Is There A Child Support Forgiveness Program In Illinois?

If you are behind on your child support payments, you may wonder if you can ever catch up. Illinois has a child support forgiveness program called Clean Slate offered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Learn more about this helpful program below. In addition, if you need help with child support issues, our Chicago child support attorneys at Gordon & Perlut can help.

What Kind Of Payments Can Be Forgiven?

Clean Slate may help you erase past child support debt and interest owed to the state. However, Clean Slate does not eliminate the amount of overdue child support payments that you owe the other parent. It also does not cease or reduce the child support you may owe.

Clean Slate Qualifications

To qualify to have overdue child support debt erased with this debt forgiveness program, you must be able to show that you did not pay child support because of one of the following:

• You were unemployed.
• You were in jail or prison.
• You had a severe illness that prevented you from paying.

You must show documents showing that you could not make your payments. Some documents you can use are:

• A letter from your former company stating when your job ended because of layoff or other reasons.
• Prison parole or discharge papers
• Proof that you are disabled or a statement from your doctor.
• An earning statement from the Social Security Administration.

Future Payments Are Still Due

Clean Slate erases overdue child support payments owed to the state. You are still required to make all future payments. Once you have completed these payments, the debt is eliminated. You must agree to make payments in the future.

Are Past Child Support Arrears Erased If The Child Is Grown?

What happens to your past due child support payments if your child is now an adult? Your past due child support is not forgiven when your child turns 18. In Illinois, there is no statute of limitations on child support enforcement. While some judgments may only be enforced for seven years, child support judgments can be enforced indefinitely. So, child support enforcement actions by the state do not have a statute of limitations. The state can act against you to collect what you owe.

Fortunately, you can apply to the Clean Slate program to get your past child support debt to the State possibly forgiven when your child is now an adult. A child support attorney can help you with this process. Your attorney also can help you to modify the child support order if your financial circumstances have changed.

Contact Our Chicago Child Support Attorneys Today

Most people face difficult financial circumstances at some point in their lives. If you owe child support, know that the state of Illinois will be aggressive in ensuring that you pay what you owe. However, the Clean Slate program can help you eliminate the debt that you owe the state. If you have an issue with child support, you should enlist the help of an attorney. Contact our Chicago child support attorneys today at Gordon & Perlut, LLC.