Workforce Payroll has a dedicated garnishment system that automates the calculation and (for child support) the payment of court-ordered wage deductions. This guide walks you through the end-to-end process of receiving a garnishment order, configuring it in the system, and managing it through completion.
What's covered in this guide?
Understanding garnishment types
Workforce Payroll supports seven garnishment types:
Type | Description |
Child Support | Court-ordered child support payments. Processed automatically via ACH - Workforce transfers funds directly to the state agency |
Federal Tax Lien | IRS federal tax liens |
State Tax Lien | State-level tax liens |
Student Loan | Student loan wage garnishments |
Federal loan | Federal loan garnishments |
Creditor garnishments | General creditor or civil judgment garnishments |
Other | Any garnishment type not covered above |
Child Support vs. All Other Types
This is the most important distinction in the system:
Child Support garnishments are automatic payments. When you run payroll, Workforce transmits the garnished funds directly to the state child support agency via ACH. You do not need to send a separate payment.
All other types are manual payments. The garnished amount is calculated and withheld from the employee's pay, but you are responsible for paying the garnishing agency directly (by check, electronic transfer, etc.).
On the Pay Run summary, child support garnishments show as "Automatic" and all others show as "Manual" under the Payment Type column.
Step 1. Understand the garnishment order
When you receive a garnishment order from a court, government agency, or legal entity:
Review the order details including the garnishment type, deduction amount (fixed or percentage), and duration.
Note the total amount owed if specified, the case ID (for child support), and the agency to whom payments should be sent.
Store a copy of the garnishment order in the employee's HR profile under Notes & Files.
Step 2. Notify the employee
Provide the employee with written notice that a garnishment order has been received. Share the relevant details of the order and explain how the deductions will appear on their pay stubs.
Step 3. Add the garnishment to the employee's profile
Go to the employee's Profile > Payroll tab.
Scroll to the Garnishments section.
Click Add.
Fill in the garnishment details:
Required Fields (All Types)
Name — A unique identifier for this garnishment (e.g., "TX Child Support - Case 12345" or "IRS Federal Tax Lien"). Must be unique per employee.
Payroll Journal Account — Select the appropriate payroll account for this deduction.
Garnishment Type — Select from the seven types listed above.
Amount per Paycheck ($) — A fixed dollar amount to garnish each pay period. Not required if using percentage of pay instead (see "How the Amount is Calculated" below)
Percentage of Pay (%) — A percentage of garnishable income to withhold. Not required if using amount per paycheck instead (see "How the Amount is Calculated" below)
Total Owed for Garnishment ($) — The total amount owed per the garnishment order. Enter $0.00 if the garnishment is ongoing or indefinite.
Total Paid Towards Garnishment ($) — Any amount already paid toward this garnishment before it was entered in Workforce (e.g., deductions processed in a prior payroll system). This field is locked once the garnishment has been paid via Workforce.
Additional Fields for Child Support
When you select "Child Support" as the type, three additional fields appear:
Child Support Agency — Select the state agency from the dropdown. These agencies are configured by the Workforce team (see "What If Your Child Support State Is Unavailable?" below).
Case ID — The court case number or IV-D case number (max 20 characters). Required for child support.
Medical Support — Check this box if the employee has family medical insurance coverage available through your company. This information is reported to the state agency as part of the ACH payment.
How the Amount Is Calculated
You can enter a fixed amount, a percentage, or both:
Fixed amount only — That exact amount is garnished (capped at available garnishable income).
Percentage only — That percentage of garnishable income is garnished.
Both — The lower of the two is used. For example, if you enter $200 and 50%, and the employee's garnishable income is $500, the system will garnish $200 (the lower of $200 vs. 50% of $500 = $250).
At least one of these must be greater than zero.
What Is Garnishable Income?
Garnishable income is calculated as:
Total Wages (excluding tips) − Employee Taxes (excluding additional withholding)
Tips, reimbursements, and cash advances are excluded from garnishable income.
