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

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.

The latest form for Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity and Required Data Elements for the Paternity Establishment Affidavit expires 2027-01-31 and can be found here.

Paternity Acknowledgment Process

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Community and Social Services - Social Services