Policy

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  (PDF)
• Child Support Provisions of the Social Security Act
• Child Support Regulations
• Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) 2008
• Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act (FFCCSOA)

OCSS 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)

• AT-24-03 Final Rule: Modifications to Performance Standards During Natural Disasters and Other Calamities
  — notifies states of rule that sets process for OCSS to adjust certain performance standards to a lower level to avoid imposing financial penalties
   
• AT-24-02 Final Rule: Elimination of Tribal Non-Federal Share Requirement
  — notifies tribes of elimination of non-federal share of program expenditures requirement starting FY 2025
   
• AT-23-10 Final Rule: Privacy Act; Implementation
  — announces implementing Privacy Act exemptions for FVI records in the Federal Case Registry
   
• AT-22-03 Final Rule: Paternity Establishment Percentage Performance Relief
  — notifies states of modification to PEP performance threshold for FFYs 2020, 2021, and 2022 in response to effects of health emergency
   
• AT-20-15 Final Rule: Regulatory Clean Up Initiative 
  — announces the HHS Regulatory Clean Up initiative published in Federal Register
   
• AT-20-07 Final Rule: Child Support Technical Corrections
  — issues final rule to remove outdated regulations, address policy clarifications and corrections, and make conforming amendments
   
• AT-16-06 Final Rule: Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs
  — announces the Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support final rule
   
• AT-10-12 Final Rule: Safeguarding Child Support Information
  — safeguarding Child Support information which revises aspects of the State Parent Locator Service

Additional Resources

• The Technical Corrections Final Rule
  — was published on June 9, 2020. Resources include the final rule, state plan update, and related training material.
   
• The Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs
  — 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.