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.
Federal Laws & Regulations
The following laws and regulations provide policy and program requirements related to the child support program.
- Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Programs final rule Visit disclaimer page
- Child Support Provisions of the Social Security Act Visit disclaimer page
- Child Support Regulations Visit disclaimer page
- Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) 2008 Visit disclaimer page
- Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act (FFCCSOA) Visit disclaimer page
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)
Most Recent Final Rules
The Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs Final Rule was published on December 20, 2016. Resources include the final rule, an overview document, fact sheets, compliance dates list, state plan update, and related training material.
The Technical Corrections Final Rule was published on June 9, 2020. Resources include the final rule, state plan update, and related training material.