Child Support Frequently Asked Questions

Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) can establish paternity for your child, locate the non-custodial parent, obtain/modify a child support order, send an income withholding notice to the non-custodial parent’s employer for payroll deduction, deduct support from unemployment insurance benefits, send a medical support notice to enroll dependent(s) in health insurance coverage.


DCSS also can use the following methods to collect past due child support: Intercept federal and/or state tax refunds, deny a passport requested by the delinquent non-custodial parent, suspend/revoke the delinquent non-custodial parent’s professional and/or recreational license, suspend the delinquent non-custodial parent’s driver’s license, report the delinquent non-custodial parent to credit bureaus, place a lien on the delinquent non-custodial parent’s finances/real estate/personal property.

You can enroll online, or by completing the PDF version of the application. You also can visit your local regional office or call the child support call center.

No. Our services are not automatically provided unless you are receiving TANF services from the Department of Human Services. If you would like to apply, please see the question above “How do I enroll?”

If you are receiving TANF, you must cooperate with child support to receive full TANF benefits. If your children are receiving medical services through All Kids, you will be sent a questionnaire offering child support services automatically, but you do not have to use the service.

Paternity is a legal relationship between a father and his child. Paternity must be legally established before any financial child support order can be obtained.

If a legal order for paternity has been established, you will need to seek legal advice.

An income withholding order is sent to the employer, telling them the appropriate amount to withhold from each paycheck, no matter how often you are paid. The State Disbursement Unit processes the payment.

No, paying through income withholding is the law.

You can print this, by year, from your online account case information through our website, however this verification is not a legal document that can be used in court proceedings as the balances are not certified. You also may call the DCSS Call Center to request a copy of your payment history.

If this is the case, DCSS will not be able to obtain child support payments through income withholding. The NCP will need to pay the support via one of our payment methods indicated on our website.

Our income withholding division can address these questions. Please call them at 1- 888-245-1938.

Despite the employment status, child support still must be paid. Billing statements with payment information are sent to the NCP each month.

DCSS can collect child support even if the NCP resides in another state. DCSS works cooperatively with other states to enforce child support orders. If you have a new address or employment information for the NCP, please supply this information through your online account on the website, by contacting the call center at 1-800-447-4278, or by calling 1-888-245-1938.

If you are working, report your employment information to DCSS. The child support will be withheld directly from your paycheck, or check our website for more payment options.

You will need to provide documentation of payments (money orders, copies of both sides of checks, or printouts of Venmo or other online payment methods) to your local regional office.

If your child support order was issued in court, the income withholding will need to be addressed with the court. DCSS services may have been canceled, but the order to pay child support continues.

DCSS does not assist parents with any visitation related inquires. Any assistance needed on this matter would have to be discussed with an attorney of your choosing.

If you are receiving SSA or SSD, yes. We will garnish your payments from Social Security to pay your child support obligation. However, your child may be eligible for a Social Security Dependent Allotment (SSDA), which is paid directly to the CP. In this case, the amount of this allotment is applied to your support obligation. If the SSDA is greater than the child support amount ordered, you no longer will have support withheld from your Social Security payments.

If you are receiving SSI, you do not have to pay child support. However, if you obtain part-time employment, this still can be garnished.

You will receive a letter that will state whether it is mandatory for you to attend your court appearance.

Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, your current child support obligation ends the effective date of the adoption. However, if there was a balance due on the case at the time of the adoption, you must continue to pay until the balance is satisfied. DCSS will require a copy of the order of adoption.

DCSS continues to track balances and will add a delinquent amount to any future income withholding until the past due support is caught up. DCSS also will use special collections options to obtain child support. These options include: federal and state tax offsets, comptroller offsets, bank liens, property liens, lawsuit/settlement liens, driver’s license suspension, hunting/fishing license suspension, professional license suspension, passport denial/revocation, offset of lottery and/or casino winnings, reporting to credit monitoring agencies, and submittal to the delinquent parent website.

DCSS does not jail for non-payment of child support. A judge has the authority to grant a request for jail time.

This is a letter sent to NCP’s that are behind in their child support payments. The letter details the remedies that may be put into place to collect on the past due child support.

DCSS cannot share this information for the collection remedies to remain effective. If the criteria were made public, the NCP might stay under the benchmark and make it harder to collect past due child support.

If you have an active child support case in which DCSS is assisting, you can obtain your balance by logging into your case on our website, or you can call the child support call center, or visit your local regional office.

Send a written request to the Data Gathering Unit (DGU). Be sure to include the information below, as well as payment ledgers and any other documentation to support your claim. 

Data Gathering Unit (DGU)

P.O. Box 19152

Springfield, IL 62794

Include the following in your letter and on each supporting document:

Your name

Your Social Security Number

The other parent’s name

The child support case number (this usually begins with the letter C)

Support order, including the docket number

Each case is unique, so no timetable can be provided. Account review requests are worked in the order in which they are received. Please allow at least 90 days before calling the child support call center for status.

