Income withholding is a deduction of a payment for child support from a parent’s income. An order for income withholding can be from a court or administratively ordered by a child support agency—such as the child support division of the state’s Attorney General’s office.
The parent's employer often transmits the money directly to the child support agency.
In Colorado, income withholding is a common method used to collect child support payments. When a parent is ordered to pay child support, the court or the state's child support enforcement agency can issue an income withholding order. This order requires the parent's employer to deduct the specified amount of child support directly from the parent's wages and send it to the Colorado Family Support Registry (FSR), which then distributes the funds to the custodial parent. Employers are legally bound to comply with these orders and can face penalties for failing to do so. Income withholding orders are typically automatic and immediate, meaning they start as soon as the child support order is established unless both parents and the court agree on an alternative arrangement.