Tribes Ditch Word for Excel in Budget Overhaul
Published Date: 2/11/2026
Notice
Summary
Tribal child support programs can keep using a refreshed Excel budget form to make their annual money plans easier and clearer. The Word version is being dropped, and small updates fix links and formulas. Tribes should note comments are open until April 13, 2026, with no big cost changes expected.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Excel Budget Template Kept; Word Dropped
If your tribe runs an approved tribal child support program, you can keep using the refreshed Excel Tribal Budget and Narrative Justification Template to prepare annual budgets and narratives. OCSE is discontinuing the Word template and the Excel 1115 Waiver version, and made minor updates (citations/hyperlinks changed from 45 CFR part 75 to 2 CFR part 200, sample examples edited, and formula errors fixed).
Annual Time Burden for Tribes
Tribes and tribal organizations administering a Title IV‑D tribal child support program are estimated to spend 16 hours each per year to prepare and submit the budget and narrative (one response per tribe). OCSE estimates 63 tribal respondents for a total annual burden of 1,008 hours.
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Key Dates
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