A wage garnishment is a legal procedure in which a portion of a person’s earnings are required by court order to be withheld by their employer to pay a debt. The most common garnishment is child support; employees may also receive federal and state tax levies, bankruptcy, and creditor garnishments.
Heartland can send electronic payments (ACH) for child support orders in most states. A third-party check can be generated with each payroll run for states where electronic payments aren't currently available; they are listed on the next page.
What is a Child Support Order?
Child support is a court-ordered wage garnishment order that states when, how often, and how much an individual is to pay for child support. Child support orders (IWO- Income Withholding Orders) are standard in the United States and follow the same format from state to state.
We only need a handful of information to set up the order; see the section Example of a Child Support Order or IWO. You will need to send your employee’s order to your Payroll Support Team.
Visit the Office of Child Support Services website and the State/Employer Contact and Program Information Matrix for additional details.
Child Support and Payroll
Heartland will deduct the wage garnishment for each employee every payroll run. When an employee is assigned a child support order and voluntary deduction (such as medical pre-tax), the child support order takes precedence over the voluntary deduction.
We set up Child Support orders for you!
Since garnishment orders can be complex, we set them up for you! Send all orders in their entirety to your Payroll Support Team. Heartland requires state-issued documentation to set up child support orders, and employers must forward updated orders to Heartland when received.
Employer Resources
Visit the Office of Child Support Services website and the State/Employer Contact and Program Information Matrix for additional details.
Multiple Orders
Employees can have multiple child support orders assigned to them simultaneously.
Suppose the employee has multiple child support orders. In that case, the payroll system will deduct the total amount for all unless the employee doesn’t have enough disposable income (gross pay - taxes) to fulfill the orders.
Fee to Payer (Administrative Fee allowed to be taken by employer)
Some orders contain “Fee to Payer.” This is the amount that an employer can deduct from the employee to offset the cost of administering the child support order, which is only allowed by certain states and is optional. Your Payroll Support Team will not set this up unless you (the employer) request it.
States that Heartland currently does not send Child Support Payments electronically:
Certain states do not allow ACH payment for child support orders or are in the process of implementing the ability to submit electronic payments. This list was verified as accurate on 03/13/2024 but is subject to change due to regulation and system enhancements.
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Montana
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Washington DC
- Wyoming
💡 Heartland can generate a third-party check if the state is not yet eligible for ACH payments.
The client is responsible for mailing the third-party checks to the proper agency.
Heartland can send ACH child support payments to Puerto Rico.
Example of a Child Support Order
or IWO (Income Withholding for Support):
Child Support Order Details
Type of Order: New (first option) and updated (second option) are to withhold going forward; lump sum payment is one-time only, and termination means to stop the withholding.
State/Tribe/Territory: The state that issued the order.
Remittance ID: Must be supplied with payment to ensure proper posting. Case IDs and Remittance IDs can be two separate numbers.
Employee/Obligor’s Name: The employee to whom the order pertains.
Amounts to Withhold: Based on your pay frequency, the amount per payroll to be deducted from the employee.
Remittance Information: If the employer cannot withhold the total amount of support, then the amount cannot exceed this percentage of disposable income.
Locator Code: Optional; your Payroll Support Team will enter a FIPS code if provided.
Remit Payment to: Details to send a physical check to the agency. Include the Remittance ID with all payments.
(Continue in Child Support on Payroll Reports)