Dos and Don'ts for the Income Withholding for Support Form

Publication Date: April 29, 2019
Current as of:

Employers receive Income Withholding for Support (IWO) forms from child support agencies, courts, attorneys and private entities. Sometimes the forms have been changed by the sender. Since the IWO is a standard OMB-approved federal form sent to employers to withhold child support, there are very few changes that are acceptable. Keep in mind that employers may refuse to honor any IWO form that has been altered.

Items that cannot be changed or added to the IWO:
  • Do not alter, add, or delete form text. The text is standard and must remain as it appears on the OMB-approved form.
  • Do not rearrange the text on the form. The information must appear in the same order as on the OMB-approved form.
Items that can be changed or added:
  • Font and pagination
  • Additional or state-specific information, such as state code requirements, may be placed into the available lines in Liability, Anti-discrimination, or Supplemental Information sections or on an additional page that is clearly identified and referenced in the "Supplemental Information" section (see #33 of the instructions (PDF)).
  • Bar codes in the blank box or margins for document tracking.
  • Court case style at the top of page 1.
  • Agency letterhead may be used.