Supporting Statement - Hague Forms_DPT edit-cln-DCCamm_DPT comment_clean_mj_CLEAN

Provision of Child Support Services in IV-D Cases under the Hague Child Support Convention

OMB Information Collection Request

0970 - 0488

Supporting Statement Part A - Justification

January 2026

Type of Request: Extension with No Changes

Submitted By:

Office of Child Support Enforcement

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

1. Circumstances Making the Collection of Information Necessary

International child support cases are those where the parents and/or child live in different countries, a support order was issued internationally, or assets are sought in countries other than the country enforcing the support order, among other scenarios. Because laws and procedures vary widely among international jurisdictions, international cases can be complex and difficult to process, resulting in less child support reaching the families who need it. In the U.S., we estimate that about half of one percent of the total child support caseload has an international component.

On January 1, 2017, the multilateral 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance (the Hague Child Support Convention) came into force for the U.S. The U.S. now has reciprocal relationships with 41 foreign countries under the Hague Convention, and that number is growing. Countries that are party to the Hague Child Support Convention use 16 standardized Convention case processing forms, which were designed to greatly reduce the complexity of case processing in the international context. The forms were developed by a special working group, in which the U.S. played a leadership role.

Section 311(b) of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) 2008, which has been enacted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, requires states to use forms mandated by federal law. (UIFSA enactment was required by Public Law (P.L.) 113-183.) Regulations under 45 CFR 303.7 also require child support programs to use federally approved forms in intergovernmental IV-D cases unless a country has provided alternative forms as a part of its chapter in a Caseworker's Guide to Processing Cases with Foreign Reciprocating Countries.

2. Purpose and Use of the Information Collection

A child support agency uses the Hague Convention case processing forms to collect and send necessary information to a child support agency in another country when requesting an action in a child support case. In the U.S., the forms are used by state child support enforcement agencies working international cases under the Convention. The forms may also be used by courts/tribunals, attorneys, and parties in the U.S. The federal OCSE does not send or collect the forms or the information on the forms.

3. Use of Improved Information Technology and Burden Reduction

All U.S. states process interstate cases using their computerized support enforcement systems, including exchanging information through interstate information networks. However, no such network currently exists in the international child support sphere. OCSE is currently working with Hague Convention partners to develop automated options. In the meantime, states may choose to integrate the Hague forms into their automated systems.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication and Use of Similar Information

There is no similar information available through any known source or mechanism. Child support case information is known only to the agency involved and must be shared with other agencies in order to complete case actions. Just as OCSE developed a set of forms for use in interstate cases (OMB No.: 0970-0085), so the Hague Convention Forms Working Group, including U.S. participants, developed these Hague forms to facilitate international case processing.

5. Impact on Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

This collection of information will have no impact on small businesses or other small entities because both the point of origin and the destination of the forms are state child support agencies and judicial courts.

6. Consequences of Collecting the Information Less Frequently

Without collecting the information in these forms as often as needed, U.S. states could not process child support cases with Hague Convention countries. This would delay or deny child support from reaching families.

Collecting the data in these forms is necessary for the U.S. to comply with the Hague Convention, which is an international private law treaty that came into effect for the U.S. on January 1, 2017. This Convention benefits U.S. families who are able to access the uniform, simple, fast, and inexpensive procedures under the Convention to get child support from parents living in dozens of foreign jurisdictions.

7. Special Circumstances Relating to the Guidelines of 5 CFR 1320.5

There are no special circumstances associated with collecting this information. State agencies using these forms must adhere to the generally applicable regulatory timeframes for intergovernmental case processing as required under 45 CFR 303.7. Some of the case processing timeframes include sending information on the forms in fewer than 30 days to provide effective child support services to families. As noted earlier, neither these forms nor the information on the forms is submitted directly to OCSE.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside the Agency

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320 (60 FR 44978, August 29, 1995), ACF published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the agency’s intention to request an OMB review of this information collection activity. This notice was published on September 30, 2025 (90 FR 46897) and provided a 60-day period for public comment. During the comment period, two comments were received. Responses to comments received are included as Attachment A.

9. Explanation of Any Payment or Gift to Respondents

No payments or gifts are involved in this information collection.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality Provided to Respondents

Information that state child support agencies collect using the federally approved Hague Convention forms is subject to the confidentiality requirements at §454(26) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 654(26)) and the states’ own confidentiality requirements that protect personal information in their possession.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Because of the purposes of the Hague Convention case processing forms, it is necessary to include personal information regarding the parents of the child. The information is necessary for filing child support actions in the responding country. Submitting the information on these forms saves the petitioner from needing to travel to the other country to file the actions personally.

