A wage assignment directs part of a person’s earnings to someone else before that person receives the money. It may arise from an agreement or a court order. The employer deducts the assigned amount from pay and sends it as directed.

In California Family Law

A wage assignment usually means an earnings assignment order for child or spousal support. Under Family Code § 5230, a court ordering or changing support must include an earnings assignment order. It covers current support and any amount ordered toward unpaid support, called arrears.

For example, a parent’s employer may be directed to take child support from each paycheck and send it to the State Disbursement Unit. The parent does not need to make a separate transfer for the amount withheld.

The court can put the assignment on hold in some circumstances, allowing direct payments instead. That does not cancel the support obligation. An assignment also does not, by itself, change how much support the court has ordered.

See Wage Withholding for the payment process and Wage Garnishment for how support collection differs from collecting other debts.