A recent survey showed that approximately 37 million primary custodial parents are owed child support arrears. In addition, it is estimated that 60% of parents who do not get child support from their ex-partner are supposed to receive it by court order. Therefore, child support arrears in divorce cases are common, and many people need help with this issue.
Fortunately, you do not have to face this problem by yourself. The experienced child support lawyers in Chicago and Skokie can assist you with obtaining child support arrears. After reading about child support arrears below, please contact Gordon & Perlut, LLC, if you need assistance.
Illinois does not have a statute of limitations on collecting child support arrears. So, your ex-partner can be held accountable for what they owe you and your child. This is true even if the child is over 18.
If your ex-spouse does not pay child support, your divorce attorney in Skokie may be able to get their wages garnished. The Illinois Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) can serve a Withholding for Support order to the person’s employer. The order stays in effect until the child support arrears are paid in full. If the person can do so, they also can make a lump sum payment to stop the wage garnishment. Also, the state government can take federal and state tax refunds to pay the child support arrears.
People in the state who do not pay child support may face severe penalties. For instance, DCSS can revoke a person’s professional license for their profession. In addition, if they are late on the child support payments by more than 90 days, the state also can take away their driver’s license.
Further, the parent may be refused a hunting or fishing license, and their passport can be revoked. Property and possessions also may be seized and sold to pay the arrears. If the parent owes more than $5,000 in child support arrears or is late by more than six months, they can be fined and sent to jail. If they owe more than $20,000, they may even be convicted of a felony.
Child support is vital to ensure the health and well-being of children in a divorced family. However, if a parent will not shoulder their child support responsibilities willingly, it causes an undue burden on the parent with primary custody. Fortunately, there are several ways in Illinois to obtain child support arrears. Our Skokie child support lawyers can help.
Our skilled family law attorneys also proudly serve the communities of Chicago, Evanston, Des Plaines, Park Ridge, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Glenview, Niles, Prospect Heights, Northbrook, Wheeling, Winnetka, Arlington Heights, Riverside, Rosemont, Glencoe, Morton Grove, Rolling Meadows, and Wilmette. You do not need to face your issue with child support alone. If you are divorced and face a child support arrears problem, please contact our child support lawyers in Skokie at (312) 360-0250.