There are several ways to try to enforce your child support, such as Income Withholding Orders to have child support automatically deducted from a payroll check, Contempt of Court for child support including jail time, and the suspension of licenses is another mechanism of enforcement of child support.
Every state has a child support enforcement department, which communicates with various other administrative agencies, such as the Secretary of State to suspend a delinquent parent’s driver’s license, the Department of Natural Resources to suspend a delinquent payor’s hunting license, or you can lose your occupational, professional, or business license..
In forty-three states, you can lose your driver’s license if your child support is seriously delinquent, including both Wisconsin and Illinois, both states where we practice divorce and family law.
Child Support License Suspension in Illinois
Commonly called the Deadbeats Don’t Drive law, Illinois can suspend your driver’s license through either an order of a circuit court (through your child support, divorce, or family case) or at the request of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Either method can begin when a delinquent parent has not paid in 90 days.
Illinois can suspend three types of licenses for non-payment of child support:
- Professional license
- Occupational license
- Driver’s license
The delinquency threshold for occupational and professional license suspension is lower, at only 30 days. Your occupational and professional licenses include things like a law license, a medical license, a cosmetology license, or any other license you are required to maintain in order to legally perform your job.
Illinois can also request that the State Department suspend your United States Passport due to an unpaid support allegation.
Child Support License Suspension in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s license suspensions due to delinquent child support extend even further than Illinois to include:
- Professional license
- Occupational license
- Recreational license
- Business license
- Driver’s license
In Wisconsin, your recreational licenses (such as a hunting or fishing license) and the business license you may have in order to operate your business are also at stake.
Criminal non-support is a crime that can be charged as a felony in Wisconsin.
Is your license at risk of suspension?
You will be notified if you are at risk of license suspension in either Illinois or Wisconsin – do not ignore that notification. This is a problem that will not go away by pretending it isn’t there. For a free child support attorney consultation with an Illinois or Wisconsin licensed attorney to review your situation and get help finding a path forward, please call us today at (815) 200-8802.
