Your previous marriage is behind you and you have moved on with your life after divorce. In fact, you have even met someone new, and are considering getting remarried. Thinking about your former spouse is probably the last thing you want to do in this situation, but your remarriage can have a substantial impact on your divorce agreement and future arrangements with your ex.

Understanding how a new marriage may affect spousal support and child support is an important part of getting remarried because the changes could impact not only you but your future spouse as well.

How Does Remarriage Affect Spousal Support in Illinois?

For the recipient of spousal support, getting remarried terminates the right to receive payments. However, many recipients of spousal support know this and will attempt to delay or avoid getting remarried in order to continue receiving spousal support. Illinois law disfavors this strategy and dictates that spousal support terminates when the recipient spouse begins cohabitating with a new partner. The recipient is required by law to immediately notify their former spouse of their remarriage or cohabitation.

During the divorce process, parents with children in Illinois must create something known as a “parenting plan.” A parenting plan addresses several things, including when each parent will spend time with their child, where the child will go to school, and who will make important decisions on behalf of the child. But creating a parenting plan that both parents feel is fair and addresses their individual concerns can be challenging. Even after the parenting plan is created, new issues may arise as the children grow older, causing parents to consider modifying the parenting plan to address these issues.

What If We Disagree on Everyday Rules?

A common concern for many parents is also one that potentially affects the everyday life of a child: How much time they are allowed to spend on screens? With screens on TVs, computers, phones, and tablets, it is easy for kids to spend hours each day watching television or playing games. A parent who is more restrictive about screen time may have legitimate concerns about whether kids are getting too much screen time at the other parent’s house.

Likewise, a parent who finds out that children are staying up late on school nights and getting less than the recommended sleep may find themselves taking care of grumpy kids with sliding grades. Or perhaps one parent is stringent about enforcing teeth brushing, and worries they will be stuck with a massive dentist bill when the consequences of the other parent’s decisions about sugar and dental hygiene come home to roost. But what can a parent do if they feel their child’s other parent is falling short on important everyday issues?

Divorce is already a complex and emotionally draining process, and this is especially true for someone whose spouse is frivolously spending the couple’s money before the divorce is finalized. Once that money is spent, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to get back.

In order to understand the legal remedies for victims whose spouses are recklessly spending marital money, or “dissipating marital assets”, it is important to understand what counts as dissipation of marital assets. Keep in mind that the best way to obtain a favorable outcome in cases involving dissipation is to hire an experienced divorce attorney.

What Is Dissipation of Marital Assets?

Spending by one spouse is likely to be considered dissipation if the spouse uses marital assets to buy things that:

Women have made historical strides in the last 100 years in America. As recently as the 70s, women needed a man’s signature to obtain a credit card. Today, however, women are outperforming men in earning high school diplomas, university degrees, and even graduate degrees in medicine and law. More and more women are the primary breadwinners in their households.

These rapid changes in American women’s economic status have begun to reflect in the nation’s child support statistics. Although there is a long-standing suspicion in the American social consciousness that men are less likely to get allocated parental responsibilities for their children - and therefore more likely to pay child support - this is increasingly untrue. Men often are given parental responsibilities after divorce, and when this happens, fathers have a right to receive child support from the child’s mother for the same reasons and in the same amounts that men must pay.

When Do Mothers Have to Pay Child Support?

Illinois law states that a child has a legal right to material support from both parents, and attempts to provide a child material support by estimating the financial benefits the child would have received if the parents had not gotten divorced.

Child support costs can be expensive, and the paying parent may understandably be reluctant to hand over money for expenses they view as extra or unnecessary. Often, the paying parent feels as though their money is being used for other purposes than supporting the child. However, if the court considers an expense necessary, even if it is above and beyond monthly child support payments, you may be required to pay your portion.

What Are Some Common Extra Expenses?

• Child Care – For children who are not old enough to attend school, a working parent with parental responsibilities will need to consider daycare, preschool, or private childcare. Child care may also include expenses related to before- and after-school care or summer camps. Courts require expenses to be reasonable and will consider the ability of each parent to pay in proportion to their income.
• Extracurricular and Educational Activities – Children are often involved in sports teams, dance classes, music lessons, and other activities that can be very costly. Even if a child is in public school, there are usually costs for books, lunch, testing, and college-credit classes. Courts can require parents to contribute to reasonable expenses related to school and extracurricular activities beyond the monthly cost of child support.
• Medical Expenses - Even when a child is on their parent’s insurance plan, and even if the plan has great coverage, chances are that eventually there will be uncovered medical expenses. These might come in the form of an expensive prescription, treatment by an orthodontist, or a new pair of glasses. Whatever the cost, a court can order a parent to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses.

How Will We Split the Cost?

Illinois courts try to arrange for equitable payment, so every situation is going to be different. Sometimes courts split extra costs 50/50, sometimes they are split 80/20; it depends on the ability of each parent to pay, any former obligations they may have, and any provisions set forth in the divorce decree.

Contact a DuPage County Divorce Attorney

Illinois Child Support law can be complex. The consequences for misunderstanding your obligation or failing to pay can be expensive and might even include criminal charges. Hiring a Wheaton, IL child support attorney with Andrew Cores Family Law Group may help you avoid costly mistakes and ensure you are meeting your obligations. Call us today for a free consultation at 630-871-1002.