Employer Question 9

May I withhold a fee for processing and withholding the child support payments?

Answer

Yes. California employers may deduct the sum of one dollar ($1.00) from the earnings of the employee for each payment made pursuant to the earnings assignment order. Different states allow different amounts for the employer's administrative fee.

The employer's administrative fee may be taken out of the net disposable earnings amount before the child support deduction is made. The total amount you withhold for child support plus fees may not exceed the maximum amount permitted under the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act. If the fee plus the child support exceeds the maximum allowed under CCPA, you may take the entire amount of your administrative fee and make the child support payment less than the amount in the notice. The amount of support that would have been withheld but for the fee becomes part of the arrears owed by the non-custodial parent.

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