§ 706.103.Documents Served Upon Designated Employer By Levying Officer
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 5. Wage Garnishment · Article 5. Procedure for Earnings Withholding Orders and Exemption Claims · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 706.103 lists everything the levying officer must serve on the employer along with the earnings withholding order, including the order itself, the return form, the notice to the employee, blank exemption-claim and financial-statement forms, and the employer's instructions, all within the deadline set by Section 699.530(b).
(a)The levying officer shall serve upon the designated employer all of the following:
(1)The original and one copy of the earnings withholding order.
(2)The form for the employer's return.
(3)The notice to the employee of the earnings withholding order.
(4)A copy of the form that the judgment debtor may use to make a claim of exemption.
(5)A copy of the form the judgment debtor may use to provide a financial statement.
(b)At the time the levying officer makes service pursuant to subdivision (a), the levying officer shall provide the employer with a copy of the employer's instructions referred to in Section 706.127. The Judicial Council may adopt rules prescribing the circumstances when compliance with this subdivision is not required.
(c)No earnings withholding order shall be served upon the employer after the time specified in subdivision (b) of Section 699.530.
Plain-English Summary
An earnings withholding order rarely travels alone. Subdivision (a) requires the levying officer to hand the employer a packet: the original and a copy of the order, the form for the employer's own return, the notice that goes to the employee, and blank copies of the forms the debtor would use to claim an exemption or file a financial statement.
Subdivision (b) adds one more piece: a copy of the employer's instructions the Judicial Council prepares under § 706.127, unless the Judicial Council has adopted a rule excusing that step in particular circumstances. Those instructions are what walk an unfamiliar payroll department through what the order requires.
Subdivision (c) caps all of this with a deadline: no earnings withholding order may be served on the employer once the levy period fixed by § 699.530(b) has run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the levying officer have to give the employer along with the withholding order?
The order and a copy of it, the employer's-return form, the notice to the employee, and blank forms the debtor could use to claim an exemption or submit a financial statement.
Does the employer also get instructions on how to comply?
Yes, ordinarily. Section 706.103(b) requires a copy of the employer's instructions prepared under § 706.127, unless a Judicial Council rule excuses that in the circumstances.
Is there a deadline for serving the withholding order on the employer?
Yes. It can't be served after the levy period set by § 699.530(b) has expired.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats 2024 ch 514 (AB 2837),s 11, eff. 1/1/2025. Amended by Stats 2013 ch 64 (SB 233),s 5, eff. 1/1/2014.
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:what employer receives with wage garnishment order californiaearnings withholding order service packet