2023 Open Comment Period - Revised IWO Form and Instructions

DCL-23-03

Publication Date: January 30, 2023

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER

DCL-23-03

DATE: January 30, 2023

TO: State and Tribal IV-D Directors

SUBJECT: 2023 Open Comment Period - Revised IWO Form and Instructions

ATTACHMENTS: Proposed IWO Form (PDF) and Instructions (PDF)

Dear Colleague:

The Office of Child Support Enforcement has proposed revisions to the Income Withholding for Support (IWO) form and instructions. On Jan. 23, 2023, the Administration for Children and Families published a notice for public comment in the Federal Register Volume 88, Number 14, Page 3994  (PDF). The 60-day comment period closes March 24, 2023.

The attached form and instructions include the proposed changes:

IWO Form

  • Moved the Paperwork Reduction Act language to Page 4 of the IWO
  • Changed the contact email for questions from employerservices@acf.hhs.gov to OCSEFedSystem@acf.hhs.gov in the Paperwork Reduction Act section, Page 4
  • Bolded references to the tribal child support agency order instructions in section V. Remittance Information, Page 2, for emphasis

Instructions

  • Bolded “order was issued by a tribal CSE agency” in the Note to Employer/Income Withholder section, Page 1, for emphasis
  • Added instructions in the Note to Employer/Income Withholder section, Page 1:

    “After processing an IWO, the payment is returned to income withholder because the order information is not on the child support system and the SDU could not process the payment. The income withholder should return the payment to employee.”

  • Edited instructions for clarification in the Note to Employer/Income Withholder section, Page 1 to include (edits in bold):
    • “Form does not contain all information necessary for the employer to comply with the withholding such as, missing Remittance Identifier, invalid case identifier or missing sender contact information.”
    • “Form is altered or contains invalid information such as 'step-down' provisions or other future events that an employer is not required to monitor.”
  • Bolded references to the tribal child support agency order instructions in section V. Remittance Information, Page 4, for emphasis:

    “If the order was issued by a tribal CSE agency, the employer/income withholder must follow the remittance instructions on the form in the Supplemental Information Section.”

We welcome your input on the form and instructions. Please send comments to infocollection@acf.hhs.gov.  When commenting, be sure to reference OMB control number 0970-0154. We will consider comments received by March 24, 2023.

Sincerely,

Tanguler Gray
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement