to

    exceed  6  months;  provided, however, that the Court may permit the

    parent to be released for periods of time during the  day  or  night

    to:

              (A)  work; or

              (B)  conduct a business or other self-employed occupation.

    The  Court  may  further  order any part or all of the earnings of a

parent during a sentence of periodic imprisonment paid to the  Clerk  of

the  Circuit  Court  or  to the parent having custody or to the guardian

having custody of the minor children of the  sentenced  parent  for  the

support of said minor children until further order of the Court.

    If  there  is a unity of interest and ownership sufficient to render

no financial separation  between  a  non-custodial  parent  and  another

person or persons or business entity, the court may pierce the ownership

veil  of  the  person, persons, or business entity to discover assets of

the non-custodial parent held in the name of that person, those persons,

or that business entity.  The following circumstances are sufficient  to

authorize a court to order discovery of the assets of a person, persons,

or  business  entity  and  to  compel  the application of any discovered

assets toward payment on the judgment for support:

         (1)  the non-custodial  parent  and  the  person,  persons,  or

    business entity maintain records together.

         (2)  the  non-custodial  parent  and  the  person,  persons, or

    business entity fail to maintain an arms length relationship between

    themselves with regard to any assets.

         (3)  the non-custodial parent transfers assets to  the  person,

    persons, or business entity with the intent to perpetrate a fraud on

    the custodial parent.

    With  respect  to  assets  which are real property, no order entered

under this paragraph shall affect the rights of  bona  fide  purchasers,

mortgagees, judgment creditors, or other lien holders who  acquire their

interests  in  the  property  prior  to the time a notice of lis pendens

pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure or a copy of the order is placed

of record in the office of the recorder of deeds for the county in which

the real property is located.

    The court may also order in cases where the parent  is  90  days  or

more delinquent in payment of support or has been adjudicated in arrears

in  an  amount  equal  to  90 days obligation or more, that the parent's

Illinois driving privileges be suspended until the court determines that

the parent is in compliance with the order of  support.  The  court  may

also  order  that the parent be issued a family financial responsibility

driving  permit  that  would  allow  limited  driving   privileges   for

employment  and  medical  purposes in accordance with Section 7-702.1 of

the Illinois Vehicle Code. The clerk of the circuit court shall  certify

the  order  suspending  the driving privileges of the parent or granting

the issuance of a family financial responsibility driving permit to  the

Secretary of State on forms prescribed by the Secretary. Upon receipt of

the  authenticated  documents,  the Secretary of State shall suspend the

parent's driving privileges until further order of the court and  shall,

if ordered by the court, subject to the provisions of Section 7-702.1 of

the  Illinois  Vehicle  Code,  issue  a  family financial responsibility

driving permit to the parent.

    In addition to the penalties or punishment that may be imposed under

this Section, any  person  whose  conduct  constitutes  a  violation  of

Section  15  of  the  Non-Support Punishment Act may be prosecuted under

that Act, and a person convicted under that  Act  may  be  sentenced  in

accordance  with  that  Act.   The  sentence may include but need not be

limited to a requirement that the person perform community service under

Section 50 of that Act or participate  in  a  work  alternative  program

under  Section  50  of  that  Act.    A  person  may  not be required to

participate in a work alternative program under Section 50 of  that  Act

if  the  person is currently participating in a work program pursuant to

Section 505.1 of this Act.

    A support obligation, or any portion of a support obligation,  which

becomes  due  and remains unpaid for 30 days or more shall accrue simple

interest at the rate of 9% per annum. An order for  support  entered  or

modified  on  or  after January 1, 2002 shall contain a statement that a

support obligation required under the order, or any portion of a support

obligation required under the order, that becomes due and remains unpaid

for 30 days or more shall accrue simple interest at the rate of  9%  per

annum.   Failure  to include the statement in the order for support does

not affect the validity of the order  or  the  accrual  of  interest  as

provided in this Section.

