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 Kansas, income withholding is a common method used to collect child support payments. When a parent is ordered to pay child support, the amount can be automatically deducted from their wages through an income withholding order. This order can be issued by a court or administratively by a child support agency, such as the Kansas Payment Center, which operates under the Kansas Department for Children and Families and in cooperation with the Kansas Attorney General's office. The employer of the parent who owes child support is responsible for withholding the specified amount from the parent's income and sending it directly to the child support agency, which then disburses the funds to the custodial parent. Kansas law requires immediate income withholding in most child support cases, unless both parents and the court agree on an alternative arrangement.