Income withholding is used to collect child support, medical support, and spousal support unless a court orders a different payment arrangement, or AutoPay is approved by Child Support. Income withholding is governed by federal and state laws and is a process through which payments for support are withheld each pay period from the income of the employee/parent.
How does income withholding work?
Employment
Child support learns of employment information in a variety of ways including:
- Self-report- the parent who pays support reports his/her employment information.
- Court order- the court order for support provides employment information.
- New Hire Reporting- employers are required to report all new hires to Child Support.
Income Withholding Order
Child Support issues the income withholding order to the employer and a copy is sent to the person who pays support. The income withholding order provides the amount the employer is to withhold. Child support is withheld before any other garnishment.
Employer
- Starts withholding the pay cycle following the receipt of the income withholding order.
- Submits payments within 7 business days of withholding.
- Withholds no more than 50% of the employee's disposable income.
- May withhold $3.00 per month to cover expenses.
Employee/Parent
Review your paystubs to ensure the amount withheld covers the support amount due. Make a payment to Child Support to cover any shortfall.
Employers have varying pay cycles and are not required to adjust their pay cycles to match child support orders. Parents who pay support should monitor case activity to ensure the withholding amount covers the full amount due. The parent who owes support is responsible for ensuring their support obligation is paid each month. This is especially important with new cases, when there is a change in the support amount or a change in employment. These changes can lead to missed payments.