Some parents in Illinois who have had difficulty collecting child support payments are turning to outside agencies to try and recover delinquent amounts. As the state has no statute of limitations on court-ordered child support, some agencies will undertake to collect those amounts on behalf of the parent in exchange for a fee, normally expressed as a percentage of the amount collected.
Collection difficulties often arise when the person who is in default is self-employed or who otherwise does not report income. Many outside agencies, however, have investigators who may be able to track individuals down through Social Security numbers or other means of identification and thus find sources of income upon which to levy or attach.
One woman, who discovered she could seek back child support after watching an episode of Judge Judy, used a collection agency to recover payments that she had been owed for over 30 years. Her ex-husband had his wages garnished and has agreed to pay a total of $20,000. He stated in an interview that he believed that there should be a time limit on when back payments could be sought.
In child support cases, an Illinois attorney may be able to help custodial parents obtain payments that will help them cover a wide variety of costs, including medical expenses and college expenses. In situations where noncustodial parents subject to support orders may be hiding assets, the attorney may have investigators who can help uncover additional income. If the situation changes, the attorney may also help with the modification of existing child support agreements to better reflect current circumstances.
Source: Chicago Tribune, "Parents use outside agency to collect child support", Lisa Black, October 24, 2013
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