Wage Garnishment for Child Support: How Income Withholding Works

Income withholding — commonly called wage garnishment — is the most reliable child support enforcement tool available. Once in place, it requires the employer to deduct support from every paycheck and send it directly to DCSS. The paying parent never touches the money.

How Withholding Is Established

When a child support order is entered, an Earnings Assignment Order (EAO) is issued automatically. The EAO is served on the employer, who must begin withholding within 10 days. For subsequent employers, a new EAO must be served. DCSS handles this automatically for cases in its system. Custodial parents with private orders may need to serve EAOs themselves.

Employers who don’t comply face liability. An employer that receives a valid EAO and fails to withhold can be held liable for the amounts that should have been deducted. This rarely happens, but the legal exposure gives employers a strong incentive to comply promptly. When withholding stops without explanation, it’s often because the paying parent changed jobs — triggering the need for a new EAO at the new employer.

The California Child Support Recovery System gives custodial parents the exact tools, templates, and step-by-step guidance to enforce support orders, calculate arrears, and use every enforcement mechanism available — without paying an attorney to get started. Request your free evaluation here.