Legal Definitions - interstate income-withholding order

An interstate income-withholding order is a legal order that is issued by a court to enforce a support order of a court in another state. This order allows the withholding of income from a person who has failed to pay child support or spousal support as ordered by the court.

For instance, if a parent who lives in California fails to pay child support as ordered by a court in New York, the court in New York can issue an interstate income-withholding order to the employer of the parent in California. The employer will then be required to withhold a certain amount of the parent's income and send it to the court in New York to pay for the child support.

Another example is if a person who lives in Texas fails to pay spousal support as ordered by a court in Florida, the court in Florida can issue an interstate income-withholding order to the employer of the person in Texas. The employer will then be required to withhold a certain amount of the person's income and send it to the court in Florida to pay for the spousal support.

These examples illustrate how an interstate income-withholding order can be used to enforce a support order of a court in another state by withholding income of the defaulting person.