Child support in Illinois is run as one statewide program, not a patchwork of independent county desks. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) oversees it through its Division of Child Support Services. The offices on this page are where parents, guardians and employers connect with that system. Our database lists nine locations, from the Chicago office on South Wabash Avenue to the Springfield office on South 6th Street. This page explains how those offices fit together, what they can and cannot do, and how to prepare before you call or visit.

How the Division of Child Support Services Is Organised in Illinois

HFS is the agency Illinois designated to run its child support program under Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act. That label matters because it tells you who can use the service. You do not have to receive public benefits to apply. Any parent or caretaker with a child who needs support can open a case, and the parent who owes support can also ask for help, for example to set up an order or correct a payment record.

The division does not act as your private lawyer. It works on behalf of the state and the child, and its staff cannot give you legal advice about custody, parenting time or property. What it can do is handle the support side of a family case. In practice, that covers a defined list of tasks:

Illinois uses both courts and an administrative process. Some orders are entered by a circuit court judge, while others can be set through the state's administrative hearing system. In many counties, the State's Attorney or a contracted legal provider handles the courtroom work on behalf of the state. That is why a case can feel like it has several moving parts: the HFS caseworker, the court clerk and the employer all have a role.

Chicago, the Collar Counties and Downstate: How Locations Differ

Where you live changes how you reach the program, even though the rules come from the same state law. The nine listings in our database fall into three rough groups.

Chicago and the northern suburbs

The Chicago Child Support & Social Service Office is at 36 South Wabash Avenue, in the Loop. It sits in Cook County, which has the largest population and the heaviest child support caseload in the state. Cook County residents often deal with a busy phone line and a large court system, so patience and good paperwork matter more here than anywhere else. Further north, the Deerfield office at 1755 Lake Cook Road serves families in Lake County, where many parents commute to jobs in Cook County or across the Wisconsin line. Income withholding follows the employer, so a parent who lives in Lake County and works in the city still has support taken from the paycheck.

The western and southwestern collar

The Aurora office at 280 East Indian Trail covers Kane County, and the Joliet office at 16 West Cass Street covers Will County. Both counties mix older river cities with fast-growing suburbs. Families here often have one parent working in Chicago and another in a different county, which makes employer information and address updates especially important.

Downstate cities

Outside the Chicago area, the offices are spread across regional hubs. The Rockford office at 1114 Taylor Street serves Winnebago County and the north-central part of the state. Champaign, at 313 North Mattis Avenue, serves Champaign County, home to the University of Illinois campus. Decatur, at 1 North Court Drive, serves Macon County. Springfield, the state capital, has its office at 509 South 6th Street. Belleville, at 1220 Centreville Avenue, serves the Metro East area across the river from St. Louis, where cases with a Missouri parent are common.

Many Illinois counties have no listing in our database. If you live in one of them, you are not shut out. You can start a case by phone, by mail or online, and the state assigns your case based on where you live and where the other parent lives.

What to Bring When You Contact an Illinois Child Support Office

Most delays come from missing information, not from the law. Before you call or visit, gather what you can. You do not need everything on the first day, but each item shortens the process.

If you do not know where the other parent works, say so. Locating a parent is part of the service, and the state can search employment and other records that a private individual cannot reach.

Illinois Rules That Shape Your Child Support Case

Illinois calculates support under an income shares model, which has applied since July 2017. The idea is simple: the court or agency looks at both parents' incomes, estimates what a family at that income level would spend on a child, and divides that amount between the parents in proportion to their incomes. Parenting time, health insurance and child care costs can all change the final number. The guidelines sit in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.

Parentage comes first when the parents never married. Illinois allows a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, often signed at the hospital after birth. If one parent disputes parentage, the state can arrange genetic testing, and the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015 sets out the process. Without legal parentage, there is no support order.

Once an order exists, the standard enforcement tool is income withholding. A notice goes to the paying parent's employer, who takes the amount from each paycheck and sends it to the State Disbursement Unit. The unit then passes the money to the receiving parent. When payments fall behind, the state has other options, including intercepting tax refunds, reporting debts and, in serious cases, pursuing driver's license suspension or court action.

Orders are not frozen. Either parent can ask for a review when income, custody or expenses change in a significant way. Because changes generally apply only from the date the other side is notified of the request, waiting costs you money. If a parent loses a job, file for review quickly rather than letting arrears build.

