(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the amount required to be withheld pursuant to an earnings withholding order shall be paid monthly to the levying officer not later than the 15th day of each month. The initial monthly payment shall include all amounts required to be withheld from the earnings of the employee during the preceding calendar month up to the close of the employee's pay period ending closest to the last day of that month, and thereafter each monthly payment shall include amounts withheld from the employee's earnings for services rendered in the interim up to the close of the employee's pay period ending closest to the last day of the preceding calendar month.
§ 706.025.Monthly Payments; Election to Pay More Frequently
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 5. Wage Garnishment · Article 2. General Provisions · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 706.025 requires an employer to pay amounts withheld under an earnings withholding order to the levying officer monthly, by the 15th of each month, unless the employer elects to pay more frequently, in which case each pay period's withholding is due within ten days after that pay period ends.
Full Text of § 706.025
(b) The employer may elect to pay the amounts withheld to the levying officer more frequently than monthly. If the employer so elects, payment of the amount withheld from the employee's earnings for each pay period shall be made not later than 10 days after the close of the pay period.
Plain-English Summary
Withholding money from a paycheck is only half the job — the employer also has to get it to the levying officer on a schedule. The default rule is monthly: payment by the 15th of each month, covering everything withheld through the pay period ending closest to the last day of the preceding calendar month.
Employers aren't locked into monthly payments if they'd rather move faster. Subdivision (b) lets an employer elect to remit more often, with each pay period's withheld amount due within ten days after that pay period closes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must an employer send withheld wages to the levying officer?
At least monthly, with payment due by the 15th of each month, unless the employer elects to pay more frequently.
Can an employer pay withheld amounts faster than once a month?
Yes. Section 706.025(b) allows the employer to elect more frequent payment, due within ten days after the close of each pay period.
What does the monthly payment need to cover?
All amounts withheld from the employee's earnings through the pay period ending closest to the last day of the preceding calendar month.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1364, Sec. 2. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 1364.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: employer deadline to remit garnished wages california