2026-22116·DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Reducing Bureaucracy and Burden for Child Support Enforcement Programs

Final RuleFinal Rule

Published: Oct 29, 2026
Effective: Nov 30, 2026
Citation: 91 FR 68045
Agencies: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Administration for Children and Families

Final rule.

Summary

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule that removes outdated and unnecessary provisions from the federal child‑support enforcement regulations. By streamlining rules on state‑plan approvals, grant procedures, program standards, financial incentives, penalties, and computerized systems—both for state and tribal programs—the agency aims to lessen paperwork and administrative burdens for the agencies that manage child‑support cases. The changes are intended to make it easier for state and tribal authorities to operate efficiently while still meeting the core goals of child‑support enforcement. The rule applies to all state and tribal child‑support enforcement programs that receive federal funding, as well as to the federal officials who oversee those programs. It updates a wide range of sections, from how performance is measured to how annual self‑assessments are reported, eliminating requirements that are no longer needed or have been superseded by newer technology. The regulation was published in the Federal Register on October 29, 2026 and takes effect on November 30, 2026. Because it is a final rule, the comment period has closed; the agencies affected will now begin implementing the revised, simplified requirements in their next reporting and grant cycles.

AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.

Official abstract

This final rule amends the Child Support regulations that were unnecessary or obsolete in the following sections: State Plan Approval and Grant Procedures, State Plan Requirements, Standards for Program Operations, Federal Financial Participation, Program Performance Measures, Standards, Financial Incentives, and Penalties, Computerized Support Enforcement Systems, Annual State Self-Assessment Review and Report, Tribal Child Support Enforcement (IV-D) Program, and Computerized Tribal IV-D Systems and Office Automation.