§ 19-11-30.11.Fee on levied accounts
Chapter 11. Enforcement of Duty of Support · Article 1. Child Support Recovery Act · Last amended 2009 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-11-30.11
Plain-English Summary
When Georgia’s child support agency levies a parent’s bank account, the bank does the work of freezing the money and sending it on. This section lets the bank recover some of that cost from the account itself. A financial institution may charge an account levied on by the commissioner of human services a fee of not less than $20.00 nor more than $50.00. The commissioner sets the figure within that range. The fee comes out of the account before the institution remits funds to the department.
The fee is permissive. The section says the institution “may” charge it, so a bank is not required to. When a bank does charge it, the fee is charged against the levied account and deducted before any funds go to the department.
The second sentence handles a different cost. When the commissioner requests bank or account information under § 19-11-30.2, the bank match law, the commissioner is not liable for costs that could otherwise be assessed under Code Section 7-1-237, a banking statute in Title 7. In other words, the department does not owe the bank costs under that Title 7 provision for answering bank match requests. Section 19-11-30.2(f) separately allows the department to pay a reasonable fee for the searches, not to exceed the institution’s actual costs.
Readers should also know that § 19-11-38(b) separately lets a financial institution assess a fee against the obligor, not to exceed $10.00, for forwarding moneys to the child support agency. If a levy is later undone because of a mistake of fact or a court ruling and all funds are refunded, § 19-11-37(m) generally requires the agency to reimburse the account for fees the institution assessed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my bank charge me a fee when child support levies my account in Georgia?
Yes. A financial institution may charge an account levied on by the commissioner of human services a fee of not less than $20.00 nor more than $50.00, as determined by the commissioner. The fee is deducted from the account before the bank sends funds to the department. Section 19-11-38(b) separately allows a forwarding fee of up to $10.00.
How much is the bank levy fee for child support in Georgia?
Between $20.00 and $50.00. The commissioner of human services determines the amount within that range, and the bank may deduct it from the levied account before remitting funds to the department. The bank isn’t required to charge it; the section says it “may.”
Do I get the bank’s levy fee back if the levy was a mistake?
Often, yes. Under § 19-11-37(m), if all funds are refunded to the account because of a mistake of fact or a court ruling, the child support agency shall reimburse the account for fees the financial institution assessed. But if the mistake was only in the amount of support owed, the agency doesn’t have to reimburse fees or costs.
Does the child support agency pay banks for bank match information?
Not under Code Section 7-1-237. This section says the commissioner of human services, when requesting bank or account information under § 19-11-30.2, shall not be liable for costs otherwise assessable under that Title 7 provision. Section 19-11-30.2(f) does let the department pay a bank a reasonable fee for conducting bank match searches, capped at the bank’s actual costs.
Is the levy fee taken from my child support payment or from my account?
From the levied account. The section lets the financial institution charge the fee to the account levied on and deduct it before remitting funds to the department. The forwarding fee in § 19-11-38(b) has its own rule: if there isn’t enough money to cover that fee and the support due, the amount credited to the support obligation is reduced by the fee.
Amendment History
Laws 1997, p. 1613, § 30; Laws 2002, p. 1247, § 18; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 2-4, eff. July 1, 2009.