In U.S. public assistance cases, the mother is informed that her cooperation with the state child support agency’s efforts to establish paternity and secure child support is required to receive public assistance. In non-assistance cases, the mother or alleged father is advised that the state child support program cannot establish paternity without this information. In non-assistance cases, the petitioner decides whether they wish to proceed.

12. Estimates of Annualized Burden Hours and Costs

The burden hours for each form are estimated based on data from the OCSE FY 2023 Preliminary Data Report. Based on this data, we used the total number of IV-D cases for the 54 states and U.S. territories (respondents), which is 12,054,010 total cases (see Table P-2: Total IV-D Caseload for Five Consecutive Fiscal Years). To estimate the number of responses per respondent, OCSE multiplied the 12,054,010 cases by 0.005 (half of 1 percent to estimate total international cases), which is 60,270. Next, OCSE multiplied the 60,270 cases by 0.10 (10 percent to estimate the total number of new international cases), which is 6,027. Of the 6,027 estimated cases, OCSE estimates about two-thirds, or 4,018, are incoming cases to the U.S. from foreign partner countries, and one-third, or 2,009, are outgoing cases from the U.S. to another country. Finally, OCSE divided the 4,018 incoming cases by 54, which is 74, and divided the 2,009 outgoing cases by 54, which is 37. The average time per response is estimated based on experience to date; no changes have been made.

Information Collection Title	Total Number of Respondents	Annual Number of Responses Per Respondent	Average Burden Hours Per Response	Annual Burden Hours	Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Cost
Annex I: Transmittal form under Article 12(2)	54	37	1	1,998	$45.28	$90,469
Annex II: Acknowledgment form under Article 12(3)	54	74	.5	1,998	$45.28	$90,469
Annex A: Application for Recognition and Enforcement, including restricted information on the applicant	54	15	.5	405	$45.28	$18,338
Annex A: Abstract of Decision	54	4	1	216	$45.28	$9,780
Annex A: Statement of Enforceability of Decision	54	15	0.17	138	$45.28	$6,249
Annex A: Statement of Proper Notice	54	4	.5	108	$45.28	$4,890
Annex A: Status of Application Report – Article 12	54	30	.33	535	$45.28	$24,225
Annex B: Application for Enforcement of a Decision Made or Recognized in the Requested State, including restricted information on the applicant	54	15	.5	405	$45.28	$18,338
Annex B: Status of Application Report - Article 12	54	30	.33	535	$45.28	$24,225
Annex C: Application for Establishment of a Decision, including restricted information on the Applicant	54	4	.5	108	$45.28	$4,890
Annex C: Status of Application Report – Article 12	54	7	.33	125	$45.28	$5,660
Annex D: Application for Modification of a Decision, including Restricted Information on the Applicant	54	4	.5	108	$45.28	$4,890
Annex D: Status of Application Report – Article 12	54	7	.33	125	$45.28	$5,660
Annex E: Financial Circumstances Form	54	37	2	3,996	$45.28	$180,939
Annex F: Request for Specific Measures - Article 7(1)	54	2	.17	18	$45.28	$815
Annex F: Request for Specific Measures – Response - Article 7(1)	54	7	.17	64	$45.28	$2,898
Estimated Annual Burden and Cost Totals:				10,882	-	$492,735

The cost to respondents was calculated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job code for Social and Human Services Assistants [21-1093] and wage data from May 2024, which is $22.64 per hour. To account for fringe benefits and overhead, the rate was multiplied by two, which is $45.28.

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm

13. Estimates of Other Total Annual Cost Burden to Respondents and Record Keepers

There are no other costs to respondents and record keepers.

14. Annualized Cost to the Federal Government

State child support enforcement agencies use these forms; there is no cost to the federal government.

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

The estimate of annual burden hours has declined from 11,978 hours in the last approval to 10,882 hours in this request. Changes in burden are due to the decline in the overall child support caseload over the last several years. States use these forms to process cases between countries; these international cases are a percentage of each state’s overall caseload. Therefore, as the total number of cases declines, so does the number of international cases. For information on the child support caseload, see OCSE Preliminary Data Report FY 2023, Table P-2.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

There is no planned analysis or publication of the data collected by state agencies.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

Not applicable.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.