What is the Illinois Child Support Enforcement Program

Federal law says that all states must offer child support services to all families, whether they are receiving welfare or not. In Illinois, the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) is a part of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) which provides services to help families receive financial and medical support for their children. DCSE helps parents and caretakers:

• Locate the parent who does not live with the child; (this parent is also known as the Non-Custodial Parent (NCP). A Non-Custodial Parent (refers to the legal/biological parent who is absent from the home. You will see this term shortened throughout this booklet as NCP).
• Legally establish the child’s father;
• Get child support and/or medical coverage;
• Change the amount a parent has to pay for child support; and
• With job search and employment services for the NCP, if unemployed.

Who can get help from DCSE?

DCSE will help anyone who needs support for a child. If you receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medical Assistance or Foster Care benefits, the department automatically provides child support enforcement services to you. If your family receives TANF public assistance (welfare), your case is known as an “assistance case.” If you stop receiving public assistance, the department will continue to provide you with child support enforcement services if you want them.

If you do not receive public assistance, your case is called a “non-assistance case.” If the absent parent(s) of your child(ren) lives outside the state of Illinois, including some other country, the department still may be able to help you obtain child support. You can apply for our services by:

• Visiting any DCSE office
• Calling the Child Support Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278 (voice) or if you use a teletypewriter (TTY), call toll-free at 1-800-526-5812, or
• Going online at http://www.ilchildsupport.com/

If you are a NCP that does not have custody of a child, the department provides NCP Services Units (NCPSU) to assist you with a variety of services. These services include, but are not limited to, employment assistance, paternity establishment, support account reviews and more. For additional information regarding the NCP services in your area, you may call the Child Support Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278.

The department takes your case seriously. The goal is to serve you well. To do that, you and our staff must work together. All your information will be kept confidential.

DCSE cannot:

• Help you get a divorce or decide who gets the property;
• Petition the court and decide issues involving custody or visitation rights to either parent;
• Petition the court to provide college expenses;
• Provide legal advise.

Is there a charge for child support enforcement services?

There is no charge for child support enforcement services.

What information do I need?

When the department establishes or makes changes to your child support case, it is helpful for you to have as much information as possible on the other parent. The more information a parent provides, the more successful the department is in establishing and collecting child support. The following information and documents are necessary:

Your Information

• Child Support case number (if you have one);
• Recipient Identification Number (RIN), if you have one;
• Social Security number;
• Driver’s License number;
• Proof of Monthly Income (a pay stub);
• Proof of Monthly Expenses (monthly bills);

Your Child(ren)’s Information

• Full Name(s);
• Social Security number(s);
• Date of Birth;
• Birth Certificates or other information on the paternity of the child(ren);

Information of the NCP or Alleged Father (AF)* of your child(ren)

• Name of the NCP or AF;
• Social Security number;
• Address;
• Telephone Number;
• Employer;
• Date of Birth;
• Any other information you may have about the NCP or AF.

* "Alleged Father" refers to a man named as the father of a child born out of wedlock for whom paternity has not yet been established. You will see this term shortened throughout this booklet as AF. When paternity is established, the AF becomes the NCP (legal/biological parent).

Keep us informed if your address changes by calling 1-800-447-4278.

Cooperation

DCSE needs your cooperation to progress with your case. As a condition of TANF, Medical Assistance and non-assistance eligibility you are required to assist the child support department in identifying and locating the NCP, establishing paternity and/or obtaining child/medical support payments. Cooperation is also necessary if you are not receiving assistance.

Your child may benefit from this cooperation in many ways. For example, the department will legally establish paternity for your child as he or she may need family medical histories from both parents to have a healthy future. It is also easier for your child to claim any available Social Security benefits, pension benefits, veterans benefits, life insurance and inheritance rights once legal paternity is established. In addition, once paternity is established, the department will pursue financial and medical support which adds to the child’s security.

You should show up for all appointments, interviews and court dates. DCSE may ask you to sign forms necessary to help obtain child support. Some of the things that you will be asked to provide are:

• Name of the other parent (NCP or AF) and where he or she lives;
• Information about the NCP’s or AF’s employer including location of the employer;
• Information about property that the NCP or AF owns and where it is located;
• Copies of all child support orders, if any;
• Whether or not you have participated in deoxyribonucleic acid genetic tests (DNA). If not, cooperation is necessary to prove who the father is. DNA genetic tests are free of charge to all our clients.