To appeal a decision of the Department, you must submit a written request for a hearing to DCSS within the specified time frame as stated in the notice. When appealing the amount of child support owed, you must include copies of documents to support your request. Mail your appeal request to:

Appeals/Offset Unit - Attn: Administrative Hearing Request

Division of Child Support Services

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

P. O. Box 19152

Springfield, IL 62794-9152

This means that the State, or an Agency of the State, is entitled to receive these payments pursuant to the law.

A child support order is a legal document stating how much, how often, and for how long a parent must pay child support. It also establishes paternity and may establish which parent must provide medical insurance.

If your order was issued in court, you should call the circuit clerk in the county where your order was issued. For administrative orders, complete and mail the Request for a Certified Copy of the Administrative Support Order form.

DCSS can help you get an order established. You also may obtain one on your own through court.

You can check through your online services account to see if your order is on file for enforcement by DCSS or you can call the child support call center at 1-800-447-4278.

You can hand-deliver or fax a copy of the order to your local regional office

You will need to send DCSS your order.  You can do this by faxing, mailing, or delivering that order to your regional office

A judicial order is issued by the court. An administrative order is issued by DCSS.

Yes. You can request that your order be reviewed and issued by a judge in court.

New orders are not generally sent to DCSS by the court. To ensure we have a copy of the new order, you should fax or hand-deliver a copy to your regional office.

No, not until your order is modified by the court. You may request this yourself at the circuit clerk of the county where your order was issued, or by calling us. Payments should continue to be made while awaiting modification.

This does not happen automatically. You must request a modification, either through the circuit clerk or through us.

By calling the child support call center, visiting your local regional office, or seeking a modification independently through the court system.

You must request a modification,  either through the Circuit Clerk or through us.

Depending on the status of the filing, and per IRS guidelines, offsets may be held automatically for a period of 30 days, and up to 6 months.

DCSS cannot share this amount until the payment is on the way to you, as it is subject to adjustment.

The taxes are sent to you via check from the Comptroller. There are no other options to receive these funds.

The overpayment, or refund, is the amount of federal taxes withheld from your paycheck, which amounted to more than you owed. Since you are past due in child support, this amount is being sent to HFS for repayment of the amount you owe.

No

If you are not receiving TANF, and there is no money due to the State of Illinois, you can visit your local regional office to request cancelation. You can also contact the child support call center at 800.447.4278.

Income withholding is due to the child support order, not as the result of child support services. If your order was issued in court, you (the CP) will need to have the child support order addressed in court to cease the withholding. If your child support order was issued administratively, you (the CP) must supply your local regional office with a handwritten request to stop the income withholding or contact the child support call center.

The interest paid on past due child support is considered income and taxable by the IRS. Questions related to IRS policy should be directed to the IRS.

A Supreme Court Decision held that interest is mandatory effective with the passage of Public Act 85-2 (May 1, 1987). The interest rate on Illinois orders for child support that is more than 30 days past due is charged interest at .0075 (9% annually).

This would be indicated on your court order

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, DCSS no longer calculates interest, establishes interest, or enforces interest if it has not been presented to and ordered by the court. Effective on this date, DCSS no longer be establishes interest in every case. Interest will only be established and/or enforced for participants meeting the criteria contained in 89 Illinois Administrative Code Section 160.89. However, you still may be required to pay interest. The law does not change that interest can be charged or how it accrues, but the Department will no longer enforce it unless an amount of interest is ordered by the court.

If the court has ordered an interest amount to be paid as part of the child support order you would be required to pay this amount.

An opportunity to request interest adjudication, through the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, will be available at the end of your case. The youngest child on the case must be emancipated. The principal balance on the case must be paid in full and a written request for adjudicated interest must be received by the Department within one year after meeting the above criteria.

You will have an opportunity to request adjudication of interest if the application for IV-D services and written request for interest, are received by the Department within a year of meeting the required criteria contained in 89 Illinois Administrative Code Section 160.89. If the application for IV-D services and written request for interest are received more than a year after meeting all of the required criteria, your request is not timely and the Department will be unable to assist in the adjudication of interest. However, the Department will enforce any interest order obtained by yourself or your attorney.

A minor child emancipates at eighteen years of age. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, the law provides that child support may be extended to include the period between the child’s 18th birthday and his/her date of graduation from high school, but not beyond the age of 19. Enforcement of child support may continue past emancipation for children determined to be permanently disabled.

Yes.  As a part of our services, DCSS will continue to collect on the past due child support through income withholding and special collection remedies.

No. DCSS is unable to obtain or enforce this type of order. However, you are welcome to seek this type of support through court.