Georgia, like most states, has declared that it is the state’s public policy that children be supported financially by both of their parents. This means that parents are financially responsible for their children, whether those offspring are the result of a decades-long marriage or a one-time meeting. Previous posts here have discussed some of the basics of child support in Georgia, such as the basic income-based guidelines used to calculate a party’s support responsibility, and some of the ways that custodial parents can enforce support orders that have not been complied with. One of the best ways to deal with enforcing a support order is to attempt to make certain that payments are made on a regular basis. One of the ways to do this in Georgia is through what is termed an “Income Withholding Order.” This is a notice that is sent to employer of a person liable to pay child support that notifies that party of the order’s existence and terms, and instructs the company’s payroll personnel to withhold the correct amount from the non-custodial parent’s pay and forward it to the state for processing. This process has several advantages. First, it helps ensure the correct amount of money gets to the custodial parent. It also makes it harder for a parent ordered to pay support to forget and get behind on the financial obligation. Further, since the state accounts for every penny paid, it can reduce disputes about whether or not a certain payment has been made, as a record will be kept of each payment. While not always used, IWOs may be required by law in certain circumstances, such as when the children in question have received benefits from a Title IV-D agency. IWOs may mean that the child support takes slightly longer to get to the custodial parent, as it goes to the state, then the state forwards the amount on to the parent, less any money owed to the state for any benefits received on behalf of the kids. Even so, in many instances of child support IWOs offer more advantages than disadvantages.