What happens if I miss an appointment or do not cooperate?

If you miss an appointment or do not cooperate during your child support interview and you receive TANF or Medical Assistance, you may lose your TANF and/or Medical Assistance benefits. You will not lose medical benefits for your child, however the child’s cash benefits may be affected.

Your TANF and/or Medical Assistance benefits may be stopped or reduced if you do not:

• Cooperate;
• Keep any appointment related to your child support case without good reason;
• Make other arrangements for another appointment; or
• Appear for court appointments.

This is called a “sanction.”

If you have a non-assistance case and do not cooperate, we may close your non-assistance child support case.

You must have a good reason to miss your appointment. You must contact the child support regional office or your DHS caseworker before the appointment, or as soon as possible afterward. If you do this, the amount of your TANF benefits will not change or we may not close your non-assistance child support case.

Good reasons for a missed appointment include, but are not limited to:

• You or your child is disabled or homebound;
• Lack of child care or transportation;
• Illness (with letter from doctor);
• Temporary incarceration;
• Sudden emergency or family crisis.

Do you feel threatened by violence from the NCP?

Your safety is our main concern. Domestic violence occurs when a person uses physical or psychological abuse, threats, intimidation or harassment to control another person in a family or in a dating, household or caretaker relationship. If you fear harm may come to you and/or your child and you receive TANF or Medical Assistance, contact your DHS caseworker. Your benefits will not be affected because you would have “good cause” not to cooperate with us. If you receive non-assistance services, contact the regional child support office nearest you.

Other reasons for good cause not to cooperate:

• You got pregnant because of rape or incest;
• Someone is working with you to decide whether you should remain the caretaker for your child(ren) or
• Your child is being adopted.

You may need to get papers to support a good cause claim. Your DHS caseworker or the regional child support office may help you locate the necessary records or letters to file a good cause claim. These records or letters may include birth certificates, court, medical, criminal, child psychological or law enforcement records.

Unmarried parents of a child

Without going to court, unmarried parents can establish a legal relationship of a biological father for their child(ren). This is called “establishing paternity.”

To determine who the legal father may be, you may be asked to:

• Sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form.
• Sign An Agreement to be Bound by the Results of Genetic Testing form, which means you will accept the results of the genetic test.
• Sign a Statement Alleging the Existence of the Father/Child Relationship form in which you name the father of your child.

For further information regarding the establishment of paternity, refer to the following brochures:

• Paternity Talking Points - Put Children First
• Important Information on Paternity for Fathers
• Important Information on Paternity for Unmarried Mothers and Mothers-to-Be

What is a support order?

A support order is a document signed by a judge or DCSE representative which says how much a NCP must pay for child support. DCSE will try to obtain, enforce and/or change the amount of a support order for your child. There are three types of support orders:

• Administrative Support Orders. DCSE issues these.
• Judicial Support Orders. The court issues a judicial order.
• Another State’s Order. A judge or agency of another state issues these.

How much will the NCP pay for support?

The amount of child support, when established in Illinois, depends on the NCP’s income and the number of children he/she has to support. When the NCP has income, the minimum amount of child support established by the Department or court is determined by using the Illinois Statutory Guidelines (see below).

Does the NCP have to carry health insurance for child(ren)?

If the order for support specifies that the NCP is to carry health insurance on the child(ren), DCSE will enforce the order. If the order for support does not specify that the NCP is to carry health insurance on the child(ren), DCSE will request that the order be modified to specify that the NCP carry health insurance.

HFS has a health insurance program, called All Kids, offered to all Illinois’ children at a reduced rate or at no cost to the custodial parent. This does not effect the NCP’s obligation to provide health coverage. For more information on this program, call the All Kids Hotline at 1-866-ALL-KIDS (1-866-255-5437) TTY: 1-877-204-1012.

What if the NCP lives in another state or country?

If the NCP lives outside Illinois, DCSE works with the other state or country to enforce an existing order for support or establish paternity and/or support.

Will the child support be taken out of the NCP’s paycheck?

