If the judgment pursuant to which the earnings withholding order is issued is satisfied before the order otherwise terminates pursuant to Section 706.022, the judgment creditor shall promptly notify the levying officer who shall promptly terminate the order by serving a notice of termination on the employer.
§ 706.027.Termination of Order Serving Notice of Termination
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 706.027 requires the judgment creditor to promptly notify the levying officer once the underlying judgment is satisfied before the earnings withholding order otherwise terminates, so the levying officer can promptly end the withholding by serving a notice of termination on the employer.
Full Text of § 706.027
Plain-English Summary
An earnings withholding order can keep running on paper even after the debt behind it is paid off, unless someone acts. This section puts that burden on the judgment creditor: if the judgment is satisfied before the order would otherwise terminate under § 706.022, the creditor must promptly tell the levying officer.
The levying officer then has to act just as promptly — serving a notice of termination on the employer, which is one of the events under § 706.022(a) that ends the withholding period. Without that notice, an employer would keep withholding earnings the creditor is no longer entitled to collect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the judgment is paid off before the withholding order naturally ends?
The judgment creditor must promptly notify the levying officer, who must promptly serve a notice of termination on the employer to stop the withholding.
Whose job is it to report that the judgment has been satisfied?
The judgment creditor's. Section 706.027 places that notification duty on the creditor, not the employer or the debtor.
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: terminate wage garnishment after judgment paid california