    (c)  A  one-time  charge  of  20%  is  imposable  upon the amount of

past-due child support owed on July 1, 1988 which has  accrued  under  a

support  order  entered  by  the  court.  The charge shall be imposed in

accordance with the provisions of Section 10-21 of the  Illinois  Public

Aid Code and shall be enforced by the court upon petition.

    (d)  Any  new  or  existing support order entered by the court under

this Section shall be deemed to be a series  of  judgments  against  the

person  obligated to pay support thereunder, each such judgment to be in

the amount of each payment or  installment  of  support  and  each  such

judgment  to  be deemed entered as of the date the corresponding payment

or installment becomes due under the terms of the support  order.   Each

such  judgment  shall  have the full force, effect and attributes of any

other judgment of this State, including the ability to  be  enforced.  A

lien  arises  by operation of law against the real and personal property

of the noncustodial parent for each installment of overdue support  owed

by the noncustodial parent.

    (e)  When child support is to be paid through the clerk of the court

in a county of 1,000,000 inhabitants or less, the order shall direct the

obligor  to pay to the clerk, in addition to the child support payments,

all fees imposed by the county board under paragraph (3)  of  subsection

(u) of Section 27.1 of the Clerks of Courts Act.  Unless paid in cash or

pursuant to an order for withholding, the payment of the fee shall be by

a  separate instrument from the support payment and shall be made to the

order of the Clerk.

    (f)  All orders for support, when entered or modified, shall include

a provision requiring the obligor to notify the court and, in  cases  in

which  a party is receiving child and spouse services under Article X of

the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Illinois  Department  of  Public  Aid,

within  7  days,  (i) of the name and address of any new employer of the

obligor, (ii)  whether  the  obligor  has  access  to  health  insurance

coverage  through  the  employer or other group coverage and, if so, the

policy name and number and  the  names  of  persons  covered  under  the

policy, and (iii) of any new residential or mailing address or telephone

number of the non-custodial parent.  In any subsequent action to enforce

a  support  order,  upon a sufficient showing that a diligent effort has

been made to ascertain the location of the non-custodial parent, service

of process or provision of notice necessary in the case may be  made  at

the  last  known  address  of  the  non-custodial  parent  in any manner

expressly provided by the Code of Civil Procedure  or  this  Act,  which

service shall be sufficient for purposes of due process.

    (g)  An  order for support shall include a date on which the current

support obligation terminates.  The termination date shall be no earlier

than the date on which the child covered by the order  will  attain  the

age of majority or is otherwise emancipated. The order for support shall

state that the termination date does not apply to any arrearage that may

remain  unpaid  on  that  date.   Nothing  in  this  subsection shall be

construed to prevent the court from modifying the order.

    (h)  An order entered under this Section shall include  a  provision

requiring the obligor to report to the obligee and to the clerk of court

within  10  days  each time the obligor obtains new employment, and each

time the obligor's employment is terminated for any reason.  The  report

shall  be  in  writing and shall, in the case of new employment, include

the name and address  of  the  new  employer.   Failure  to  report  new

employment  or  the  termination  of current employment, if coupled with

nonpayment of support for a period in excess of  60  days,  is  indirect

criminal  contempt.   For any obligor arrested for failure to report new

employment bond shall be set in the amount of  the  child  support  that

should  have  been  paid during the period of unreported employment.  An

order  entered  under  this  Section  shall  also  include  a  provision

requiring the obligor and obligee parents to  advise  each  other  of  a

change  in  residence  within 5 days of the change except when the court

finds that the physical, mental, or emotional health of a party or  that

of  a  minor child, or both, would be seriously endangered by disclosure

of the party's address.

    (i)  The court does  not  lose  the  powers  of  contempt,  driver's

license  suspension,  or  other  child  support  enforcement mechanisms,

including, but not limited to, criminal prosecution as set forth in this

Act, upon the emancipation of the minor child or children.

(Source: P.A. 91-113, eff. 7-15-99; 91-397, eff.  1-1-00;  91-655,  eff.

6-1-00;  91-767,  eff. 6-9-00; 92-16, eff. 6-28-01; 92-203, eff. 8-1-01;

92-374, eff. 8-15-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02.)