In 2011, custodial parents received an average of $5,088 in child support, according to Child Support Services. Over the course of the same year, these parents also had an average annual income of $31,517, which reveals how crucial child support is for many of them. Furthermore, child support accounted for a sizeable portion of the annual income received by custodial parents who were living in poverty during 2011. In Belleville, and across the state, child support matters can have a significant impact on the futures of parents and their children as well.
According to the Illinois Attorney General, there were more than 496,500 child support cases in the state’s child support program throughout 2013. Across 90 counties, $289 million in child support was taken in, $1.4 million more than the previous year. Furthermore, there were 517,603 children in the state who were impacted by these child support cases in 2013. Statistics reveal that child support accounts for roughly 40 percent of the family income received by low income families. Additionally, the state’s child support program took in more than $5 for each dollar that was spent in fiscal year 2011.
Among low income custodial parents, statistics show that 90 percent are female and 50 percent were not ever married. For custodial parents and non-custodial parents alike, child support issues can have a tremendous impact on life in many ways. For some, not receiving child support leads to economic challenges and makes raising a child very difficult. For others, financial circumstances can make paying child support hard and there are serious consequences associated with unpaid child support, such as jail time and fines.
