If spouses earn a combined income of $250,000, how much can a spouse receive in maintenance?

Right now our guideline is limited at $250,000. There’s been some chatter about the legislature increasing that to $500,000, but at this point it’s $250,000. If the combined is above that, then the Illinois guidelines do not apply and the courts may use their discretion to make an award.

There have been some judges who use the guidelines as their discretion and they do the calculations based upon the 30% minus the 20%. There have been judges who, with an extensive lifestyle, have given a greater percentage or a lesser percentage just based upon the discretion they use in laying out the factors.

Candace Meyers is a family lawyer at Boyle Feinberg, P.C. in Illinois. To learn more about the firm, visit www.bffamlaw.com. Visit their firm profile here.