Yes, this is a common process. After the order for support has been entered (signed by the judge, DCSE representative or signed by the same in the other state) an Order/Notice to Withhold Income for Child Support will be served on the NCP’s employer. This is called “income withholding.” The employer must begin taking the amount of money ordered out of his or her paycheck within 14 business days of the income withholding notice. The employer sends the child support payment to the State Disbursement Unit, then it is sent to you or it is sent to the department if you are receiving TANF cash assistance.

Under a law passed in 1997, employers must tell the department about every new person they hire. The employers must report the new hires within 20 days. This will help the department find where the NCP works. DCSE can then try to collect child support from the new employer through income withholding.

How can the department collect past-due child support?

If you are owed past-due child support, DCSE will use several collection tools to try and collect child support owed to you. DCSE can intercept state and federal income tax refund checks and lottery winnings, withhold unemployment benefits, place liens on property, seize bank accounts and make referrals to the Illinois Department of Revenue and private collection agencies.

DCSE shares information with national credit bureaus, Illinois licensing agencies, the Illinois Department of Revenue and federal agencies. This information sharing affects the NCP’s ability to obtain credit, a professional license, a federal payment or a U.S. passport. The following is a list of the collection tools used by DCSE.

Offsets

If the NCP owes at least $150 in past-due support for TANF and Foster Care cases or $500 in past-due support for non-assistance, MANG or SSI, DCSE may take all or a portion of a NCP’s federal or state tax refund or a portion of his or her unemployment benefits. This is called an “offset” or ”intercept.” DCSE may send it to you or keep it to reimburse the department for TANF money paid to you if you received TANF cash assistance.

Before DCSE does an offset, a letter is sent to the NCP. This letter is to let him or her know that the department intends to offset his or her tax refund. The NCP may ask DCSE to review the account. If the NCP is due a tax refund which may be taken to cover a past-due support owed to you, a request for an account review may delay the mailing of the tax refund to you.

If the NCP has filed jointly with his or her current spouse and the spouse is also due a portion of the refund, the tax refund will not be mailed to you until six months later. This delay is due to the possibility that the NCP’s current spouse may file with the IRS to receive his or her portion of a joint tax refund. Then you would be mailed only the NCP’s portion of the tax refund.

Liens

If the NCP owes at least $10,000 in past-due child support, DCSE may place a “lien” on the NCP’s home, land or other property. This means that the NCP cannot sell the property unless he or she has paid all the past-due child support.

Securities, bonds or other promises of payment

A support order may require the NCP to post bond, security or other promise of payment.

Private collection agencies

If the NCP owes at least $500 in past-due child support, private collection agencies help us collect the past-due child support money.

Illinois Department of Revenue

If the NCP owes at least $500 in past-due child support, the Illinois Department of Revenue will use their collection processes to encourage the NCP to pay the past-due child support and assist in collecting it.

State licensing agencies

Licensing information is received from a variety of state agencies to pursue the non-renewal or revocation of a license including professional, occupational or recreational licenses.

Secretary of State driver’s license suspension

The Secretary of State suspends an NCP’s driver’s license upon order of the court, if he or she is at least 90 days delinquent or has an arrearage equal to at least 90 days delinquency for child support.

If you have any questions on information provided in this handbook, the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) is here to help you. Contact the Child Support Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278.

Assignment of Support Rights

In accordance with state and federal law, if you receive TANF cash and/or Medical Assistance for your child(ren) and at least one of the child(ren)’s parents is absent from the home, your child support and/or medical support payments are automatically assigned to the department. This means the department will retain child support (except for up to the first $50 of current child support collected each month, known as “pass through”) and medical support to reimburse the department for TANF cash and Medical Assistance payments made to you and/or your child(ren).

In addition, if you receive cash assistance with your child(ren) and receive spousal support or maintenance through a divorce, your spousal support or maintenance is automatically assigned to the department. You are also obligated to assist the department in the establishment of paternity and support for your child(ren).

If the department collects more in child support in a month than you were paid in TANF cash assistance and pass through for the same month, you will be sent the difference up to the total ordered child support obligation for that month.

If you receive Medical Assistance only, the department will only retain medical support to reimburse the department for Medical Assistance payments made for your child(ren). You will receive all of the child support payments.

Non-Assistance (Not on TANF or Medical Assistance)

Your child support and/or medical support is not assigned to the department.

You will receive all of your child support and medical support payments.

If you receive only Medical Assistance with your child(ren), the department will only retain medical support to reimburse the department for Medical Assistance payments made for your child(ren). If only your child(ren) receive Medical Assistance, you will receive all of the child support and medical support payments.

