SPRINGFIELD - Building on the landmark child support reforms he helped lead in 2017, State Senator Michael E. Hastings announced that legislation modernizing Illinois’ child support calculations for shared parenting has been signed into law.
“Families have changed, and our laws must continue to evolve with them,” said Hastings (D-Frankfort). “When we reformed Illinois’ child support system in 2017, our goal was to create a fairer, more balanced approach that better reflected the financial responsibilities of both parents. This new law is the next step in that process.”
Hastings served as the original sponsor of Illinois’ landmark 2017 overhaul of the state’s child support system, which replaced the previous percentage-of-income model with the income shares model. That reform better reflected the financial responsibilities of both parents while prioritizing the best interests of children. The new law builds upon that foundation by recognizing the realities of today’s parenting arrangements and ensuring child support calculations are more equitable for families with substantial shared parenting time.
The legislation provides greater flexibility in calculating child support for parents who each exercise at least 110 overnights with their child annually. It also recognizes that many parents provide substantial daytime care that may not include overnight stays by allowing courts, in appropriate circumstances, to consider ‘overnight equivalents’ when determining shared physical care. This change helps ensure child support calculations more accurately reflect each parent’s actual caregiving responsibilities.
Hastings noted that the legislation was developed to address situations where traditional overnight counts may not accurately capture a parent’s significant involvement in a child’s daily life.
“Parents who are actively involved in raising their children should have that involvement fairly recognized,” said Hastings. “This law gives courts the flexibility to evaluate parenting time based on the realities of modern family schedules while keeping the focus where it belongs: on the best interests of the child.”
Senate Bill 3524 takes effect Jan. 1, providing courts, attorneys and families time to prepare for implementation.
