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
• 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)

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)

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.