Skip to main content

Tribal Agencies

Information and resources for Tribal Child Support Agencies.

Currently 63 tribes operate child support programs, providing services to Native American families consistent with tribal values and cultures. Tribal child support programs locate custodial and noncustodial parents, establish legal fatherhood (paternity), establish child support orders, and enforce orders. View the list of tribal child support programs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs lists federally recognized Indian Tribes eligible for federal funding. 

ACF is committed to working with tribal nations and Indigenous communities across the United States to improve the economic and social well-being of children and families. Visit ACF's Tribal and Native American Affairs website to learn more.

Tribal Program Resources

Previous Consultations

Program requirements on applying for and receiving funding.

Required Reporting

Tribal officials use the OCSE-75 to report statistical and some financial information on their Title IV-D child support program to the Department of Health and Human Services. Information provided by the tribes allows HHS to report such information in the Annual Report to Congress, and provides HHS with information on how tribes are performing with their programs. The authority to collect this information is set forth in regulations at 45 CFR 309.170(b).

OCSE-75 Form and Instructions

Submit this form using the Online Data Collection System. 

State and tribal child support agencies are required to complete and submit this quarterly report form in accordance with instructions issued by the Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Submit this form using the Online Data Collection System. 

This report details all the expenses your program incurred during the quarter. The SF-425 is submitted quarterly within 30 days after the end of each of the first three quarters of the funding period and within 30 days after the end of each of the first three quarters of the liquidation period. The final report for each period is due within 90 days after the end of the fourth quarter of both the funding and the liquidation period. Tribal child support or accounting personnel that are responsible for submitting the SF-425. 

These reports are submitted through the Payment Management System (PMS).  To request access to the PMS, visit https://pms.psc.gov  

These forms accompany the annual budget submission. The application for funding is due by August 1 every year. 

  • SF-424A Budget Information - Nonconstruction Programs
  • SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

Comprehensive Plan

If a Tribal IV-D program intends to make any substantial or material change in any aspect of the Tribal IV-D program, a plan amendment must be submitted at the earliest reasonable time for approval. 

The plan amendment must describe and, as appropriate, document the changes the program proposes to make to its IV-D plan.  

The federal office will review the plan amendment to ensure changes meet the requirements of applicable statutes and regulations.

Submit your plan amendment to your Regional Program Office. 

The optional streamlined tribal plan contains plan pages that organize information, identify required attachments, and simplify plan amendment submissions. Tribal IV-D programs submit the cover plan page and attestation that the tribe or tribal organization will continue to comply with the requirements in 45 CFR 309 and 310. 

A Tribal IV-D plan amendment must be submitted at the earliest reasonable time for approval under 309.35(e). The streamlined tribal plan amendment submission includes:

  1. Letter — concisely describing the significant change(s)
  2. Plan page — include the plan page associated with the significate change(s)
  3. Required attachment

Email the plan amendment information listed above to: OCSE.Tribal@acf.hhs.gov

For detailed instructions for each section read the Streamlined Plan Amendment Process Guidance

Optional Streamlined Tribal Plan Pages
OMB # 0907-0218

TRIBAL PLAN PAGES

REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

AMENDMENT EXAMPLES

Tribal Plan Cover Page and Table of Contents   
Section 1: Description of Population Subject to Tribal Court or Agency Jurisdiction   
Section 2: Application Procedures 2A:
Application for services		A tribe enters into a cooperative agreement with the state for federal tax refund offset and the application for services is revised.
Section 3: Due Process Protections   
Section 4:  Administrative and Management Procedures 
 		4A: 
Organizational chart or description of the structure of the child support agency		A position not previously included in program such as an “outreach specialist” is added to the program.
Section 5:  Safeguarding Procedures   
Section 6:  Records Maintenance  
Section 7:  Tribal Laws, Codes, and Regulations 

7A-1:
Tribal laws, codes, regulations

Optional Attachment: 7A-2
Tribal policies and procedures

Tribal code is updated requiring a review of the support order when a non-custodial parent is incarcerated for more than 180 calendar days.
Section 8:  Locate Procedures   
Section 9:  Paternity Establishment Procedures   
Section 10:  Child Support Guidelines 10A:
Child support guidelines		Child support guidelines are updated to include additional definitions of earned income.
Section 11:  Income Withholding Procedures   
Section 12:  Distribution Procedures   
Section 13:  Intergovernmental Case Processing Procedures   
Section 14:  Tribally-Determined Performance Targets*  
Cooperative Agreements Agreements, Memorandum of Understanding, Contracts, or Tribal ResolutionsTribe enters into a contract with a new attorney.

* Revised and updated performance targets remain a reporting element in the annual narrative with the OCSE-75 report pursuant to 45 CFR 309.170(b)(6).

A Tribal IV-D plan amendment must be submitted at the earliest reasonable time for approval under 309.35(e). The streamlined tribal plan amendment submission includes:

  1. Letter — concisely describing the significant change(s)
  2. Plan page — include the plan page associated with the significate change(s)
  3. Required attachment

Email the plan amendment information listed above to: OCSE.Tribal@acf.hhs.gov

For detailed instructions for each section read the Streamlined Plan Amendment Process Guidance

Training

We’ve highlighted two specific questions from the answers to questions regarding tribal access to the FPLS:

Question 2. May these fees be paid by the child support grant? 

Answer 2: The portal/telecom fee may be paid by the child support grant. The start-up fee and the data set fees have to be paid with tribal funding; however, these fees have been waived.

Question 6. May the tribal child support programs pay for the security assessment using the child support grant funds?

Answer 6: Yes. Security assessment costs that are determined to be reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the tribal child support program may be claimed under the child support grant.

Information for working with another state, tribe, territory, or country to locate a parent, establish parentage, establish or modify a support order, enforce an order, or collect and distribute support payments.

Understanding the Child Support Intergovernmental Forms. Recorded training sessions and PowerPoints.  

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Tribal Data. 

This webinar highlights the changing world of technology and increase in identity theft, phishing scams, and email spam. Learn about the importance of software patches, training, and anti-virus software to safeguard your data. 

Streamlined Tribal Plan Amendment Process. 

This webinar presents the optional streamline tribal plan, including plan pages and required and optional attachments. 

Tribal Startup Guidance Image

Start-Up Application and Program Information

The Final Rule on the Tribal Child Support Enforcement program was published in the Federal Register (69 FR 16638  (PDF)) on March 30, 2004. The Rule implements section 455(f) of the Social Security Act and sets forth the required elements and related provisions for tribal child support programs (45 CFR part 309).

This guidance is for tribes and tribal organizations interested in operating a child support program.