The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to collect past-due child support through the offset of federal payments.
The Fiscal Service's role in child-support enforcement is limited to the operation of the Treasury Offset Program through which some federal payments, including federal tax refunds, can be offset to collect delinquent child support obligations. If you have questions about the collection of a child support debt, you can get help from your state child-support enforcement agency or from the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS). OCSS is part of the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, and it helps states operate and manage their child-support programs and conform with federal requirements.
The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to collect past-due child support by the administrative offset of federal payments. Executive Order 13019, Supporting Families: Collecting Delinquent Child Support Obligations (September 1996), requires the Secretary of the Treasury to promptly develop and implement procedures needed for the collection of past-due child support debts by administrative offset (the reduction or withholding of a payment). Treasury carries out this mandate through the Treasury Offset Program.
Last modified 09/16/24
Treasury Offset Program
A program of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service
