A. In all child support cases arising out of an action for divorce, paternity or other proceedings, the court shall order the payment of child support as provided under Section 115 of Title 43 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
§ 1171.3.Income Assignment Proceedings
Chapter 21: Garnishment and Attachment · Last amended June 3, 2004 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1171.3 sets the mechanics of a child support income assignment, from the notice sent to a payor and the seven-day deadline to forward withheld amounts to the Centralized Support Registry, through penalties on a noncompliant payor and the standard for requiring immediate income assignment in new support orders.
Full Text of § 1171.3
1. A notice of income assignment shall be sent by the applicant to the payor on a standardized form prescribed by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and available through the Administrative Office of the Courts. The notice shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested or served according to law. The payor shall be required to comply with the provisions of this subsection and the provisions stated in the notice.
2. The income assignment shall take effect on the next payment of earnings to the obligor after the payor receives notice. The amount withheld shall be sent to the Centralized Support Registry as provided for in Section 413 of Title 43 of the Oklahoma Statutes within seven (7) days after the date upon which the obligor is paid. The payor shall include with each payment a statement reporting the date the obligor's support obligation was withheld.
3. Each pay period the payor shall withhold the amounts specified in the notice from the obligor's income and earnings. The amount withheld by the payor shall not exceed the limits on the percentage of an obligor's income which may be assigned for support pursuant to Section 1171.2 of this title.
4. The income assignment is binding upon the payor until released or until further order of the court.
5. All payments shall be made through the Centralized Support Registry as provided in Section 413 of Title 43 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
6. If the amount of support due under all income assignments against the obligor exceeds the maximum amount authorized by Section 1171.2 of this title, the payor shall pay the amount due up to the statutory limit, and the payor shall send written notice to the person or agency designated to receive payments that the amount due exceeds the amount subject to withholding. If the payor wrongfully fails to pay or notify as required in this subsection, the payor may be liable for an amount up to the accumulated amount due upon receipt of the notice.
7. If the payor is the obligor's employer, the payor shall send written notice to the person or agency designated to receive payments within ten (10) days of the date the obligor terminates employment, and shall provide the obligor's last-known address and the name of the obligor's new employer, if known.
8. If the payor has no income due or to be due to the obligor in the payor's possession or control or if the obligor has terminated employment with the payor prior to the receipt of notice of income assignment required pursuant to this subsection, the payor shall send written notice to the person or agency designated to receive payments within ten (10) days. Failure to notify the person or agency entitled to support within the required time limit may subject the payor to liability for an amount up to the accumulated amount due upon receipt of the notice of income assignment.
9. The payor is liable for any amount up to the accumulated amount that should have been withheld and paid, and may be fined up to Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for each failure to make the required deductions if the payor:
a. fails to withhold or pay the support in accordance with the provisions of the income assignment notice, or
b. fails to notify the person or agency designated to receive payments as required.
10. The payor may combine withheld amounts from earnings of two or more obligors subject to the same support order in a single payment and separately identify that portion of the single payment which is attributable to each individual obligor.
11. An income assignment for child support shall have priority over any prior or subsequent garnishments of the same wages.
12. The payor may deduct from any earnings of the obligor a sum not exceeding Five Dollars ($5.00) per pay period but not to exceed Ten Dollars ($10.00) per month as reimbursement for costs incurred by the payor for the income assignment.
13. The income assignment shall remain in effect regardless of a change of payor.
14. The income assignment shall remain in effect as long as current support is due or until all arrearages for support are paid, whichever is later. Payment of arrearages shall not prevent the income assignment from taking effect.
15. The payor may not discipline, suspend, discharge, or refuse to promote an obligor because of an income assignment executed pursuant to this section. Any payor who violates this section shall be liable to the obligor for all income, wages, and employment benefits lost by the obligor from the period of unlawful discipline, suspension, discharge, or refusal to promote until the time of reinstatement or promotion.
C. Income assignment shall be available to collect any amounts due for child support, child care and medical expenses, as well as current support alimony payments; provided, child support shall be paid prior to any alimony payments.
D. Any existing support order or income assignment which is brought before the court shall be modified by the court to conform to the provisions of this section.
E. Any person obligated to pay support, who has left or is beyond the jurisdiction of the court, may be prosecuted under any other proceedings available pursuant to the laws of this state for the enforcement of the duty of support and maintenance.
F. The income assignment proceedings specified in this section shall be available to other states for the enforcement of support and maintenance or to enforce out-of-state orders. Venue for these proceedings is, at the option of the obligee:
1. In the county in this state in which the support order was entered;
2. In the county in this state in which the obligee resides; or
3. In the county in this state in which the obligor resides or receives income.
1. In all child support cases in which child support services are being provided under the state child support plan as provided under Section 237 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes, all orders for support are subject to immediate income assignment without need for a hearing by the district or administrative court.