Active TANF

Past-Due Support. If there is past-due support owed to you before you receive TANF, it becomes temporarily assigned to the department while you receive TANF. Child support payments collected for the past-due support will be retained by the department to pay back TANF cash assistance paid to you.

Pass Through. You will receive up to the first $50 of child support collected each month, known as “pass through.” Only one pass through payment is issued even if you have more than one NCP paying child support for your children. (See examples 1 and 1a.)

Current Excess Support. If the department collects more in child support in a month than you were paid in TANF cash assistance, you will be sent the difference up to the total ordered child support obligation for that month. This is known as “Current Excess Child Support.” (See examples 2 and 2a.)

Past Excess Support. If the department collects more in child support payments than the total cash assistance paid to you, you will be sent the difference up to the total support obligation due at that time. This is known as “Past Excess Child Support.” (See example 3.)

Future Support. If the NCP has paid all past-due support and the department receives a support payment which represents payment on the required support obligation for future months, the payment received will be used for child support for future months.

The following are examples of how pass through is paid to you.

Pass through payments do not change the amount of your TANF cash assistance payment and medical benefits. It is in addition to these benefits. However, a pass through payment is counted to determine the amount of food stamps you may get.

The following are examples of how Current and Past Excess Child Support is paid to you.

If you are receiving TANF cash assistance and have earned income when an excess payment is mailed to you, 1/3 of the excess payment will be counted as income in determining the amount of TANF cash assistance and food stamps that you receive for the next available payment month. If you do not have earned income, then none of the excess payment is counted as income in determining the amount of TANF cash assistance and food stamps.

Canceled TANF

The department’s Division of Child Support Enforcement will automatically continue to provide child support enforcement services. DCSE will continue to provide child support enforcement services until you tell us in writing that you want to stop these services or fail to cooperate with child support enforcement.

Upon cancellation of TANF cash benefits, the assignment of support to the department ceases, except for any unpaid support that remained unpaid while you received TANF. This amount would be retained by the department to reimburse TANF already paid to you.

Current Support. You will be sent all of your child support and/or medical support up to the ordered monthly support obligation.

Past-Due Support Owed to You. If there is a balance of past-due support that had been temporarily assigned to the department while you received TANF, it will be conditionally re-assigned to you.

Child support and/or medical support payments collected that are more than the current ordered monthly support obligation will be sent to you for past-due support owed to you.

If there is a balance of past-due support that is conditionally assigned to you and the department receives the NCP’s federal tax refund, it will be retained by the department to pay back any unpaid cash assistance paid to you while you received TANF.

If there is any federal tax money left after all cash assistance paid to you has been paid back to the department, you will be sent the difference for past-due support owed to you since cancellation from TANF.

Past-Due Support Owed to the Department. This is a balance of unpaid support that the NCP owed to the department while you received TANF. When the NCP pays more than the required monthly support obligation (current support) and past-due support owed to you, this amount will be retained by the department.

Unpaid TANF Cash Assistance. This is an amount of TANF cash assistance paid to you that has not been paid back to the department. The payments retained by the department for past-due support owed to the department while you received TANF will be used to pay back the TANF cash assistance paid to you.

Past Excess Support. If the department collects more in child support payments than the total cash assistance paid to you, you will be sent the difference up to the total support obligation due at that time. This is known as Past Excess Child Support. (See example 3.)

Refund. If more child support is collected in a month for you than is due to you, and there is no past-due support owed to the department (used to pay back TANF cash assistance), this amount will be refunded to the NCP.

If you receive Medical Assistance only, the department will only retain medical support to reimburse the department for Medical Assistance payments made for your child(ren). You will receive all of the child support payments.

I receive TANF for my own children and have custody of my niece, who does not receive TANF, can I receive the child support for my niece?

Yes, the department has a procedure called “earmarking” which will allow you to receive the child support payments from your niece’s NCP. There are three ways in which you may be able to get the child support that is being paid for one or more of the children in your home that do not receive TANF.

Optional Earmarking - If the child is not a brother/sister or half-brother/half-sister to another child in your TANF case,

SSI Earmarking - If the child has a disability and receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or

Allocation Earmarking - If at least one of the children in the order for support is ineligible for TANF, for reasons other than sanctions or receipt of SSI, and at least one of the other children included in the support order is receiving TANF. This includes children in the support order who are not living with the TANF unit.

