Automatic wage deduction is a court ordered child support collection system in which the non-custodial parent has child support payments deducted directly from his or her paycheck by the employer before the balance is distributed. The amount deducted is immediately sent to the custodial parent.
The employer sends a portion of the parent's wages to a state agency which then sends the money to the custodial parent. A federal law requires that after 1994, all child support orders must provide for an automatic wage deduction unless the parties have agreed otherwise or unless a court waives the automatic order.
