Policy
OCSE proposes and implements national policy for the child support program. We provide guidance and training to help states and tribes develop and operate their individual programs according to federal law.
We issue guidance using several types of documents:
- Action Transmittal (AT) describes actions that programs must take to comply with new and amended federal laws.
- Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) conveys general information on program activities.
- Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on program practices that may be useful for program improvement.
- Policy Interpretation Question (PIQ) responds formally to policy inquiries.
Helpful links:
Related Pages
Featured Resources
State Plan System
October 24, 2012
Garnishment of Supplemental Security Income Benefits
February 27, 2013
Facts on Garnishing Federal Benefits for Child Support
February 27, 2013
Notice of State Plan Preprint Pages Electronic Forms
January 31, 2013
Partnering with other programs, including outreach, referral, and case management activities
December 7, 2012
Cobell Trust Settlements
December 3, 2012
Third-Party Verification of Employment Providers and Fair Credit Reporting Act Requirements
September 19, 2012
Requests for Locate Services, Referrals, and Electronic Interface
August 1, 2012Turner v. Rogers Guidance
June 18, 2012
Alternatives to Incarceration
June 18, 2012
Most Recent & Requested Documents for Policy RSS Feed
Updated - A Caseworker's Guide to Processing Cases with Canada
April 16, 2013Provides an updated version of the caseworker's guide to include information on Prince Edward IslandA Caseworker's Guide to Processing Cases with Israel
April 15, 2013Provides a guide to assist caseworkers processing cases with Israel under the federal-level agreementTribal Child Support Programs
April 9, 2013Announces that 50 tribes now operate a comprehensive tribal child support programFederal Offset Collections Report for OCSE Cycle 2013-11
March 21, 2013Provides summary of offset collections for OCSE Cycle 2013-11Federal Offset Collections Report for OCSE Cycle 2013-10
March 15, 2013Provides summary of offset collections for OCSE Cycle 2013-10
Foreign Reciprocating Countries
February 4, 2012List of countries which were declared by the U.S. government as foreign reciprocating countriesAlternatives to Incarceration
June 18, 2012Describes promising practices to help states reduce the need for civil contempt proceedings leading to incarcerationRevised Income Withholding for Support (IWO) Form
May 16, 2011Provides the revised Income Withholding for Support (IWO) Form and instructions and highlights recent changesInterstate Child Support Enforcement Case Processing and UIFSA
December 28, 1998PRWORA provisions related to interstate child support enforcement case processingCollection of Child Support through Federal Income Tax Refund Offset, Administrative Offset, and Passport Denial
July 6, 1998Collection of child support through Federal and administrative offset and passport denial programs
