Enroll for Services

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Enrolling for services is easy, and best of all, free! Simply enroll by completing a Child Support Application. If you have an active case with our Department or have already completed an application, please do not send another one unless your case is closed. 

For quick or simple questions, to verify information or to have an application sent to you by email or mail, Contact Us. Or contact a customer service specialist at 1-800-447-4278 (available Monday – Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm). For TTY, please call 1-800-526-5812. 

• Establish Paternity
• Establish or enforce an order for child support, including medical support (health insurance)
• Change the amount of, or modify, a support order
  
• Collect current and past due payments
  
• Locate the parent who does not live with the child
  

It is important for children to know both of their parents. If the parents are not married when the baby is born, we can help confirm and document who the father is. We can help establish paternity by using a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) form. The VAP must be signed by both parents to establish paternity without going to court. Alternatively, paternity can be established by genetic testing. Establishing paternity creates a legal relationship between the father and the child.

After paternity has been established, we can help you obtain a child support order. This is a legal document that states when, how often and how much a parent is to pay for child support. This may include medical support.Sometimes medical support is a dollar amount to be paid by the parent who owes support and sometimes that parent is ordered to provide medical insurance for the child(ren). Use our Child Support Estimator to get a general idea of the dollar amount in child support you could receive in accordance with State of Illinois guidelines. For assistance establishing an order, complete a Child Support Application. 

We understand that sometimes things do not turn out the way you planned. However, when a child is involved, it's important for everyone to focus on the well-being of the child. It's our job to make sure the order is enforced. We strive to work cooperatively with both parents to meet the needs of the child. The Department can enforce a child support order by serving an income withholding notice to the employer of the parent who owes the child support.

The Division of Child Support Services can review child support orders to ensure child support awards are in line with Illinois law and changing circumstances.Generally, a modification is a result of a substantial change in circumstance related to a parent's income. A review could determine if child support payments should remain the same, increase or decrease. Visit the Request a Modification link for more information.

We strive to work cooperatively with both parents to meet the needs of the child. If your support is not being paid, we will use the following methods to attempt to collect child support payments:

• Tax offset intercept
  
• Credit agency reporting
  
• Passport denial
  
• License denial or suspension (driver's, hunting, fishing, professional)
  
• Lien on bank accounts, property, etc.
  
• Court hearing
  
• Collection of unemployment benefits
  

DCSS will continue to track balances and will add a delinquent amount to any future income withholding until the past due support is paid.

If you do not know where the other parent lives or works, we can help! Even if the parent is in another state or country, we can still provide you with our free services. To help locate a parent, we use the U.S. Postal Service, National New Hire Reporting Service, Federal Parent Locator Service, Illinois Department of Employment Security and the Illinois Secretary of State. 

Please note, DCSS cannot provide legal advice such as how to:

• Obtain a divorce
• Obtain or change custody or visitation
• Obtain an order to provide college expenses