Mandatory Payroll Deductions FAQs

A garnishment is a legal order to withhold a specified sum from your wages to satisfy a debt in accordance with the state and federal wage garnishment laws.

• State Levy: Unpaid State Income Taxes due
• Federal Levy: Unpaid Federal Income Taxes due
• Court Order: Child Support payments and/or arrearages due
• Attachment/Garnishment: Unpaid obligations to creditors
• Student Loan Levy: Unpaid student loans due

This will depend on the type of garnishment. Deductions will be determined as follows:

• Federal levies and Court Orders will exempt a pre–determined amount of your net pay from garnishment.
• State levies and attachments/garnishments will be deducted at no more than 25% of your disposable earnings.
• Student Loan levies will be deducted at 10% or 15% of your disposable earnings as noted on the levy.

Disposable earnings are the gross wages/salary minus all mandatory deductions such as federal withholding taxes, state withholding taxes, Medicare B and Social Security taxes.

Yale University can only modify amounts when we are instructed to do so by the issuer of the garnishment, who are the only legal authorities to either modify or release a garnishment.

It is very important that you complete this form and return it to the Payroll Department immediately. If the Payroll Department does not receive this statement of exemption form from the employee, the default of Married filing separately with one exemption must be used to determine the amount of net pay that is exempt from levy. This may be a lower amount than you are entitled to, based on your completion of this form.

You should have been notified of this pending action from the taxing agencies, courts or firms that are the plaintiffs in these orders. If, however, you do not remember who may be garnishing your payments, you may call the Employee Service Center at (203) 432-5552.

The Payroll Department must receive written notice from the authorized agency to change or stop a garnishment. These notices should be sent to:

Yale University Payroll Department
P.O. Box 208356
New Haven, CT 06520–8356

These notices may also be faxed to: 203.432.6662.