The completion of divorce proceedings has an air of finality. The marriage is officially over, the sometimes long and drawn out divorce process is finished, and both parties can move on with their lives. However, just because a divorce is final does not mean those involved will live by their divorce decree forever. Like everything else in life, the terms of a divorce often change, sometimes years after they were finalized. 

Remarriage is one of the biggest reasons the terms of a divorce will change. When one of the ex-spouses gets remarried, both parties will want to consider how spousal maintenance and child support will be affected.

Remarriage and Maintenance in Illinois

Generally speaking, when a person who is receiving maintenance gets remarried, their former spouse will no longer be required to pay alimony. The only exception is when the two parties have come to another agreement. The person making alimony payments can stop doing so upon the date of the remarriage. They do not have to return to court or ask for an order of termination of support.

Lives change from day to day, month to month, and year to year. Often, what was good or beneficial at one point in life no longer holds the same significance later. Circumstances occasionally arise in which a divorce decree needs to be modified in order to better comport with current living situations.

The Law

An order for child support can be modified upon a showing of substantial change in circumstances. If there is no substantial change in circumstances, then the party receiving the benefits must demonstrate an inconsistency between the amount of the existing order and the amount as determined by the guidelines set forth in 750 ILCS 5, Section 505, unless that inconsistency is the result of a deviation from the guideline amount. This provision, however, only applies if a party is receiving child support enforcement services, and only if at least 36 months have elapsed since the order or last modification. There may also be a modification without showing a substantial change in circumstances, if a need can be shown to provide for the needs of the child’s health care through health insurance or other means.