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Visit coronavirus.govVisit disclaimer page for the latest Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) updates.View ACF COVID-19 Responses and Resources
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 laws and regulations.
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Federal Laws & Regulations
The following laws and regulations provide policy and program requirements related to the child support program.
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Policy Guidance Overview
OCSE provides program requirements, program information, policy guidance, and program instructions using several types of documents.
- Action Transmittal (AT) describes actions that programs must take to comply with new and amended federal laws (available from 1975)
- Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) conveys general information on program activities (available from 1989)
- Information Memorandum (IM) provides information on program practices that may be useful for program improvement (available from 1989)
- Policy Interpretation Question (PIQ) responds formally to policy inquiries (available from 1999)
- International Policy transmits guidance on international child support (available from 1993)
- Tribal Policy provides guidance on tribal child support (available from 1995)
2020 Policy Documents
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FY 2021 FPLS and CSENet User Fees
October 16, 2020Provides information on user fees for FPLS and CSENet for fiscal year 2020Waiver of Non-Federal Share of Tribal Child Support Program Expenditures
October 15, 2020Answers questions about anticipated and emergency waivers of the non-federal share of tribal child support expendituresData Reliability Audit Requirements FY 2020
October 1, 2020Provides data submission requirements for the FY 2020 data reliability audits2020 Revisions to the IWO Form and Instructions
October 1, 2020Announces the 2020 revisions to the IWO form and instructions which expires on 9/30/2023Open Comment Period – MSFIDM with FAST Levy Collection Activity
September 23, 2020Announces open comment period for MSFIDM with Fast Levy collection activityFY 2021 Federal Offset and Pre-Offset Notice Program Fees
September 23, 2020Provides states with Federal Offset and Pre-Offset Notice program fees for fiscal year 2021NPRM - Optional Exceptions to the Child Support Guidelines
September 23, 2020Request for comment on optional exceptions in guidelines to treating incarceration as voluntary unemploymentFederal Collections & Enforcement Annual Certification Letter – 2020
September 2, 2020Provides states with Annual Certification Letter to complete and return by Sept. 30, 2020Submittal of OCSE-157 for FY 2020
August 27, 2020Reminds states to submit OCSE-157 for FY 2020 by Oct. 302020 Open Comment Period – Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment and Required Data Elements for Affidavits
August 25, 2020Notifies states of the notice for public comment published in the Federal Register Aug. 4, 2020State Plan Material – expires July 31, 2023
August 14, 2020Informs states of new expiration date and edits of the State Plan Cover Page, Table of Contents and OCSE 21-U4Submittal of SF-424 Mandatory Form for FY 2021
August 14, 2020Reminds states to submit the SF-424 Mandatory Form through OLDC by Oct. 31, 2020Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Templates – expire June 2023
July 17, 2020Announces OMB approval of optional tribal budget and narrative justification templatesBack to TopFY 2020 Emergency Waiver Deadline – August 1, 2020
July 9, 2020Announces deadline for tribes to submit an emergency waiver of the non-federal shareTribal Property and Uniform Cost Principles
July 9, 2020Answers questions from tribes about allocating costs of fixed assets and uniform cost principlesFY 2019 Preliminary Data Report
June 23, 2020Announces the release of the FY 2019 Preliminary Data Report and includes Excel data tablesSubmit Revised State IV-D Plan Page 3.8-3 to Comply with Technical Corrections Final Rule
June 12, 2020Directs states to resubmit state plan preprint page 3.8-3 by Feb. 4, 2021Final Rule: Child Support Technical Corrections
June 9, 2020Issues final rule to remove outdated regulations, address policy clarifications and corrections, and make conforming amendmentsFlexibilities for State and Tribal Child Support Agencies during COVID-19 Pandemic
May 28, 2020Outlines flexibilities that may be available under the Stafford Act due to COVID-19Delayed Implementation of Revised OCSE-157 Data Report– Oct. 1, 2021
May 27, 2020Announces OMB approval to delay implementing revised OCSE-157 until Oct. 1, 2021Hague Child Support Convention Forms Renewal – Expire Feb. 28, 2023
May 1, 2020Notifies states of renewed OMB-approved Hague Convention child support formsU.S. Objection to Accession of Guyana to Hague Convention
April 27, 2020Addresses objection by the United States to the accession of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the Hague ConventionEconomic Impact Payments under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
April 13, 2020Eligibility of CARES Act economic impact payments for federal tax refund offsetUSPS Contact Information for Child Support Agencies
April 9, 2020Provides updated contact information for the US Postal Service for child support-related requests and questionsSection 1115 Waivers
April 2, 2020Provides guidance on Section 1115 waivers to state and tribal child support ageniciesExtension of the Tribal Annual Data Report, Form OCSE‑75 and Tribal Narrative
March 27, 2020Announces the extension for using the form OCSE-75 Tribal Annual Data Report to Jan. 31, 2023United Kingdom's Withdrawal from European Union - Procedures for U.S. States
March 17, 2020Procedures for processing child support cases with the U.K. after the U.K.'s withdrawal from the EURevised National Medical Support Notice and Instructions Parts A and B – expire Oct. 31, 2022
March 5, 2020Announces the expiration date of October 31, 2022 for federally approved of the National Medical Support Notice Part A and BState Annual Certification Statement - 2020
February 26, 2020Provides states with the Annual Certification Letter to complete and return by June 28, 2020Questions and Answers on Working Child Support Cases with Canada
February 25, 2020Answers to questions about working cases with Canadian provinces and territoriesUsing the Intergovernmental Forms for Case Processing
February 13, 2020Responds to frequently asked questions about using the intergovernmental formsOpen Comment Period – Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Template
February 10, 2020Announces public comment period for the Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification TemplateResubmission of State Plan Cover Page and 3.16
February 3, 2020Requests states to resubmit the state plan cover page and 3.16 via the online system by Dec. 31, 2020Reinvesting Child Support Incentive Payments
January 31, 2020Provides instructions and guidance on submitting a request for reinvesting child support incentive payments- ‹ Previous Year
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Last Reviewed: November 12, 2019