What is Income Withholding?

Income withholding is the way most child support payments are collected. Obligors receive a monthly billing statement of their account activity and balances even when income withholding is in place.

How long will it take for income withholding to start?
When the child support office learns of an employer or payor of funds a notice to withhold is sent to that company or agency. The notice tells them how much to withhold from the person's income. When a new income withholding notice is sent, it may take four to six weeks to start receiving payments. Employers are not required to change their payroll schedules when deducting child support.

How is child support withheld from the obligor's pay?
To figure out the amount that will be withheld from each pay period, the monthly obligation is totaled, then multiplied by twelve months, and then divided by the number of pay periods in a year. When there is at least one month of past due support, usually an additional 20% of the total monthly obligation is included in the amount deducted. Many people are paid weekly or every two weeks (biweekly). Therefore, their support payments during the month may never equal the monthly amount. During ten months of the year, only four weekly or two biweekly payments are made, leaving a past due balance. During the other two months of the year, five weekly or three biweekly payments are made, making up the past due balance. This is a result of using the monthly amount owed, multiplied by twelve months and divided by 26 biweekly pay periods or 52 weekly pay periods:

Example: If the child support obligation is $500 per month, then...

When will the employer send in the payment?
Employers are required to deduct a payment each pay period and to send the payment within seven business days to the Minnesota Child Support Payment Center, which issues a check in limited circumstances, a direct deposit to a checking account or savings account, or a deposit to a value card to the obligee the next day. Checks may be delayed by weekends, holidays and post office errors. Payments cannot be picked up at the payment center.

The employer is not sending in enough child support each pay period, why?
The Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) sets limits on how much money can be deducted from a paycheck. Employers can never withhold more than 65% of the net income owed to an employee, even if the amount withheld is not enough to pay the full amount of support. However, lump sums over $500, such as bonuses, may be subject to 100% withholding if support is past due.

What if the obligor is self-employed?
If an obligor is self-employed, he/she is responsible for sending in the monthly child support payments to the Minnesota Child Support Payment Center.

What if the obligor does not tell the child support office about a new employer?
The child support office also receives New Hire reports after employers report employee information. Employers are required to report a new hire to the Commissioner of Human Services. If an obligor changes jobs, he/she is responsible for giving the child support office the new employer name and contact information.

What if I have information about an obligor's employment?
If information is known about the obligor's employment, contact the obligor's child support worker with this information.