Co-parenting in Illinois, without the 10 p.m. scramble
The school email. The $120 receipt. The pickup you have to confirm again. Hand Civly any of it as it arrived and it lands on one calendar both houses read — and if you ever need the record for Circuit Court, where IL custody matters are heard, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.
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Circuit Court
handles custody in IL
750 ILCS 5/602.7
custody statute
Illinois custody law
Illinois uses 'allocation of parental responsibilities' and 'parenting time' instead of custody, focusing on the best interests of the child.
What Illinois courts consider in custody decisions
Illinois courts evaluate the wishes of each parent and the child, the child's adjustment to home and school, the mental and physical health of all parties, whether there is a history of violence or threat of violence, the willingness of each parent to facilitate a relationship with the other, the distance between parents' residences, and any prior agreement between the parents. The court must allocate significant decision-making separately for education, health, religion, and extracurriculars.
How the custody process works in Illinois
Illinois custody cases require a parenting plan filed within 120 days of serving the petition. If parents cannot agree, the court may order mediation. Judges allocate both 'parenting time' (physical schedule) and 'significant decision-making responsibility' (legal authority) for education, health, religion, and extracurriculars. Relocation more than 25 miles from the current residence (or across state lines) requires court approval.
Key Illinois custody statutes
- 750 ILCS 5/602.7
- 750 ILCS 5/602.5
- 750 ILCS 5/602.10
- 750 ILCS 5/609.2
- 750 ILCS 5/604.10
How Civly helps Illinois parents
One week, both houses, one version
Paste the school email or a calendar link and the events build themselves. Color-coded custody schedule from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.
Say it how it comes out. Send the calm version.
Type or speak what you really feel — Civly writes the calm version — the one you would not cringe at if it were read back later. Your vent stays private and never enters an export. What you send is what gets kept.
Snap the receipt, skip the math
Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Everything documented, timestamped, and exportable for your attorney.
Records your attorney can work with
Every message is timestamped, and exports as a certified PDF with a SHA-256 hash and a code anyone can check at civly.com/verify. How to present it in Illinois's Circuit Court system is your attorney's call, and whether a record is admitted is always the court's decision.
Pricing comparison
Civly
$79/year
or $7.99/month
- AI message rewriting
- Custody calendar
- Expense tracking
- Timestamped PDF exports
- Certified exports with verification codes
OurFamilyWizard Essentials
$149.99/year
Their cheapest tier that includes Writing Assistant. Cheaper OFW tiers exist without it. Per parent, list price August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
You don't need their agreement to start
Set up the calendar, log what's owed, draft the message you have to send tonight. Invite them when you're ready — the shared parts switch on the day they join.
Start tonight — $79/year30-day money-back guarantee. Available in every state.
Cities in Illinois
Civly serves co-parents across Illinois. Find local court info and resources for your city.
Civly is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Custody law and the rules of evidence vary from state to state, and individual judges apply them differently. For advice about your own case, speak to a family law attorney licensed in Illinois. Civly launched in 2026 and is not named in many court orders yet — if your order already requires a specific platform, keep using it and ask your attorney before switching.