Thrift Savings Plan Match Information

In January 2011, the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) partnered with the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) to begin matching against the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) – a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan administered to federal civilian employees and members of the military. TSP is the largest defined contribution plan in the world, is much like a 401(k) plan offered by private corporations and is one of three benefit portions that make up the Federal Employees' Retirement System. With over 4.3 million participants, TSP holds over $215 billion in assets.

Although TSP is not considered a financial institution, the match results are returned to states quarterly in the same record used for sending matches resulting from the Multistate Financial Institution Data Match (MSFIDM) program. All states currently receive MSFIDM data via the Federal Case Registry "MC" Record. There is no additional cost for states to receive these matches.

As OCSE continues to work with the FRTIB to streamline the process we will keep states informed of any changes and/or updates. For any questions related to the TSP match please contact Matthew Marsolais at matthew.marsolais@acf.hhs.gov.

TSP will accept child support orders signed by a judge or authorized agent of the child support enforcement agency. Due to feedback from states, TSP has issued a revised notice that states may opt to use to freeze and seize TSP accounts. The Thrift Saving Plan TSP-CS-1 form (attached) may be used in lieu of or in conjunction with your state specific form, and includes all required information necessary for TSP to process the order. For detailed procedural information regarding TSP's legal process, please see Thrift Savings Plans Court Orders and Powers of Attorney.