Executive Order 12953: Actions Required of All Executive Agencies to Facilitate Payment of Child Support
President: Bill Clinton
Required federal agencies and uniformed services to support wage withholding, legal process, parent location and enforcement of child and medical support.
Status: In effect.
Is Executive Order 12953 still in effect? Yes. Continuing federal model-employer policy; one-time reviews and reports completed and current garnishment rules govern processing.
What does Executive Order 12953 do?
EO 12953 made the federal government a model employer for child-support enforcement. Agencies had to review wage-withholding procedures, assist service of process on employees and service members, cooperate with the Federal Parent Locator Service, cross-match personnel records with delinquent-obligor data, and inform employees about support services. One-time agency and Defense reviews are complete. Current processing rests on statutes and 5 CFR part 581, whose appendices identify service agents.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal agencies had uneven procedures for responding to support orders and locating federal employees.
After the order
Agencies were directed to use common model-employer practices and publish service contacts.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Federal agencies | Process lawful withholding and assist service of process | Continuing under current rules |
| Federal agencies | Cooperate with parent-location and lawful matching systems | Continuing |
| OPM and HHS | Maintain implementing guidance and service-agent information | Under current law |
What happened next
EO 12953 established the policy.
5 CFR part 581 continued to govern federal garnishment processing.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order preserves statutory limits, national-security interests, Privacy Act matching safeguards and sovereign immunity. Valid support process must satisfy 42 U.S.C. § 659 and current regulations.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — EO 12953 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- eCFR — 5 CFR part 581 (opens in a new tab) Official record
- U.S. Code — 42 U.S.C. § 659 (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 14, 2026. How we research →