2. In all child support cases arising out of an action for divorce, paternity, or other proceeding in which services are not being provided under the state child support plan as provided under Section 237 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the court shall order the income of any parent ordered to pay child support to be subject to immediate income assignment regardless of whether child support payments are in arrears at the time of the order, unless:
a. one of the parties demonstrates and the court finds that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding. Any finding that there is good cause not to require immediate income assignment must be based upon at least:
(1) a written determination and explanation by the court or administrative authority of why implementing immediate income assignment would not be in the best interests of the child, and
(2) proof of timely payment of previously ordered support in cases involving modification of support orders, or
b. a written agreement is reached between the parties which provides for an alternative arrangement. For purposes of this subparagraph, "written agreement" means a written alternative arrangement signed by both the custodial and noncustodial parents which has been reviewed by the court and entered into the record by the court or administrative authority.
Amendment History
Laws 1985, HB 1209, c. 297, § 2, eff. 10/1/1985; Amended by Laws 1986, HB 1581, c. 176, § 2, emerg. eff. 5/15/1986; Amended by Laws 1989, HB 1637, c. 362, § 1, eff. 11/1/1989; Amended by Laws 1990, SB 472, c. 309, § 7, eff. 9/1/1990; Amended by Laws 1991, SB 411, c. 278, § 1, emerg. eff. 5/28/1991; Amended by Laws 1994, HB 1492, c. 356, § 23, eff. 9/1/1994; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 2058, c. 272, § 3, eff. 11/1/1997; Amended by Laws 1997, HB 706, c. 402, § 7, emerg. eff. 7/1/1997; Amended by Laws 1998, SB 1342, c. 323, §5, eff. 10/1/1998; Amended by Laws 2000, SB 1520, c. 384, §3, eff. 11/1/2000; Amended by Laws 2004, HB 2527, c. 393, §1, emerg. eff. 6/3/2004.
Note
Laws 1997, c. 272, § 3 repealed by Laws 1998, c. 5, § 29, emerg. eff. March 4, 1998.
Plain-English Summary
Section 1171.3 walks through how a child support income assignment runs day to day. The applicant sends the payor a standardized notice of income assignment by certified mail or service of process. The assignment takes effect on the obligor's next payment of earnings after the payor receives it, and the payor must forward the withheld amount to the Centralized Support Registry within seven days of paying the obligor, along with a statement of the withholding date. The amount withheld can't exceed the caps set in Section 1171.2, and the assignment binds the payor until released or the court orders otherwise, regardless of a change in payor.
The section spells out what happens when things go wrong. If total support due under all assignments against an obligor exceeds the statutory limit, the payor pays up to the limit and must notify the collecting agency of the shortfall. If the payor is the obligor's employer, the payor must report termination within ten days, along with the obligor's last-known address and new employer if known; failing to withhold, pay, or give required notice can make the payor liable for the full amount that should have been withheld, plus a fine of up to two hundred dollars per violation. A payor may deduct up to five dollars per pay period, capped at ten dollars a month, to cover the cost of administering the assignment, and can't discipline, suspend, discharge, or refuse to promote an obligor because of an assignment, on pain of liability for the obligor's lost wages and benefits.
An income assignment has priority over other garnishments on the same wages, and it remains in effect as long as current support is due or arrears remain unpaid, whichever is later. Subsection G requires immediate income assignment in nearly every new or modified support order, whether or not the state is providing child support services, unless the court finds good cause, backed by a written explanation and, for modifications, proof of timely past payment, or unless both parents sign a written alternative arrangement that the court reviews and enters into the record.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly must a payor send withheld child support to the state?
Within seven (7) days after the date the obligor is paid, to the Centralized Support Registry.
What happens if an employer ignores a notice of income assignment?
The employer can be liable for any amount that should have been withheld and paid, plus a fine of up to two hundred dollars for each failure to make the required deductions.
Can an employer fire someone for having their wages assigned for child support?
No. Section 1171.3 bars a payor from disciplining, suspending, discharging, or refusing to promote an obligor because of an income assignment, and makes a violating payor liable for the obligor's lost income and benefits.
Is immediate income withholding automatic in every new Oklahoma child support order?
Nearly always. Subsection G requires it unless the court finds good cause, supported by a written explanation, or the parents sign a reviewed written alternative arrangement.
Can a payor charge a fee for administering an income assignment?
Yes, up to five dollars per pay period, not to exceed ten dollars per month.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: how income assignment works oklahomaemployer child support withholding deadline oklahomaimmediate income withholding oklahoma child support12 O.S. § 1171.3