“Maintenance” (sometimes referred to as “Alimony”) is support paid by one spouse to the other during or after a divorce. In Illinois, maintenance is awarded without regard to fault.
Illinois judges hearing divorce cases have historically exercised considerable discretion in determining both the need for and the amount of a maintenance award. Without the benefit of legislative guidelines, maintenance awards in Illinois have proven unpredictable and inconsistent. In May of 2014, the Illinois legislature finally codified maintenance award guidelines. The new guidelines apply to cases where the combined gross income of the parties is less than $250,000.00 and no multiple family situation exists. The new law will become effective on January 1, 2015.
We expect that the codification of guideline maintenance in Illinois will foster less contention between divorcing couples and enhance the percentage of negotiated outcomes.
In anticipation of the codification, the Law Offices of Paul Chatzky developed a maintenance calculator that incorporates the guideline percentages and limitations of the new Illinois law. Bear in mind that, the codification of maintenance guideline support in Illinois notwithstanding, Illinois court judges remain free to deviate from the statutory guidelines, subject to the requirement of an express finding justifying the reasons for the deviation.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Paul Chatzky is fluent in Spanish and English, enabling him to effectively represent a wider range of individuals and families. He is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, and is listed among Illinois Super Lawyers, which is a reflection of his high ethical standards and exceptional legal knowledge. As a…
Prior to joining the firm as a paralegal, Debbie was employed by major banking institutions as a loan processor and as an executive secretary. Debbie was also employed as an administrative assistant for the Board of Jewish Education. Having majored in Sociology, Debbie graduated from the University of Florida in 1980. Debbie completed her studies…
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Mr. Chatzky is truly superb at his job. His knowledge base is profound, and he approached my situation with honesty and integrity. I knew immediately that he had every intention to obtain the best outcome for me and that he had thought of every possi...
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