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§ 706.082.No Review of Taxpayer's Tax Liability

Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 5. Wage Garnishment · Article 4. Earnings Withholding Order for Taxes · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026

In one sentenceSection 706.082 bars any court proceeding under this chapter from reviewing whether the taxpayer owes the underlying tax liability, keeping wage-withholding proceedings focused on procedure rather than reopening the merits of the tax debt itself.

Full Text of § 706.082

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No review of the taxpayer's tax liability shall be permitted in any court proceedings under this chapter.

Plain-English Summary

This is a narrow but important limit on what a court can decide in a proceeding brought under this chapter. No court proceeding here — whether about service, the withholding amount, or anything else this article covers — can be used to relitigate whether the taxpayer owes the underlying tax liability.

That doesn't leave a taxpayer without any avenue to dispute the debt itself; it just means this chapter's wage-withholding proceedings aren't the place for it. The administrative hearing and judicial-mandate review in § 706.075 address the withholding order's mechanics, not the tax liability's merits, which are challenged through the tax system's own channels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I challenge whether I owe the tax debt in a wage-withholding court proceeding?

No. Section 706.082 bars any review of the taxpayer's underlying tax liability in proceedings under this chapter.

What can a taxpayer challenge in these wage-withholding proceedings, then?

Matters like the withholding order's procedure and the amount being withheld, through the administrative hearing and mandate-review process in § 706.075 — not the validity of the tax debt itself.

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: can i dispute tax liability in wage garnishment case california