Legal Definitions - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act

The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) is a standardized law that has been adopted by every state in the United States. Its primary purpose is to create a consistent and efficient system for establishing, enforcing, and modifying child support and spousal support (alimony) orders when the parties involved live in different states. Before UIFSA, it was often complicated and inconsistent to enforce a support order across state lines. UIFSA simplifies this process by ensuring that a support order issued by one state is recognized and enforceable in any other state, preventing conflicting orders and streamlining the collection of financial support for families.

Here are some examples of how UIFSA applies:

• Child Support Across State Lines: A mother and her children live in California, and a California court issued a child support order against the father. The father then moves to Texas. Under UIFSA, the mother can register the California child support order in Texas. Texas courts will then recognize and enforce that order as if it were originally issued in Texas, ensuring the father continues to pay support despite living in a different state.

• Spousal Support Enforcement: A divorce decree in New York ordered a former husband to pay spousal support to his ex-wife, who still resides in New York. The former husband later relocates to Florida. Thanks to UIFSA, the ex-wife can initiate proceedings in Florida to enforce the New York spousal support order. Florida courts are obligated to recognize and enforce the New York order, preventing the former husband from avoiding his financial obligations by moving out of state.

• Establishing Paternity and Support Interstate: A woman gives birth to a child in Illinois and believes the father lives in Missouri. She needs to establish paternity and then obtain a child support order. UIFSA provides the legal framework for the Illinois court to work with the Missouri court to establish paternity for the child, even though the alleged father is in a different state. Once paternity is established, UIFSA ensures that a child support order issued by either state will be recognized and enforced by the other, allowing the mother to secure financial support for her child.