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

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
Form 1 Required and Optional Data Elements	Form	Modified	Available
Response Collection - Federal Register_AOP public comment.pdf	Public Comments	Uploaded 2026-07-24	Available
Delaware Letter in Support of the Required Data Elements for Paternity Establishment Affidavits.pdf	Public Comments	Uploaded 2026-09-14	Available
Attachment A - Public Comments VAP_responses.xlsx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-11-03	Available
Supporting Statement A_ VAP and data Elements_0970-0171.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-11-03	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
226978	Brochures		Removed
226977	Data Elements	Form	Modified	Required and Optional Data Elements
226976	Training		Modified
226975	Paternity Acknowledgment Process		Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0970-0171	ICR Reference No: 202610-0970-006
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202602-0970-003
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: Extension without change of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 11/04/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	01/31/2027
Responses	1,508,025	4,353,508
Time Burden (Hours)	368,588	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 estimated number of respondents has been updated to reflect current data and therefore the overall total burden estimates have changed. The state-developed affidavit is to be used by hospitals, birth record agencies, and other partners participating in a state's voluntary paternity establishment program. The required data elements included on the affidavit provide information that will be used to establish child support orders and locate parents for purposes of collecting child support. There is no requirement that this information be reported in any form to the federal government. Entities participating in a state's voluntary paternity establishment program have been able to help parents of newborn and older children establish paternity. The OCSE preliminary data report for FY 2024 indicates that there were 1,372,816 nonmarital births in 2024. In that same year, there were 1,042,015 paternities voluntarily established. This means that putative fathers voluntarily acknowledged paternity in approximately 76% of nonmarital births.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 666 Name of Law: Social Security, Subchapter IV Part D: Child Support and Establishment of Paternity
   US Code: 42 USC 652 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:
	91 FR 46787	07/07/2026
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 69566	11/04/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 3

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Brochures
Data Elements	1	Required and Optional Data Elements
Paternity Acknowledgment Process
Training

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list 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	1,508,025	4,353,508	0	-240,681	-2,604,802	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	368,588	613,808	0	-36,836	-208,384	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Short Statement: Since 2023, there has been a decrease in the burden for paternity acknowledgment services. In 2023 we estimated the number of nonmarital births for which services would be appropriate was approximately 1.6 million, while in 2026, we estimate the number of nonmarital births to be approximately 1.4 million (based on 2024 data). During this cycle, we removed ordering brochures from the annual burden hours calculation, as ordering brochures is not required under federal guidelines and has significantly decreased. With advancements in automation and digital service delivery, most partners now rely on electronic devices located in hospitals and other automated public facing platforms to deliver education on paternity establishment and highlight the benefits of signing the paternity establishment affidavit. This resulted in a 40% overall decrease in estimated annual burden compared to 2023.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $33,981,642

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: 11/04/2026

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