GTM Enablement - Handling Garnishment Questions with Check
Overview of garnishments and how Partners sales teams can respond to questions about how Check handles garnishments.
Overview of Garnishments
1. What Is a Garnishment?
A garnishment is a legal order requiring an employer to withhold a portion of an employee’s wages to satisfy a financial obligation. These are typically issued by a court or a government agency and are legally binding on the employer. Garnishments remain active until the order is satisfied or the issuing authority releases it.
2. Types of Garnishments
Employers may receive different types of garnishment orders, including:
- Child Support Orders: Mandated by state agencies to ensure timely support payments.
- Important Note: Of the garnishments processed by Check, around 90% are child support garnishments which the deduction, funds collection, and filing the child support garnishments are fully managed by Check.
- Tax Levies: Federal or state government orders to collect unpaid taxes.
- Creditor Garnishments: Court orders to repay outstanding debts or judgments.
- Student Loan Garnishments: Federal actions for unpaid education-related debts.
Currently, Check fully supports processing child support garnishments as part of payroll execution. Other types (e.g., creditor garnishments, tax levies) may need to be handled manually by the employer, with Check providing payroll setup guidance where possible.
3. What Employers Must Do When They Receive a Garnishment Order
When an employer receives a garnishment order, they must:
- Review the order to confirm its validity and ensure it applies to the specific employee.
- Determine the withholding amount according to the order’s terms and applicable state or federal limits.
- Notify the employee about the garnishment, if required by law.
- Send the order to Check’s Partner Support team if Check is processing payroll, so the garnishment can be reviewed and added to the employee’s profile.
- Retain copies of all correspondence and documentation related to the order.
If Check cannot process a specific garnishment type (e.g., a court-ordered creditor garnishment), the employer must manually adjust payroll to withhold the specified amount and remit payments directly to the issuing agency.
4. How Check Handles Child Support Garnishments
For child support orders, Check manages the process from start to finish:
- Employer Submission: The employer sends the garnishment order to Check’s Partner Support team.
- Verification & Setup: Check reviews the order for completeness, ensures accurate employee data is available, and configures the deduction in the payroll system.
- Withholding: During each payroll cycle, Check automatically withholds the specified amount from the employee’s pay.
- Remittance: The withheld funds are remitted to the appropriate state child support agency.
- Ongoing Management: Check monitors the order for changes, terminations, or compliance issues and maintains records as part of payroll compliance.
For more complex or uncommon garnishments, Check’s support team assists with setup guidance and ensures compliance from the payroll calculation side, but the employer remains responsible for remitting payments when Check does not have a direct integration with the receiving agency.
5. When Check Cannot Service a Garnishment Directly
If Check cannot process the garnishment (e.g., creditor or tax levy):
- Check will advise the employer on how to configure a custom deduction in payroll.
- The employer must manually remit payments to the specified authority.
- Check continues to handle payroll calculations and reporting but does not handle payment distribution for unsupported garnishment types.
6. Support and Escalation
- Partner Support Role: Partners assist employers with initial garnishment inquiries, order submission, and system configuration questions.
- Check Support Role: Check handles compliance, movement of money, and complex deduction setup for supported garnishment types.
- Check categorizes garnishment-related issues as “Normal priority” under its Service Level Agreements, typically resolving within 5 business days depending on complexity.
🗣️ Partner Sales Talk Track: Garnishment Handling
Purpose:
To help partner sales reps clearly explain how Check handles garnishments and guide employers to share details about any non-child-support cases.
Step 1: Confidently State the Core Capability
“Check fully handles child support garnishments end-to-end, that means once the employer receives a child support order, they can simply send it to Check’s partner support team, and Check will take care of setup, withholdings, and remittance to the state agency automatically.”
🧩 Sales context note:
This instantly signals full compliance and operational ease, which is often the top concern for employers evaluating payroll vendors.
Step 2: Frame It with Market Context
“Child support garnishments actually make up about 90% of all garnishments employers receive. So in most cases, [Partner]’s payroll system completely handles what’s required, from processing to payment delivery.”
🧩 Sales context note:
This gives prospects reassurance that Check covers the overwhelming majority of scenarios, positioning Check as both capable and compliant.
Step 3: Qualify and Uncover Edge Cases
“Out of curiosity, do you typically see many non-child-support garnishments, like tax levies or creditor wage orders?”
🧩 Why this works:
This question does two things:
- It invites the prospect to share their current pain points or exposure.
- It signals confidence that Check can support them even if some manual handling is required.
Step 4: Follow-Up Options Based on the Prospect’s Response
If they say “We mostly get child support orders”:
“Perfect, that’s exactly what our platform is optimized to manage. You’ll just need to forward those orders, and our support team will handle the entire process for you.”
(✅ Reinforce ease and compliance, no extra lift on their side.)
If they say “We occasionally get other types” (e.g., creditor or tax levies):
“That’s good to know. For those less common garnishments, our platform can guide you on setting up the appropriate deduction in payroll, but you’d handle the actual payment remittance directly to the agency. Our support team can help walk you through that setup if it ever comes up.”
(✅ Reassures the prospect that Check won’t leave them on their own, even for exceptions.)
Step 5: Close with Confidence
“So in short, our payroll handles the majority of garnishments automatically, and for the few that fall outside that scope, our team provides clear guidance to make sure you stay compliant and payroll keeps running smoothly.”
Frequently Asked Questions (Garnishment Handling)
Does Check know of a vendor that can offer garnishment management services?
No — Check does not have a relationship with or recommend any third-party vendor that provides garnishment management services. If an employer needs to handle garnishment types other than child support, they will need to manage those directly.
How much do employers usually pay for third-party garnishment services?
We’ve seen employers pay around $8 per garnishment order per payroll run, even when they’re billed monthly.
For example, an employer with one active garnishment on a biweekly payroll could pay roughly $16 per month in third-party service fees.
This reinforces that Check’s built-in child support garnishment processing already covers the majority (90%) of garnishment cases at no additional cost.
What if I or the prospect have more questions about garnishments?
If you or the prospective employer have additional questions, reach out to your Partner Support team. They can provide further clarification or escalate to Check’s payroll operations team if needed.
Partner Support can help confirm:
- Whether a specific garnishment type is supported directly by Check
- How to set up manual deductions when required
- What documentation employers should provide to remain compliant
Last updated on November 14, 2025