REPORTING SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Special Reporting Types
Bonuses & Lump Sum Payments
Bonus and lump sum payments made to employees are considered income and may be garnished to collect past-due child support. Examples include severance, vacation payouts, retirement incentives, commissions, awards, and payments as a result of verdicts. Choose one of the below options to report these payments:
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Report by e-IWO: The Electronic Income Withholding for Support Order (e-IWO) process enables states and employers to exchange information about IWOs electronically, which includes information about upcoming bonus or lump sum payments. This option provides employers with the fastest and most efficient method of sending information. To learn more, read the Child Support e-IWO Factsheet in English or read the e-IWO Factsheet in Spanish. To enroll, visit the federal e-IWO page.
- Report by Child Support Portal: With this option, you can use the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement’s Child Support Portal, Report Lump Sum application to upload information about employees who are eligible to receive a bonus, lump sum or other type of payout. California Child Support Services will receive the information from the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement’s Child Support Portal, and when appropriate, issue a separate Bonus/Lump Sum Income Withholding Order through your preferred method of transmission: fax, email, Electronic Income Withholding Order (e-IWO), or USPS. For more information, visit the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement’s Child Support Portal – Report Lump Sum Payments Online or email employerportal@acf.hhs.gov.
- Report by Phone or Email: Employers may report bonus or lump sum payments prior to payout by contacting California Child Support Services at lumpsumresponseteam@dcss.ca.gov or 916-464-6640.
Terminations
When an employee with a child support obligation through a child support agency leaves your company, notify the agency as soon as possible following the termination date. A termination occurs if the employee quits, retires, is fired or laid off. Termination FAQs
There are two ways to notify your local child support agency of a termination.
- Complete the Termination of Benefits form, available only online, or
- Complete page four of the Income Withholding for Support form and mail or fax it to the issuing local agency. The information they will need is:
- Employee’s name
- Employee’s case number
- Employee’s last known home address
- New employer’s name and address (if known)
- Date of separation
Termination of Healthcare
States using the National Medical Support Notice may require that additional information on medical support or insurance be reported, primarily to avoid interruption of medical coverage for the employee’s child.
Notify the child support agency handling the case within ten (10) business days of any lapse of health care coverage, including:
- The reason for lapse in coverage
- Whether the lapse is temporary
- If the lapse is temporary, the date coverage will resume
- The effective date of the lapse in coverage
This information should be submitted to the agency on the Termination of Benefits form, available only online.
Retirement
When an employee retires, the federal agency should notify the state Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agency of the termination and the name and address of the Federal payroll agency/processing center responsible for paying the retirement benefit. To avoid interruptions in payment to the employee’s child and accrual of arrears, the employee may choose to make his/her own payments directly to the local child support agency until the retirement processing center receives a new income withholding order.
When to Stop Withholding
Do not stop withholding for child support until one of the following occurs:
- Official notification to stop withholding is received from the issuing agency
- The employee is terminated, for whatever reason (including retirement or death)
- Bankruptcy proceedings are underway and a bankruptcy trustee takes over the withholding