Optional Earmarking may allow you to take the child(ren) out of your TANF case and have their child support paid to you if you can answer, “yes,” to all of the following questions:

• Is the non-custodial parent paying at least $100 per month in child support to the department?
• Is he or she paying the child support every time it is due without missing payments or paying late?
• Do you expect that he or she will continue to pay child support regularly?

You must keep the following in mind when making this decision:

• The child(ren) cannot be removed from your TANF case if they are brothers/sisters or half-brothers/half-sisters to any other child(ren) in your TANF case.
• If you have removed the child(ren) from your TANF case and the NCP stops paying child support regularly, it will take 45 days for the child(ren) to be added back into your TANF case.
• If you have removed the child(ren) from your TANF case and then you want to add them back into your TANF case, you will not be allowed to remove them again for one year.

If you are still interested in optional earmarking and want to remove the child(ren) from your TANF case, you can speak with your DHS caseworker who can explain more and help you figure out if you can receive more money by this type of earmarking.

SSI Earmarking - If the child support order for the child receiving SSI also includes other children who are receiving or applying for TANF, the department will send you the share of the child support payment that belongs to the child receiving SSI.

If the child support order does not say how much of the child support is for the child receiving SSI, the department will divide the child support equally among the children and send you the equal share for the child receiving SSI. If you think the child receiving SSI is entitled to more than an equal share, you have the right to get your own lawyer and ask the judge for a larger share of the child support payment. If you get a new child support order, you must contact your DHS caseworker and give him or her a copy of the order.

Whatever you decide to do, you should contact your caseworker immediately to be sure that you receive the child support money for the child receiving SSI in your household.

Once you start receiving the child support money, you should notify your Social Security office. They may reduce your child’s SSI check, but they cannot reduce it by all of your child support payment. You will still come out ahead because part of your child support payment will be protected and will not be counted as income or taken out of your child’s SSI check.

Note: If you have any problems with the way the Social Security Administration budgets your child’s support payments, you may contact the nearest legal assistance office.

Allocation Earmarking - If child support is being paid to the department for a child who is not in your TANF case, you or that child may be entitled to that child’s support money. If the child lives with another adult, that other adult can receive the child support for that child.

If the child support payment also includes other children in your household who are on TANF, we will send you the share of the child support that belongs to the child who is not in your TANF case.

If the child support order does not say how much of the child support is for the child who is not in the TANF case, the department will divide the child support equally among the children and send that child an equal share.

If you think that child is entitled to more than an equal share, you have the right to get your own lawyer and ask the judge for a larger share of the child support payment. If you get a new child support order, you must contact your DHS caseworker and give him or her a copy of the order.

Can I receive Medical Assistance only?

Yes, you can receive Medical Assistance without receiving cash assistance. If you never received cash assistance, but only receive Medical Assistance, the department will send you all the child support collected. If you stopped receiving cash assistance but continued to receive Medical Assistance, the department will send support payments to you as previously stated under “When I Stop Receiving TANF, Will I Get My Child Support?” Ask for our brochure “Put Children First For Non-Assistance Families (HFS 1283B)”.

If you receive Medical Assistance only, the department will only retain medical support to reimburse the department for Medical Assistance payments made for your child(ren). You will receive all of the child support payments.

Who do I call if I do not agree with how the department distributed my child support payments?

Account review inquiries from TANF and former TANF recipients

If you currently receive TANF cash and Medical Assistance or formerly received TANF cash and Medical Assistance and disagree with how the department has distributed your child support, you may contact the Division of Child Support Enforcement and ask for a review of your account. The Division of Child Support Enforcement will review your account and advise you of the results. If you still disagree, you may appeal the review.

Your account review request must be in writing and mailed to:

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Division of Child Support Enforcement
Data Gathering Unit
P.O. Box 19152
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9968

All requests for an account review must contain the following information:

• Your name and address,
• The name of your child(ren),
• The name of the non-custodial parent obligated to pay support, and
• The period of time for which the review is requested.

To complete an account review, the following information may be requested:

• Support Order number (court docket number or other identifying number),
• TANF case number, if you received TANF or Medical Assistance,
• Non-custodial parent’s Social Security number and
• Your Social Security number.

