Overview: Garnishment Information for Payroll Administrators

On this page:

 

Garnishments Defined

A garnishment is a legal order to withhold a specified sum from an employee's wages to satisfy a debt or fulfill a court order. Depending upon the agency, different terminology may be used to refer to the garnishment. All are appropriate legal terms for a garnishment:

  • "Levy" used by the Federal Government
  • "Earnings Withholding Order" used by the State
  • "Wage Assignment" used by the Sheriff's Department, Child Support Agencies, District Attorney, and Family Support Divisions
back to top

Information for you and your Employees

  • Garnishment orders are handled by Payroll. Information is not shared with departments and garnishment deductions do not appear on any distributed reports.
  • For further information, reference Payroll for Employees, Overview: Garnishments.
  • Employee questions should be directed to Payroll by:
    • Submitting a HelpSU ticket. The Garnishment Supervisor in the Payroll Department will contact the employee.
    • Or by calling the Payroll Garnishment Supervisor directly at 650-723-7561.
back to top