When two people have a child together, they commit themselves to care for the young one. It may be the case that one parent will end up taking custody, and the other will have a financial responsibility to support the child. In Illinois, it is common for parents to make or collect child support payments, which can cover the cost of things such as everyday living expenses, education, daycare and food. While the topic usually only makes headlines when someone has been flagrantly delinquent on their payments, the state of Illinois recently had good news to report.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services released a report that for the first time in the state’s history, the agency has collected more than $1.4 billion in child support payments. According to the agency, the majority of those funds comes from withholding payments from income.
However, there are several other ways the agency can collect money. For example, bank accounts may be frozen and seized. In other circumstances, the agency can reach out to the Department of Natural Resources, which can prevent delinquent parents from receiving a hunting or fishing license unless they turn in child support payments. Additionally, other professional agencies can revoke or suspend a parent’s license until the necessary payments have been made.
According to the state agency, the record-breaking collection this year also marks the tenth straight year in which more than $1 billion in child support payments has been collected. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services also permits parents to sign up for enforcement services. Anyone with questions regarding child support should contact an attorney.
Source: Pantagraph, “Illinois collected $1.4 billion in child support,” Aug. 8, 2014