If you are a former TANF recipient and request an account review for current support due and not received during the month of the request and/or the prior month, an account review decision will be issued no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the date of the department’s receipt of the request.

If you are a former TANF recipient and request an account review for support due and not received for a period of more than one month prior to the request, an account review decision will be issued no later than seventy-five (75) calendar days after the date of the department’s receipt of the request.

• Your name,
• The name(s) of your child(ren),
• The name of the non-custodial parent,
• The department’s calculations,
• The appropriate policy citation(s),
• The amount of funds, if any, to which you are entitled,
• The date by which such funds will be issued to you,
• The name and work location of the account reviewer,
• A statement that the account review decision is the department’s final decision which is reviewable in state court unless reconsideration of the account review decision is requested in writing within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of the decision, and
• A statement that you may request an explanation of the decision by telephone inquiry to a toll-free number, or in person at a department local office arranged by appointment through the toll-free number.

If as a result of the account review decision you are entitled to child support received by the department, such support will be issued to you no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the date of the account review decision.

You may get an explanation of an account review decision by calling a toll-free number. You may talk to the worker who did your review unless that review worker is unavailable, then the assistance of another account review worker will be offered. A request for explanation is not a request for reconsideration.

• Your name,
• Your TANF case number,
• The date of the account review decision, and
• The reason for disagreement with the decision.

Please provide copies of documentation that you believe were not considered by the account review worker at the time that he or she completed the account review.

A decision on the reconsideration request will be issued no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the date the written reconsideration request was received by the department. The reconsideration decision will include the following:

• Your name,
• The name(s) of your child(ren),
• The name of the non-custodial parent,
• A statement that the account review worker has reviewed the prior documents and decision and has considered any new documentation or statements that have been provided,
• The department’s calculations,
• The appropriate policy citation,
• A statement as to whether the original account review decision was correct or incorrect,
• The amount of funds, if any, to which you are entitled and the date by which such funds will be issued to you,
• The name and work location of the account review worker,
• A statement that the reconsideration decision is the department’s final decision and is reviewable in state court, and
• A reference to an attached copy of the original account review decision which is enclosed with the reconsideration decision.

If as a result of the reconsideration decision, you are entitled to child support received by the department, such support will be issued to you no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the date of the reconsideration decision.

You may file an action in state court if you disagree with the account review decision or the reconsideration decision. It is not necessary to request a reconsideration before an action is filed in state court.

Copies of documents possessed by the Division of Child Support Enforcement, except as prohibited by law, i.e., Internal Revenue Service and State Comptroller information, are provided at your request and/or to a representative authorized by you.

If the request contains sufficient information to identify the account, such documents will be furnished no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the date of the department’s receipt of the request for documents.

Account review inquiries from non-assistance and interstate cases

If you disagree with how the department has distributed your child support and have never received TANF cash assistance, you may contact the Division of Child Support Enforcement and ask for a review of your account. The Division of Child Support Enforcement will review your account and advise you of the results. If you still disagree, you may appeal the review.

You can call 1-800-447-4278 or write the DCSE office in your area to request the account review.

For general inquiries you may call the Child Support Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278 or write to one of the following addressess:

In Cook County:

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Division of Child Support Enforcement
32 West Randolph, Room 700
Chicago, IL 60601-3470

In All Other Counties:

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Division of Child Support Enforcement
Data Gathering Unit
P.O. Box 19152
Springfield, IL 62794-9152

If you have questions and use a teletypewriter (TTY), call toll free at 1-800-526-5812 (TTY only).

DCSE Regional Office Locations

You can get information and an application at any DCSE office. If you want to talk one-on-one with our staff, you may need to make an appointment. If you have questions, you may write the DCSE Regional Office for your county or call the Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278. Persons using a teletypewriter (TTY) may call toll free 1-800-526-5812 (TTY only).

ILLINOIS STATE DISBURSEMENT UNIT LOCATION

Illinois State Disbursement Unit Addresses

Send child support payments to:
Illinois State Disbursement Unit
P.O. Box 5400
Carol Stream, Illinois 60197

Send letters to:
Illinois State Disbursement Unit
P.O. Box 5920
Carol Stream, Illinois 60197

Illinois State Disbursement Unit Hotline phone number:1- 877-225-7077

Illinois State Disbursement Unit Web site for payment information.