Income Withholding

There are different ways that the Cuyahoga Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) can issue an Wage Withholding, also called Income Withholding. These include but are not limited to:

If the non-custodial parent is employed, OCSS will issue the wage withholding order directly to the employer. The employer will deduct the payments from the non-custodial parent’s wages and send them directly to OCSPC (Ohio Child Support Payment Central) in Columbus.
If the non-custodial parent is receiving benefits, OCSS can issue a wage withholding order to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (OBWC), Ohio Bureau of Employment Services (OBES), and to the Social Security Administration for certain benefits.
If the non-custodial parent is self-employed, OCSS can have support payments deducted from a bank account (savings or checking).

Payment Processing

After payment is received, OCSPC can take up to two business days to process it. After completion of processing, funds will either be mailed or direct deposited via EFT (electronic funds transfer) or via smiONE™ Debit Card to the custodial parent.

smiONE™ Debit Card Application

Employers are required to send payments to OCSPC within seven business days after the non-custodial parent is paid.

Information for Employers

Determining the Amount Withheld

The amount withheld from a non-custodial parent’s pay depends on several things:

The monthly payment required by the child support order
The frequency at which the non-custodial parent is paid
Withholding limits established under the Consumer Credit Protection Act

The annual support amount is divided by the number of times the non-custodial parent is paid each year to determine the amount to be withheld from each pay check.

Example:
A non-custodial parent is ordered to pay $200 per month in support, including fees. This means the annual support amount to be paid is $2,400 ($200 X 12 Months).

The following formulas demonstrate the estimated amount withheld per check depending on the pay periods the employer uses.

Bi-weekly (every 2 weeks) / 26 pay periods

Annual support / 26 pay periods = Wage withheld per check

$2,400 / 26 = $92.31 per paycheck

Twice per month / 24 pay periods

Annual support / 24 pay periods = Wage withheld per check

$2,400 / 24 = $100 per paycheck

Weekly / 52 pay periods

Annual support / 52 pay periods = Wage withheld per check

$2,400 / 52 = $46.15 per paycheck

The amount withheld is limited by the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA). OCSS can legally only withhold up to 65% of the non-custodial parent’s disposable income. The exact percentage withheld is determined by whether the non-custodial parent has other dependents to support and whether there are arrears owed older than 12 weeks. If any portion of the monthly support obligation is not paid because of the CCPA, the unpaid portion accrues as arrears on the case.

In order to avoid default and accruing arrears, please notify OCSS immediately upon any change in employment.