Illinois e-News Release

Beginning in July, all child support collected on behalf of Illinois’ low-income families with children who are current or former Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients in Illinois will be passed through to the family for the care and support of the child or children and will no longer be retained by the state, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) announced.

All families who are currently receiving or formerly received TANF will benefit from this change. As of July 1, any amount of child support that was collected and retained by HFS’ Division of Child Support Services between January 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024, will be passed through to the family. With this change, Illinois will become the first state in the nation to unconditionally ensure all families receive 100% of the child support that is paid. While other states pass through all child support paid, it is subject to appropriation.

“This change will bring about fairness for more Illinois families that receive child support services, and it strongly aligns with the Department’s mission to help families fulfill their child support obligations and improve their financial wellbeing,” said HFS Director Elizabeth Whitehorn. “The Department’s previous policy exacerbated financial difficulties for those who were already experiencing heavy financial burdens. This will alleviate a financial burden for the lowest-income families being served.”

“This change means children will benefit from the full amount of child support paid by non-custodial parents. This is a significant advancement for our families who rely on TANF for support. Once again, this administration is developing visionary strategies to uplift our families and relieve them from obstacles as they chart their journey to independence and success,” said Dulce M. Quintero, IDHS Secretary Designate.

“Single mothers and struggling families of Illinois receiving assistance need every dollar to survive, properly care for their children and get on course to succeed,” said Illinois House Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr. D-Chicago. “I am proud to join Gov. Pritzker as he takes action making this child support pass-through change law. Struggling families of Illinois: we support you and we want you to thrive.”

“Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and our Grassroots Leaders are extremely excited to see this change in policy,” said Niya Kelly, Director of State Legislative Policy, Equity and Transformation for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “Identifying this as an issue that they struggled with provided them with the opportunity to see improvements in the system not only for themselves but for those they share community with and around the state. Thank you to everyone involved in this monumental change.”

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Public Act 102-1115, which authorizes the change, into law in January 2023. Pursuant to federal regulations, in order to receive TANF, a family must assign their rights to child support to the state. The state has an option to pass through a portion or the entirety of those collections to the family.

Until now, the state withheld a portion of the child support to cover operational costs, as allowed by law. Now, all child support will be passed through to the families, and the Department's budget includes an increased appropriation to cover the gap. Paper checks issued by the Illinois Office of the Comptroller are being sent to families for the amounts owed in child support during the period between January 2023 and July 2024.

The first full pass-through payments were sent to customers on July 10, and a series of additional payments will be issued to families in the coming weeks. Regular pass-through payments will continue to be issued via the LINK card. Federal regulations allow states to pass through up to $100 for families with one child and $200 for families with two or more children without financial penalty, as long as those amounts in child support are paid during the month. Moving forward, any child support collected above the standard pass-through amounts will be paid to the family the following month.

Child support payments collected and issued to the parent receiving support will not impact a parent’s eligibility for TANF benefits. This change also does not impact child support account balances; only the method of distribution of funds is changing. After families stop receiving TANF, they will continue to receive all current and past-due child support in full.

For questions or assistance, please call 800.447.4278, email [email protected], or visit https://hfs.illinois.gov/childsupport.html.

For more information about TANF, visit: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=30358.