One of the few federal agencies that has actually improved its operations and processes during the administration of President Donald Trump is the United States Office of Child Support Enforcement. This agency has been actively reaching out to payroll and human resources professionals in Texas so that they are aware of the new measures to improve and streamline the child support enforcement process.
With regard to the reporting of new hires, the OCSE is reminding companies that they should always use a single federal employer identification number when submitting their notifications. One problem that the agency has identified is that some companies use one FEIN in their initial report and a different one in their quarterly report; this issue is more common when the employer has offices and staff members in more than one state.
In 2017, the OCSE introduced changes to the notices and orders related to Income Withholding for Support; the changes include making the date of birth field optional, clarifying the child support withholding range in accordance with the Consumer Credit Protection Act and explaining that orders issued for lump sum payments are not recurring or standing orders. The new format for notices and orders includes the new federal withholding limits and clarifies its conditions in accordance to state law.
Verification of employment by third parties may become limited now that the OCSE has resolved to stop paying for this process, which falls under the sole responsibility of employers. With this in mind, employers will now have to take time to respond to employment verification requests directly instead of outsourcing them.
Source: Bloomberg, “Child-Support Office Improves on a Powerful System”, 03/16/2018
