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Recently,
Illinois passed a new statute for the calculation and award of maintenance that
is effective January 1, 2015. Until now,
there has been no specific guideline for determining maintenance, as there is
for child support in Illinois. Judges
could use their own discretion in the final decision of the amount and duration
of an award of maintenance.
Prior to this change, the court primarily considered twelve
factors which are set forth in the statute before awarding maintenance. These
factors include but are not limited to the length of the marriage, the ages of
the husband and wife, the income of each party, and the standard of living
established during the marriage.
Under the new
statute, these twelve factors are still considered to determine if maintenance
will be awarded. However, if maintenance is deemed appropriate, there are now
guidelines for the judges to follow with regard to the amount and duration.
With regard to the amount of maintenance awarded, these new guidelines
will apply in cases where the total income of both parties is less than
$250,000, and no multiple family situation exists. Maintenance is now
determined by taking 30 percent of the payor’s gross income minus 20 percent of
the payees’s gross income. The resulting figure is the maintenance amount. However,
when the maintenance is added to the payee’s gross income, the statute also
sets forth that the resulting number cannot be greater than 40 percent of the
parties’ combined gross incomes.
Also new with the passing of the statute is the process for
determining the duration of maintenance.
There is now a specific calculation which depends on the length of the
marriage. The following table shows how
the duration of maintenance is calculated:
Length of Marriage Length of Maintenance
0-5 Years Length of Marriage x (.20)
5-10 Years Length of Marriage x
(.40)
10-15 Years Length of Marriage x (.60)
15-20 Years Length of Marriage x (.80)
20+ Years Permanent or Equal to
Length of Marriage
Under the
statute, if the duration of a marriage is fewer than 10 years the court may make
the maintenance award permanently terminate upon the completion of the initial
payments. The implication is that in all other cases, the award may be, at the
discretion of the court, extended after the initial period has expired.
The law also now defines how to calculate gross income for maintenance,
and states that income figures for maintenance purposes will be the same as
income for child support purposes. In
addition, a change was made in how to calculate net income for child support
purposes as well. Now, the maintenance
or alimony paid is deducted from the payor’s net income for child support
purposes.
In conclusion, this new statute will result in significant
differences in how maintenance is awarded in some cases in the very near
future. It is important to discuss with
your attorney how this new statute may affect you in your divorce.