Practical steps before you go

Call first. Eight of the nine listings in our database share the number 800-447-4278, which suggests a statewide line rather than a local front desk. The Decatur listing uses 877-423-4746. Ask whether your case needs an in-person appointment, since many tasks can be handled by phone or mail. Keep copies of everything you submit, write down the name of each person you speak with, and update the state whenever your address or employer changes.

The child support program in Illinois is administered by the state's child support enforcement agency, which operates through a network of county-level offices that handle case intake, order establishment, payment processing, and enforcement across the state under the authority of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Child Support Offices locations are available in 9 cities across Illinois. They are spread across 9 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Springfield, Joliet, Rockford, which serve as regional hubs for child support case processing and interstate enforcement coordination for cases involving parents in multiple states.

Non-custodial parents in Illinois who are current on their support obligation and experiencing a significant change in income — such as job loss or medical disability — may be eligible to request a formal modification review through the state child support agency without having to hire an attorney.

Child Support Offices by Counties

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Custodial parents in Illinois who receive public assistance are automatically enrolled in child support services as a condition of TANF or Medicaid eligibility. Parents not receiving public assistance can still apply for child support services voluntarily and typically receive the same level of enforcement assistance at little or no cost.

Browse Child Support Offices by county across Illinois to find the nearest location.

Finding the Right Office for Your Part of Illinois

Illinois has 102 counties, but only a handful of local offices appear in our database. That does not mean most families go without service. The state routes cases by where the parents live, and much of the work is done by phone, mail and electronic records. A parent in Sangamon County can reach the Springfield office on South 6th Street, while a family near the Mississippi River can look to the Belleville office in St. Clair County. People in counties without a listing should contact the nearest regional office or the statewide customer line.

Plan for the practical side of any visit. Offices in downtown Chicago and in the larger cities can be busy, and parking or transit time adds up. Bring photo identification, case numbers if you have them, and copies rather than originals. If you have a court date coming, tell the office, since hearings and administrative deadlines do not move because of a missed phone call. Employers can also contact the program for questions about withholding notices, and they should do so promptly because late payments to the State Disbursement Unit can create problems for the employee and the child.

Fraud and scams exist around child support, as with any payment system. The state will never ask you to send support through a private person or a gift card. If you receive a message demanding payment in an unusual form, call a listed office number to confirm it before acting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support in Illinois

Illinois uses an income shares model, in place since July 2017. The court or agency adds both parents' incomes, uses a state schedule to estimate the cost of raising the child at that combined income, and then divides the amount between the parents based on each one's share of the income. Adjustments are made for health insurance, child care and the number of overnights the child spends with each parent. Because the result depends on both households, you should bring accurate income records. An office caseworker can explain the inputs, but the final figure comes from the order itself.

Applying for services through the state program is intended to be affordable, and you do not need to receive public benefits to qualify. Federal rules allow states to charge a small annual fee in certain cases where the family has never received public assistance and a set amount has been collected. Because fee rules can change, ask the caseworker at the start whether any charges apply to your situation. Separate costs may arise if you hire a private attorney, order certified court documents or pay for genetic testing outside the program, so ask which services the state covers.

In most cases, support continues until the child turns 18. If the child is still attending high school at 18, support generally continues until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. College is treated differently. Illinois law lets a court order contributions toward education and related expenses for a young adult, up to age 23, but the court has to make that decision based on the family's resources and the student's needs. It does not happen automatically. If your child is nearing 18, check your order and talk to a caseworker or attorney well in advance.

Start by checking whether an income withholding notice has been served on the current employer. If the parent changed jobs, the notice may never have reached the new payer. The state can send updated notices, intercept tax refunds, report unpaid support and, for serious delinquencies, pursue sanctions such as driver's license suspension or a court contempt action. The process takes time, so keep records of every missed payment. Call your assigned office or the statewide line with the dates and amounts, and ask what step is next in your case.

You can ask the state to review your order, or you can file a petition with the circuit court that issued it. Either route usually requires a significant change, such as job loss, a major income shift, a change in parenting time or new health insurance costs. In Illinois, a change generally applies only from the date the other parent receives notice of your request, not from the date the problem began. That is why speed matters. Gather proof of the change, such as termination papers or new pay stubs, and contact your case office right away.

In our database, the Aurora, Belleville, Champaign, Chicago, Deerfield, Joliet, Rockford and Springfield listings share the number 800-447-4278, while the Decatur listing uses 877-423-4746. Call before you travel. Many requests, such as reporting a new address or asking about a payment, can be handled without a visit. If an in-person appointment is needed, ask which documents to bring and whether the office takes walk-ins. Have your case number, the names of both parents and the child's date of birth ready before the call begins.