Rule 24.11.Separate Income Withholding Orders

Georgia backs up child support orders with automatic wage withholding, and Rule 24.11 makes that pairing standard practice. Whenever a court orders child support, a separate income withholding order has to accompany it so the paying parent’s wages get withheld directly, unless one of three exceptions applies: the Georgia Department of Human Services is already enforcing the support, the court finds good cause to skip immediate withholding — including a finding that withholding is not in the child’s best interest, or in a modification case, proof the prior support was paid on time — or the parties have a written agreement for a different arrangement.

The rule also assigns responsibility for getting the withholding order into an employer’s hands. The parent receiving support — the Obligee — has to complete and transmit all the documents and notices required under state and federal law and through the Georgia Family Support Registry. If a case involves more than one worksheet and more than one support amount, each amount needs its own signed withholding order.

Alongside the court-signed order, the Obligee also has to complete a federal “Income Withholding for Support” notice and send it to the employer at the same time — a form that a judge does not sign and that never gets filed with the clerk.