A parent can start a child support case with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Division of Child Support Services (IV-D Services) instead of going to court.  Before applying for child support services, it is helpful to read the Child Support Program Fact Sheet.

The parent can apply online through the IV-D website. Or, the parent can print out an application and send it to their local IV-D Services website. To do so, the parent can go to the IV-D website and select their County from the drop-down menu.

IV-D Services will:

• Have a lawyer do the necessary paperwork to get child support started;
• Search for the other parent;
• Establish legal parentage (paternity);
• Get a child support order, or enforce an existing order when the other parent is found;
• Enforce the child support order. This is done by serving a Notice to Withhold Income for Support on the other parent's employer; and
• Get medical insurance for the child

Note that the IV-D Services lawyer who files the case is not either parent's lawyer. While the lawyer is working to help get child support, the lawyer is really working on behalf of the State of Illinois. This is important because any talks the parent requesting child support has with the lawyer will not be confidential and may not remain secret.

Also, IV-D Services only assists with child support. They will not help with the allocation of parental responsibility (custody) or parenting time (visitation).

Benefits of IV-D Services

IV-D Services is often better than trying to get child support without help. They can help collect unpaid child support by:

• Collecting the other parent's tax refund and bank accounts;
• Taking away the other parent's driver's license;
• Taking away the other parent's professional license and/or passport; and
• Placing liens on real estate and workers compensation and other lawsuit settlements

Other benefits to using HFS IV-D Services:

• The parent requesting child support may not have to go to all of the court dates; and
• The agency has better access to records of the other parent's income and payments made through the State Disbursement Unit (SDU).