Notice2026-04740

Proposed Information Collection Activity; Income Withholding for Support

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
March 11, 2026

Issuing agencies

Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration

Abstract

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend approval of the Income Withholding for Support (IWO), with changes, for an additional three years. The current OMB approval expires August 31, 2026.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 11979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04740]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Office of Management and Budget #: 0970-0154]


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Income Withholding for 
Support

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Administration 
for Children and Families (ACF), is requesting the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to extend approval of the Income Withholding for 
Support (IWO), with changes, for an additional three years. The current 
OMB approval expires August 31, 2026.

DATES: Comments due May 11, 2026.

ADDRESSES: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific 
aspects of the information collection described above. You can obtain 
copies of the proposed collection of information and submit comments by 
emailing <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#430a2d252c002c2f2f2620372a2c2d032220256d2b2b306d242c35"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="470e29212804282b2b2224332e282907262421692f2f3469202831">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. All requests should be identified 
by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Description: The IWO is the required, standard form used to order, 
and notify, employers and income providers to withhold child support 
payments from an obligor's income. It is also used to notify employers 
and other income providers where to remit the payments, as well as 
other information needed to correctly withhold payments so that 
children and families receive the support to which they are entitled.
    OCSE revised the IWO form to add checkboxes pertaining to detail 
for the respondent to check, if applicable; revised links; clarified 
language and definitions; changed Office of Child Support Services 
(OCSS) to OCSE; and added fields, such as a daily pay amount, to the 
record specifications.
    Respondents: Courts, private attorneys, custodial parties, or their 
representatives, employers, and other entities that provide income to 
noncustodial parents.
    Annual Burden Estimates: The burden estimates were updated to 
reflect current estimates for the annual number of respondents and 
responses over the next three years. The burden reduction accounts for 
decreases in the number of new hire reports submitted and decreases in 
the number of proactive matches generated from the Federal Case 
Registry for participants in child support cases. Additionally, more 
employers using electronic IWO (e-IWO) has decreased the burden with 
processing paper documents. Response times also reflect clearer 
instructions. Estimated burden was added to account for the time states 
will need to update programming as a result of proposed changes, but 
overall, the ongoing total estimated annual burden associated with this 
information collection has been reduced by 30 percent.

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                                                           Total number                                  Annual
      Information collection title         Total number    of responses     Average burden hours per     burden
                                          of respondents  per respondent            response              hours
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Income withholding for Support (Courts,        3,439,580               1  5 minutes...................   286,632
 private attorneys, custodial parties or
 their representatives).
Income withholding for Support of              1,214,289            5.23  2 minutes...................   211,691
 employment/income status (Employers and
 other income withholders).
Electronic income withholding for                 48,978           41.56  30 seconds..................    16,963
 Support/termination of employment/
 income status (Employers and other
 income withholders).
State Programming.......................              18               1  534.........................     9,612
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours.  ..............  ..............  ............................   524,898
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    Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(1), (a)(8), and (b)(6).

Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-04740 Filed 3-10-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-41-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 11, 2026.

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.