What If Your Child Support State Is Unavailable?
The Child Support Agency dropdown is populated with state agencies that have been configured by the Workforce team. You cannot add or edit agencies yourself.
If the state you need is not listed in the dropdown:
Contact Workforce Support and request that the state be added. The Workforce team will configure the state's SDU (State Disbursement Unit) banking details so that automatic ACH payments can be processed. Be prepared to provide the employee's full name and garnishment case ID.
If you need to start withholding immediately before the state is available, select "Other" as the garnishment type instead of "Child Support." This will:
Still calculate and withhold the correct amount from the employee's pay each period.
Treat the payment as manual — meaning you will need to remit the funds to the state agency yourself until the state is added.
Once the state is added by the Workforce team, edit the garnishment: change the type to "Child Support", select the newly available agency, and enter the Case ID. Going forward, payments will be processed automatically via ACH.
Step 4. How garnishments are processed during pay runs
When a pay run is calculated:
Child support garnishments are processed first, regardless of when they were created. This ensures compliance with federal priority rules.
All other garnishments are processed in order of creation date (oldest first).
Each garnishment reduces the remaining garnishable income available for subsequent garnishments.
The total of all garnishments cannot exceed the employee's garnishable income.
Garnishments are skipped on off-cycle/adjustment pay runs — they only apply to regular pay runs.
If a garnishment's total paid has reached or exceeded the total owed, it is automatically marked as paid off and no further deductions are taken.
Reviewing Garnishments on a Pay Run
On the Pay Run summary page, the Garnishments section shows:
Column | Description |
Employee | Name (linked to their pay stub) |
Payment type | "Automatic" (child support) or "Manual" (all other types) |
Garnishment Identifier | The garnishment name |
Amount | The amount deducted for this pay period |
Manual Adjustments
On individual pay stubs, garnishment line amounts can be manually adjusted. Manual adjustments are preserved when the pay stub is recalculated — they will not be overwritten by the automatic calculation.
Step 5: Manage ongoing garnishments
Updating a Garnishment
Navigate to the employee's Profile > Payroll > Garnishments and click the garnishment name to edit it. Changes to the amount, percentage, type, or total owed will automatically trigger recalculation of any draft pay stubs for that employee.
Tracking Progress
The garnishments table on the employee's profile shows:
Column | Description |
Name | Garnishment identifier (click to edit) |
Type | The garnishment type |
Amount per Paycheck | The configured fixed amount and/or percentage |
Total Owed | The total from the court order (or "-" if indefinite) |
Total Paid | Running total of all deductions made |
When total paid reaches or exceeds total owed, the garnishment is considered paid off and no further deductions are taken.
Removing a Garnishment
Click Delete next to the garnishment on the employee's profile. You will be asked to confirm.
Step 6: Maintain records and compliance
Store the garnishment order in the employee's HR profile under Notes & Files. File any amendments or modifications with the original order.
For manual payment types (everything except child support): prepare and send payments to the garnishing agency yourself based on the amounts shown on each pay run. Follow the specific payment instructions from the garnishment order (check, electronic transfer, etc.). Retain proof of all payments.
For child support: Workforce handles the ACH payment automatically, but you should still retain copies of the order, verify amounts on each pay run, and maintain correspondence with the state agency.
All garnishment changes are audit-tracked with version history for compliance purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I add a garnishment?
Employee Profile > Payroll tab > Garnishments section
Who manages child support agencies?
The Workforce team — contact Support to add a new state
Are child support payments sent automatically?
Yes, via ACH to the state agency
Are other garnishments paid automatically?
No, you must remit those payments yourself
What if my child support state isn't available?
Contact Support with the employee's full name and garnishment case ID; use "Other" type in the meantime
Which garnishments are deducted first?
Child support always takes priority
Do garnishments apply to off-cycle pay runs?
No
What happens when a garnishment is paid off?
Deductions stop automatically when total paid >= total owed
Can I enter both a fixed amount and percentage?
Yes — the lower of the two will be used