§ 802 — Judgment

(a) The court shall issue an order adjudicating whether a person alleged or claiming to be the parent is the parent of the child. An order adjudicating parentage must identify the child by name and date of birth. The court may assess filing fees, reasonable attorney's fees, fees for genetic testing, other costs, necessary travel expenses, and other reasonable expenses incurred in a proceeding under this Act. The court may award attorney's fees, which may be paid directly to the attorney, who may enforce the order in the attorney's own name. The court may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against the support-enforcement agency of this State or another state, except as provided by other law. The judgment shall contain or explicitly reserve provisions concerning any duty and amount of child support and may contain or explicitly reserve provisions concerning the allocation of parental responsibilities or guardianship of the child, parenting time privileges with the child, and the furnishing of bond or other security for the payment of the judgment, which the court shall determine in accordance with the relevant factors set forth in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and any other applicable law of this State, to guide the court in a finding in the best interests of the child. In determining the allocation of parental responsibilities, relocation, parenting time, parenting time interference, support for a non-minor disabled child, educational expenses for a non-minor child, and related post-judgment issues, the court shall apply the relevant standards of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Specifically, in determining the amount of a child support award, the court shall use the guidelines and standards set forth in subsection (a) of Section 505 and in Section 505.2 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The court shall order all child support payments, determined in accordance with such guidelines, to commence with the date summons is served. The level of current periodic support payments shall not be reduced because of payments set for the period prior to the date of entry of the support order. (b) In an action brought within 2 years after a child's birth, the judgment or order may direct either parent to pay the reasonable expenses incurred by either parent or the Department of Healthcare and Family Services related to the mother's pregnancy and the delivery of the child. (c) In the absence of an explicit order or judgment for the allocation of parental responsibilities, to the extent the court has authority under the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act or any other appropriate State law, the establishment of a child support obligation or the allocation of parenting time to one parent shall be construed as an order or judgment allocating all parental responsibilities to the other parent. If the parentage order or judgment contains no such provisions, all parental responsibilities shall be presumed to be allocated to the mother; however, the presumption shall not apply if the child has resided primarily with the other parent for at least 6 months prior to the date that the mother seeks to enforce the order or judgment of parentage. (c-5) Notwithstanding the limitations regarding the establishment of custody under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, that Act is not exclusive, and custody/allocation of parental responsibilities may be determined concurrently under other appropriate State laws, where this determination may be validly made. (d) The court, if necessary to protect and promote the best interests of the child, may set aside a portion of the separately held estates of the parties in a separate fund or trust for the support, education, physical and mental health, and general welfare of a minor or mentally or physically disabled child of the parties. (e) The court may order child support payments to be made for a period prior to the commencement of the action. In determining whether and to what extent the payments shall be made for the prior period, the court shall consider all relevant facts, including but not limited to: (1) The factors for determining the amount of support specified in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. (2) The prior knowledge of the person obligated to pay support of the fact and circumstances of the child's birth. (3) The father's prior willingness or refusal to help raise or support the child. (4) The extent to which the mother or the public agency bringing the action previously informed the person obligated to pay support of the child's needs or attempted to seek or require the help of the person obligated to pay support in raising or supporting the child. (5) The reasons the mother or the public agency did not file the action earlier. (6) The extent to which the person obligated to pay support would be prejudiced by the delay in bringing the action. For purposes of determining the amount of child support to be paid for the period before the date the order for current child support is entered, there is a rebuttable presumption that the net income of the person obligated to pay support for the prior period was the same as the net income of the person obligated to pay support at the time the order for current child support is entered. If (i) the person obligated to pay support was properly served with a request for discovery of financial information relating to the ability to provide child support of the person obligated to pay support; (ii) the person obligated to pay support failed to comply with the request, despite having been ordered to do so by the court; and (iii) the person obligated to pay support is not present at the hearing to determine support despite having received proper notice, then any relevant financial information concerning the ability to provide child support of the person obligated to pay 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. (f) A 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 judgment to be in the amount of each payment or installment of support and each judgment to be deemed entered as of the date the corresponding payment or installment becomes due under the terms of the support order. Each judgment shall have the full force, effect, and attributes of any other judgment of this State, including the ability to be enforced. A judgment under this Section is subject to modification or termination only in accordance with Section 510 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Notwithstanding any State or local law to the contrary, 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. (g) If the judgment or order of the court is at variance with the child's birth certificate, the court shall order that a new birth certificate be issued under the Vital Records Act. (h) On the request of both parents, the court shall order a change in the child's name. (i) After hearing evidence, the court may stay payment of support during the period of the father's minority or period of disability. (j) If, upon a showing of proper service, the father fails to appear in court or otherwise appear as provided by law, the court may proceed to hear the cause upon testimony of the mother or other parties taken in open court and shall enter a judgment by default. The court may reserve any order as to the amount of child support until the father has received notice, by regular mail, of a hearing on the matter. (k) An order for support, when entered or modified, shall include a provision requiring the non-custodial parent to notify the court and, in cases in which a party is receiving child support enforcement services under Article X of the Illinois Public Aid Code, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, within 7 days: (i) of the name and address of any new employer of the non-custodial parent; (ii) whether the non-custodial parent has access to health insurance coverage through the employer or other group coverage and, if so, of the policy name and number and the names of adults and initials of minors covered under the policy; and (iii) of any new residential or mailing address or telephone number of the non-custodial parent. In a 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 this Act or the Code of Civil Procedure, and shall be sufficient for purposes of due process. (l) 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 18. However, if the child will not graduate from high school until after attaining the age of 18, then the termination date shall be no earlier than the earlier of the date on which the child's high school graduation will occur or the date on which the child will attain the age of 19. 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 or terminating the order in the event the child is otherwise emancipated. (m) If there is an unpaid arrearage or delinquency (as those terms are defined in the Income Withholding for Support Act) equal to at least one month's support obligation on the termination date stated in the order for support or, if there is no termination date stated in the order, on the date the child attains the age of majority or is otherwise emancipated, the periodic amount required to be paid for current support of that child immediately prior to that date shall automatically continue to be an obligation, not as current support but as periodic payment toward satisfaction of the unpaid arrearage or delinquency. The periodic payment shall be in addition to any periodic payment previously required for satisfaction of the arrearage or delinquency. The total periodic amount to be paid toward satisfaction of the arrearage or delinquency may be enforced and collected by any method provided by law for enforcement and collection of child support, including but not limited to income withholding under the Income Withholding for Support Act. Each order for support entered or modified must contain a statement notifying the parties of the requirements of this subsection. Failure to include the statement in the order for support does not affect the validity of the order or the operation of the provisions of this subsection with regard to the order. This subsection shall not be construed to prevent or affect the establishment or modification of an order for support of a minor child or the establishment or modification of an order for support of a non-minor child or educational expenses under Section 513 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. (n) 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 7 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 an 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.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 102-541, eff. 8-20-21.)