Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
NonSub Change - Update to ACF ICs - Protecting Women and DEI EOs - 04.25.2025.docx Justification for No Material/Nonsubstantive Change	2025-04-24
Public comments - Paternity Establishment 09212023 - for OMB.xlsx Supplementary Document	2023-11-21
Supporting Statement_Paternity Data Elements_FINAL.docx Supporting Statement A	2020-11-18

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
226978	Brochures	Unchanged
226977	Data Elements Other-Data Elements	Modified
226976	Training	Unchanged
226975	Paternity Acknowledgment Process	Unchanged

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0970-0171	ICR Reference No: 202504-0970-020
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202311-0970-012
Agency/Subagency: HHS/ACF	Agency Tracking No: OCSE
Title: Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit
Type of Information Collection: No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 05/28/2025

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	01/31/2027	01/31/2027
Responses	4,353,508	4,353,508
Time Burden (Hours)	613,808	613,808
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: This request is for an extension of an approved information collection: Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit (OMB #0970-0171). The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is proposing minor changes to the burden estimate as last updated in 2020. Section 466(a)(5)(C) of the Social Security Act requires States to enact laws ensuring a simple civil process for voluntarily acknowledging paternity via an affidavit. The State must provide that, before a mother and putative father can sign a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, the mother and putative father must be given notice, orally and in writing of the alternatives to, the legal consequences of, and the rights (including any rights, if one parent is a minor, due to minority status) and responsibilities of acknowledging paternity. One affidavit needs to be filled out for each paternity established and the information cannot be provided any less frequently than once to each mother and putative father. The development and use of an affidavit for the voluntary acknowledgment of paternity would include the minimum requirements specified by the Secretary and to give full faith and credit to such an affidavit signed in any other State according to its procedures. The following ICR has been updated with non substantive changes in response to the Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government Executive Order (Defending Women EO) and recent Presidential Actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), such as those covered under the EO Initial Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 652 Name of Law: Social Security, Subchapter IV Part D: Child Support and Establishment of Paternity
   US Code: 42 USC 666 Name of Law: Social Security, Subchapter IV Part D: Child Support and Establishment of Paternity
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 42075	06/29/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 81086	11/21/2023
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 4

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Brochures
Data Elements
Paternity Acknowledgment Process
Training

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	4,353,508	4,353,508	0	0	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	613,808	613,808	0	0	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: In the last review of this information collection in 2020, OCSS calculated the total annual burden to be 593,947 hours. In this information collection, we estimate the total annual burden to be 613,808 hours. This adjustment is due to several factors. • Since 2020, there has been a decrease in the estimated number of partners involved in the voluntary paternity acknowledgment program by about 89,000 entities. This decrease affects the overall burden downward in the rows for training and for ordering brochures on the burden table. • Since 2020, there has been an increase in the burden for paternity acknowledgment services. In 2020 we estimated the number of nonmarital births for which services would be appropriate was approximately 1.4 million, while in 2023, we estimate the number of nonmarital births to be approximately 1.6 million (based on 2021 data). These overall changes have resulted in an overall increase of approximately 16,000 annual burden hours.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $43,580,455

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 05/28/2025

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